TAMPA — Both Martin St. Louis and Yanni Gourde grew up as small kids playing hockey in Quebec. Both were told they were too small. But Gourde had something St. Louis did not: St. Louis himself.
Long before they were both tied to the Lightning, long before Gourde had a "career" in hockey, St. Louis had an impact.
"(Seeing St. Louis) basically just says it's possible, it's doable," Gourde said. "It gives you maybe the push you need at that time. Everybody is telling you you can't, and then this guy is doing it. He's showing you can do it at an NHL level, and be a top player in the league every year.