Barret Jackman recently signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the St. Louis Blues. Jackman, a class act in the city of St. Louis, spent nearly his entire career with the Blues, skating with the organization between 2001 and 2015.
[link_box id=”22277″ site_id=”17″ layout=”link-box-third” alignment=”alignright”]If you need proof that Jackman deeply cared about Blues fans and the city, consider the story below from Blues beat reporter Jeremy Rutherford which details how Jackman viewed money and the fans paying to watch him play.
Let me share a Jackman story that I've never told before. Years ago he was in contract talks and had turned down an multi-million offer …
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) October 5, 2016
The down-to-earth Jackman was aware of how it could be perceived. He approached me and asked if I could keep the numbers out of the paper…
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) October 5, 2016
Jackman's exact words: I don't like that the fan in Section 300 making $30k, $40k, $50k a year and spending it on tickets has to read that..
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) October 5, 2016
Jackman knew that he was blessed, but in what should be an exciting time for him, earning another NHL contract, he was thinking about fans.
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) October 5, 2016
One of the best pros that I've ever covered.
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) October 5, 2016
It may sound odd at first that Jackman was trying to hide the numbers of his contract negotiations, but his intentions were genuine. He knew that he was in a special situation that very few people get to experience. Jackman’s contract would pay him more than what most people earn in a lifetime. Instead of celebrating his new deal, he was worried about the fans.
That’s just one of many stories which describe Jackman’s legacy in St. Louis. His career was a unique one, beginning with a Calder Trophy win back in 2003. In the modern NHL, there’s no way Jackman wins that trophy today if he entered the league in 2016-17. When he won, he beat out Rick Nash and Henrik Zetterberg for the award with his rough style of defense edging out the powerful offensive numbers of his competitors. His style is being phased out in the NHL in favor of defenders who are more focused on offense than actual defense. Jackman’s retirement represents a dying breed of hockey player.
Jackman’s accomplishments may go overlooked by those outside of St. Louis, but he was the exact type of player you want representing your organization.
