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Friday, December 10, 1999
The Spirit of St. Louis
Littlest Flame forward knows he has to play with a big heart
When you are Marty St. Louis' size, you are expected to fail.
"Too small."
He's heard it his whole life.
The little-man syndrome has dominated the psyche of the NHL for decades.
Sure there have been exceptions, you need look no further than Theo Fleury.
But for most small players, the rule has been that a big man has to play himself out of a job, a small man has to play his way into one.
St. Louis took a huge stride in proving himself this past road trip, one in which he was arguably the Flames' best forward.
"Marty isn't big in stature but he's always been aggressive on offence," said coach Brian Sutter. "He showed some of that last year in the beginning, but he wasn't able to sustain it over time.
"He competes to score. I think he feels pretty good about himself right now because we played him against the other teams' top players, so you know he can check. But it's a game-to-game thing with him.
"He's grasped an opportunity. He's been very visible and other teams don't like him.
"He plays a lot bigger than he actually is. If he plays hard, he will continue to get the opportunity."
Still, the IF will not go away. It never does for a small player.
Tonight, the Flames face a Vancouver Canucks team which features its own little-man, success story Steve Kariya.
Despite the expectations for failure, both St. Louis and Kariya are demonstrating that skill and heart can overcome brawn.
St. Louis has found success on a line with Cory Stillman, the team's hottest scorer, and centre Jason Wiemer, a unit that, night after night, plays against the opposition's best lines.
And more often than not lately, they have proven better.
Little St. Louis is a big reason for that.
"Marty never gives up on a play and has good speed," said Wiemer. "He knows this is a big opportunity for him, and I know he doesn't want to let it slide by, so he's giving it everything he has got."
But make no mistake, as soon as St. Louis goes into a slump, he'll be viewed as another small guy who can't handle the NHL. Only time will allow him to prove his game, and that's what St. Louis is fighting for now.
"I've got to prove to everybody that I should stay every game," said the 5-ft. 7-in. St. Louis.
"I have to prove that to myself every game. It's living on the edge, but I understand that's the way it is going to be for me.
"As long as I am playing this way and the team is winning, I shouldn't have to worry."
In Vancouver, Kariya overcame not only the size barrier, but a last name which many assumed was the reason for his shot at the NHL.
Seems it was a good enough reason as the younger Kariya's speed and agility has made him an effective, and entertaining. player.
Tonight, neither St. Louis nor Kariya will give each other an inch, but they are united in proving the case of the small man.
"Everybody is worried about my size and, if anything, I wouldn't still be playing if I shied away from the physical play," said St. Louis.
"I like to give a few hits and play aggressive, to show people that I am not going to back off anything. That's how you get respected and get accepted in this league.
"It's fun to see smaller guys like Steve are having success and making a step into the league. I thrive on that. I always tell myself, if he can play, so can I.
"I'm sure Steve still has to play well, it's not like he is an NHLer, and it's still day-to-day for him. The first couple of years aren't easy -- you are always on the edge. Steve has played well and I hope for him, like myself, we can be in the NHL for the rest of our careers.
"When you are our size, you have to make it happen."
SMITH EXCITED: Steve Smith is tired of living out his personal Groundhog Day.
But it's still too early for him to crawl out of his hole and back into the Flames lineup.
Smith, who joined injured winger Rene Corbet in practising with the team yesterday, is using a specially designed pad-brace to support his dislocated elbow as he works his way back into playing shape.
But it may be awhile before the Flames captain is set to play.
"I've been skating for the last five or six days and I'm pretty excited about getting the new brace on," said Smith.
"It's been Groundhog Day around here, waking up each day and the same thing happening day after day. But the best part of being injured is the excitement of improving each day, and getting back into the locker room and having someone else to practice with.
"At this point, we're just going to see how things go. Only you as an athlete understand your body. I never really believe in timelines, but I have been one to heal fairly fast. Hopefully it will be sooner than later.
Corbet is still suffering from a broken ankle but is able to skate.
"I'll practice with the team the next four or five days and probably go on the road and see how it feels," he said.
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