From the New York Post's Brett Cyrgalis:

There is no need to wait until Martin St. Louis is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in order to see his legacy. It resides in every undersized athlete in the NHL, following his example of determination in overcoming any physical disadvantages that might exist.

“I’d like to say that I was part of that, of being able to see players not so much for their size, but for the athlete and the hockey player that they are,” St. Louis said Monday at the Rangers practice facility in Westchester, the first time he has taken questions since announcing his retirement July 2.

“For me, I had smaller players I looked up to when I was young,” said the 5-foot-8 St. Louis. “And when I was looking at little guys, it was, ‘They’re there, why can’t I be?’”

St. Louis, 40, played parts of the final two seasons of his 16-year career with the Rangers, coming over in a trade with the Lightning in March 2014. He joined a team with Mats Zuccarello, the diminutive Norwegian winger who finally had someone to look in the eye. During the past Eastern Conference final, the Rangers took on the Lightning, with terrific 5-foot-9 forward Tyler Johnson.

“I know a lot of shorter guys around the league, I get a chance to meet them — yeah, I was probably their idol at one point, and they’re going to be somebody else’s idol at some point,” St. Louis said. “That’s the beauty of the game. The wheel keeps turning. Guys are leaving, guys are coming in, and you try to affect the game and leave your mark as you go through. I think I’ve done that.”

Cyrgalis continues...