Top 5: Martin St. Louis Cards To Own

By Stephen Laroche | Beckett Hockey Editor | Commentary

The New York Rangers got a big 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday and Martin St. Louis made history that day by becoming the 81st player in NHL history to reach the 1,000 point plateau with a second period goal on netminder Steve Mason.

One of the most under-appreciated and perhaps undervalued stars in the hobby, St. Louis has quietly made a case for eventual enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame with a lengthy list of accomplishments that includes three Lady Byng Trophy nods, a scoring title, a Hart Trophy win and a Stanley Cup championship.

Since making his debut in the 1998-99 season, the six-time NHL All-Star Game participant has been featured on over 2,300 cards that appear in the Beckett.com database with a total value of $27,383.54 (excluding rarities). Read on after the jump to discover five of the best.

1. 1998-99 Upper Deck #234, $10

St. Louis was the subject of five different rookie cards during his first season in 1998-99 and at the time, few were paying attention to the diminutive undrafted Calgary Flames prospect that only appeared in 13 games that year. For most collectors, the regular Upper Deck card is an affordable investment, but there is a Gold Reserve version that can be tracked down.

2. 2001-02 Be A Player Signature Series Autograph, $25

Incredibly, St. Louis was left out of NHL trading card sets in 1999-00 and only appeared in one release the following year. During his second season with the Lightning, he was asked to sign for the NHLPA’s Be A Player program and his first certified autograph card is a relatively affordable piece that was considered by many at the time to be a mere common. Today, he has over 550 autographs in the Beckett.com database.

3. 2007-08 OPC Premier Autographs Duos #PP2VM, $30

St. Louis and fellow former Lightning player Vincent Lecavalier appear on numerous cards together, but this hard-signed beauty is a fine addition to any collection. Together, the pair played a big role in taking Tampa Bay to a Stanley Cup title a little over a decade ago and also played together at the international level.

4. 2009-10 Upper Deck Clearly Canadian #CANMS, $25

St. Louis made his international debut at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and he helped his country to victory. He was brought back for their unsuccessful run at the 2006 Winter Olympics and has also made appearances at the IIHF World Championship. There are only a handful of cards featuring him in his national jersey and this Upper Deck insert is certainly one of the most appealing.

5. 2014-15 Upper Deck #127 Martin St. Louis, $0.50 (pictured above)

After much speculation, St. Louis was traded to the New York Rangers on March 5, 2014 and he played an instrumental role in the club’s run to the Stanley Cup Final. He overcame tremendous adversity in the playoffs while dealing with the death of his mother and motivated his teammates to great heights as well. While this is not an expensive card by any means, it does have a great story behind it as the photo on the front (shot by legendary hockey photographer Bruce Bennett) came during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final on May 29 as the Rangers fought hard to eliminate the Montreal Canadiens.

Stephen Laroche is the editor of Beckett Hockey and Beckett Basketball magazines. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at SLaroche@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Stephen_Laroche.