Blues to honor MacInnis on Sunday

~ The defenseman's No. 2 sweater will be retired by the team.

ST. LOUIS -- Al MacInnis' reputation was built on a slap shot that exceeded 100 mph and yet seemingly always was right on net.

The St. Louis Blues, who'll retire his No. 2 jersey on Sunday night, have missed him just as much for the rest of his impeccable game. For those who saw him on a nightly basis, his precision passing, positional defense and unflappable demeanor were all highly prized.

"He was just a dynamic player, and he didn't get enough credit for his defensive play," said Dallas Drake, who succeeded MacInnis as Blues captain. "He was great in his own zone."

Coach Mike Kitchen recalls marveling at MacInnis' consistency about three-quarters through the 1998-99 season, the season MacInnis won the Norris Trophy. Usually, Kitchen noted, players go through highs and lows.

Not this guy.

"I don't think I've seen a player play as well as that throughout a whole season since I've been coaching," Kitchen said. "Every game it was a stick-to-stick pass."

The man with the big shot, it seems, also was anything but a big shot. Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz, one of MacInnis' first minor league hockey roommates, will attest to that.

"Probably the biggest asset is if you ever met him or if you know him, the way he treated people and the way he respected the game," Trotz said. "Those are things that are going to endear way past records, or the guy with the big shot."

The slap shot that terrorized goaltenders and won seven hardest-shot competitions at All-Star games won't soon be forgotten. Bravery was essential for those who would dare try to block it.

"Obviously, you didn't want to let him shoot the puck," said Drake, remembering his years as an opponent. "That was your main focus. You let anybody else shoot it besides him."

The legacy from a career that lasted 23 years and yet felt somehow shortened at the end by an eye injury is certain to send him to the Hall of Fame. Here are just a few of the high points hit by the Nova Scotia native, a 1981 first-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames.

* 340 goals and 934 assists, making him the third-leading career scorer among defenseman, trailing only Ray Borque and Paul Coffey.

* 13 All-Star Game appearances.

* A Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989.

* Team records for scoring by a defenseman in his decade with the Blues.

* A gold medal with Canada's Olympic team in 2002.

As the MacInnis legend grew, so did his improvisational skills. He bought space with a wily assortment of fakes, the best of which was a fearsome windup that sent forwards to the ice while he deftly sidestepped them and set up shop closer to the net.

"Guys were starting to take him away, and guys would go down and block the shot," Kitchen said. "He'd step around and not only shoot the puck, but his play selection was so terrific he'd see someone else open, and I think that really improved Al's game."

Now comes the payoff for the complete player.

MacInnis, 42, is only the fifth player in franchise history to get his jersey retired, although he expects Brett Hull to join that group soon. The others are Bob Gassoff (No. 3, 1977), Barclay Plager (No. 8, 1982), Brian Sutter (No. 11, 1988) and Bernie Federko (No. 24, 1991).

"It's quite an honor and I'm obviously very flattered for what the organization is doing," MacInnis said. "It's going to be a special day and my family is pretty excited about it.

"It'll be pretty emotional."

When he announced his retirement just before this season began, Al MacInnis cited the NHL lockout that ended up ending the careers of several other elite yet aging players. Among the list: Hull, Mark Messier, Ron Francis and Scott Stevens.

A bigger reason for his retirement was his vision, which has never returned to normal after he took a stick to his left eye early in the 2003-04 season that resulted in a torn retina for the second time in three years. Skating even at a relaxed pace, MacInnis notices a huge difference in his peripheral vision.

"There's things that I miss and there's adjustments to be made," MacInnis added. "But as far as playing, no regrets."

MacInnis has stayed involved with hockey as a special assignment assistant with the Blues, concentrating for now on player development.