Back injury forces Blues’ Steen to retire after 15 NHL seasons
A back injury limited Alexander Steen last season, a year after hoisting the Stanley Cup. With multiple levels of degenerative herniated discs still plaguing his lumbar spine, Steen has decided to call it quits.
Steen, 36, is retiring after 15 NHL seasons, the St. Louis Blues announced Thursday. Just hours earlier, Steen’s wife, Josefine, gave birth to their second child, a boy born late Wednesday night.
Despite his back issues, Steen appeared in 55 games last season, scoring seven goals and adding 10 assists. He played in his 1,000th NHL game on Feb. 1, 2020, in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Steen finished his career with 622 points (245 goals, 377 assists) in 1,018 NHL games. Among career leaders for the Blues, he is fourth with 765 games, ninth with 195 goals, sixth with 301 assists and fifth with 496 points. He ranks tied for third with 91 career postseason games played.
The forward was a longtime alternate captain for the Blues, including the 2018-19 season, when the Blues captured the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. He tallied only 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 65 games that season, but he provided a tough veteran presence on the team’s fourth line, enabling the Blues to pressure opponents no matter which line was on the ice.
Steen was the longest-tenured member of the Blues when they won the Cup.
The Blues acquired Steen along with Carlo Colaiacovo from Toronto in a Nov. 24, 2008, trade for Lee Stempniak.
