Frank St. Marseille facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frank St. Marseille
St-Marseille with the St. Louis Blues in 1971
Born	(1939-12-14) December 14, 1939 (age 85) Levack, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	St. Louis Blues Los Angeles Kings
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1967–1977

Frank St-Marseille (born December 14, 1939) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played as a right wing. Frank played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings. His career in the NHL lasted from 1967 to 1977.

Frank St-Marseille has a mixed heritage. He is part Ojibwe-Métis, French-Canadian, and Finnish. He grew up in a town called Levack in Ontario, Canada. This town is now part of the larger city of Greater Sudbury.

Frank St-Marseille's Hockey Journey

Frank St-Marseille was not chosen by any team in the NHL draft. This was because some people thought he was too slow for the top leagues. But Frank did not give up on his dream. He started his hockey career in the minor leagues.

Starting Out: Minor League Years

In the fall of 1962, Frank joined the Chatham Maroons. This team was part of the Senior Ontario Hockey Association. He played well, scoring 39 points. The Maroons then moved to the International Hockey League (1945–2001) (IHL). Frank went with them.

During the 1963–1964 season, he scored 64 points in 70 games. The next season, the Chatham Maroons left the league. Frank was then picked up by the Port Huron Flags, another IHL team. He had three amazing seasons with the Port Huron Flags from 1964 to 1967.

In 1966, his team won the Turner Cup. This is the playoff championship for the International Hockey League. Frank scored a total of 305 points in just 210 games during his time with Port Huron. He was even named to the league's second all-star team in 1967.

Big Break: The St. Louis Blues

By 1967, Frank had worked his way up through the minor leagues. The 1967 NHL expansion created new teams and many more chances for players. Frank was signed by one of these new teams, the St. Louis Blues.

He first played for a minor-league team called the Kansas City Blues. This team was connected to the St. Louis Blues. After only 11 games, Frank was called up to the NHL. His coach, Scotty Bowman, brought him up along with his linemates, Gary Sabourin and Terry Crisp. Bowman said they were "better than our third line in St. Louis."

Frank was known as a strong defensive forward. This means he was very good at stopping the other team from scoring. He often played on "checking lines." These lines were given the job of playing against the opponent's best scoring players.

Even though he focused on defense, Frank still scored many goals. He averaged 16 goals per season for five years with St. Louis. During this time, the Blues reached the Stanley Cup finals three times in a row. They lost to the Montreal Canadiens twice and the Boston Bruins once.

In 1970, Frank was chosen for the West Division All-Star team. He played alongside famous hockey players like Bobby Clarke and his teammate Jacques Plante. Plante was the first NHL goalie to wear a mask. From 1970 to 1972, Frank was the captain of the St. Louis Blues. He also played on both the penalty killing and power play teams. He was a very important player for the Blues.

Moving On: Los Angeles Kings and Retirement

In the middle of the 1972–73 season, Frank was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. He played the last four and a half years of his NHL career with them. With the Kings, Frank continued his strong defensive play and penalty-killing roles. He scored 54 goals during his time in Los Angeles.

The Kings made the playoffs in each of his last four seasons with the team. His best season with the Kings was in 1974–75, when he scored 53 points. His highest career points total was 59 points in 1969-70 with the St. Louis Blues.

Frank finished his playing career in 1977–78. He played one season in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs. After that, he retired as a player. He then became the coach for the Voyageurs. He also spent one year as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings. In his 10 NHL seasons, Frank scored 140 goals and had 285 assists. This gave him a total of 425 points in 707 games.

Frank St-Marseille's Life Off the Ice

Frank St-Marseille grew up in Levack, Ontario. It was a mining town. His family was very musical. His father, Stéphane, played the violin. His grandfather, Adélard, was a singer. Frank's aunt also sang. His older brother, Frédéric Stéphane St-Marseille, was an opera singer. He performed all over the world.

Frank decided to leave professional hockey to help his own sons. His sons, Rob and Chris St-Marseille, were also hockey players. Rob was drafted by a team in the Ontario Hockey League in 1982. He also played college hockey. Today, Rob is a police officer in Sudbury, Ontario. Chris played junior hockey and tried out for an OHL team. Chris has two sons, Ben and Alex, who have also played junior hockey. Frank's daughter, Lizanne, has a son named Joe Ranger. Joe is currently a goalie for the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL.

In 1988, a Hall of Fame was started in Valley East. Frank St-Marseille and Ron Duguay were the first athletes to be honored there. Frank's hockey career is also celebrated in another way. A Major Peewee Championship in the Nickel District Minor Hockey League is named after him.

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

Coaching Record