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Todd St. Louis
Todd St. Louis is one of the most unforgettable, and yet likable, characters ever to lace up the blades for the Wellington Dukes. For the record, he played one season for the Dukes, and ten games the following season when he was sent to the team from the Belleville Bulls.
In a telephone interview the other night, Todd reminisced about those days, and others. “Larry Mavety was our coach with the Bulls. I will never forget his raspy voice. When he spoke, he meant business. But what I appreciated with Mav was that he gave me the freedom to play. He transitioned me from defence to forward.”
One of the reasons that I found myself chatting with Todd was because I saw a photo of him, in a different uniform, preparing to play serious hockey. Todd is now 43 years old. When I asked him whether or not he is in “playing shape”, he indicated that is not exactly the case. “When I played junior and pro, I was about 200 pounds. I am now about 250.”
They say that when a fight breaks out on the ice, no one heads to the canteens. That was exactly the case with Todd St. Louis. He was a scrapper from the word “Go”, and most of the time, he led his team in penalty minutes. He was always ready to drop his gloves. Even in his first game with the Fort Worth Barracudas, he did prepare to fight, but the referee stepped in before the “fisticuffs” took place. Most of us who attended the games at the old “DukeDome” knew that Todd would never walk away from a good fight.
Tod hung up his blades some time ago. “It was 13 or 14 years ago,” he told me. “But I knew I had a little extra in the tank. I knew I had left the game too soon”. I also read on one of the many items on FaceBook that he wanted to provide an opportunity for his kids to see him play. Madeliene (16), Dason (15), Langston (12), and Cullen (10), will now have that opportunity.
Todd will be playing in one of the Stars’ arenas in Mansfield, Texas. The Dallas Stars had several ice pads built in Texas. Todd played a couple of years in Amarillo for the Rattlers on one of those pads. Bob Gainey had an office above the ice surface. At that time, he was the General Manager of the Dallas team of the NHL. Todd remembered seeing Gainey working away in the office, occasionally scouting the prospects on the ice.
Todd’s first pro team was the Lake Charles Ice in Louisiana. His career took place in several southern States, including a stint with the Fort Worth Brahmas. “The hockey world is really a small world,” he told me. “You always ran into friends no matter where you played.” One of those friends is Hagen Massie, the coach of the Fort Worth Barracudas.
Hagen paid respect to Todd on FaceBook. “The student has become the teacher. I had a little convincing to do to get this legend on the ice with us, but here he is! “Screwy” Todd St. Louis, out of retirement, and back in action for the Cudas!”
From his residence, it is a five-hour drive to the rink. Not a problem for St. Louis. “Hagen has no experience in playing at any level. So I decided to help him out. We have discussions about the game all the time. I am like a playing assistant coach.” John Boultbee coached St. Louis, with Wayne Marchment, when Todd was in Wellington.
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