The Tampa Bay Lightning said Thursday that they plan to retire the No. 26 of Martin St. Louis, the franchise leader for points and assists.
Lightning owner Jeff Vinik announced the franchise's first jersey number retirement, which will be held Jan. 13.
"Everyone in the organization is excited to celebrate and thank Marty for his immense long-term contributions to the Lightning's past successes and the Tampa Bay community," Vinik said in a release. "As Marty enters his second year in retirement from the game, we believe this season is the time to hang his number from the rafters at AMALIE Arena."
St. Louis, who won a Cup with the Lightning in 2003-04 and was named the NHL's Hart Trophy winner as regular-season MVP, had 953 points (365-588) in 972 games with the Lightning over 13 seasons.
During the 2013-14 season, St. Louis requested that the Lightning trade him. He was traded to the New York Rangers and finished his career there.
"To have my number retired by the Lightning is a tremendous honor and I'd like to thank Jeff Vinik and everyone in the organization for recognizing me this way," St. Louis said in a statement. "I have many great memories in Tampa Bay, including our great Stanley Cup win, and this night will be extremely special and emotional for my family and me.
"I am happy I will get to share the evening with all the Lightning fans who have always supported me throughout my career -- Tampa Bay will always feel like home to me. Additionally, I recognize that none of this would have been possible without the help of many great teammates, trainers, and coaches and I thank them."
