Rangers contingent among mourners at St. Louis family service

In my post-season travels from Philadelphia to New York and back, and Pittsburgh and back home, and through this weekend in Montreal, I've been reading a mystery about art theft in Rome by Iain Pears called "Death and Restoration."

No title could have been more fitting.

For almost two weeks, we have been witnessing a remarkable confluence of the often fairytale world of professional sports and jagged reality, and it continued on Sunday. 

After the death of Martin St. Louis' mother, France, which the Rangers learned of while landing in Pittsburgh and facing an elimination game the next day, St. Louis and the players and organization have scripted a tale of heartbreak and resolve and rebirth to be remembered, no matter how the playoffs evolve from here.

This sunny Sunday in Montreal was no regular off-day for the Rangers, who have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.

A 50-strong team contingent joined hundreds of mourners in neaby Laval, at a small chapel not far from where St. Louis was raised, to support his family and bid farewell. By all accounts, it was an emotional afternoon.

“The New York Ranger family has been touched by a little Quebec family in a deeply profound way,” head coach Alain Vigneault said with tears welling in his eyes, as he recounted the eulogy that Martin St. Louis delivered at Complexe Funérailles de Saint-Dorothée. “Today was . . . a very moving time for our team. Marty took the podium and shared some incredible moments; it was a very deep message; it was a challenging day for us.”

For Vigneault and teammates, St. Louis’ composure and strength was impressive.

“I don’t know how he did it, he’s a much better man than I am to be able to do something like that,” Vigneault said. “What he’s doing and his family, his sister, and his father and his aunts and uncles, everybody that’s close to him -- I think what they’re doing is they’re moving on through our team; the fact that we’re still playing is enabling them to cope and handle this challenging situation.”

Among those attending the service was Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan, former Tampa teammates Steve Stamkos, Teddy Purcell and Mike Smith, members of the Lightning staff, and ex-Canadiens Guy LaFleur and Rejean Houle. Representing the NHL was Kris King, a former Ranger.

The Rangers did not practice because of the service, but spent some time with the media hours later at Bell Centre.

Since France St. Louis, 63, died of a heart attack on May 8, and the Rangers learned of the loss as their plane landed in Pittsburgh, it has been a difficult balance.

“Today was the big day as far as helping us turn the page,” Vigneault said. “But just because of who Marty is and how he’s handled it, we’ve just come to the rink and done our business and that’s what we’re going to try to do as we move forward.”

Alternate captain Marc Staal said: “I don’t know what he’s feeling or going through, but for us it makes it a little more real, attending a service like that. It was good for us to be there for him and show our support for him and his family on a day like today. Marty’s been great through everything. You don’t know what he’s feeling on a day-to-day basis, but he certainly done a great job of coming into our room and still being that positive influence and energetic guy. I don’t think that’s on anybody’s mind of how we’re going to react to it. We go out and play hockey games and keep that separate, especially on a day like today.”

Brad Richards, a close friend of St. Louis, a veteran winger who arrived in a March 5 trade, said, “We all know this will probably hit him when hockey’s over and he has time to reflect. He’s done an unbelievable job of keeping everything together and helping his sister and his dad. You wouldn’t expect anything else.”

And the circumstances have transformed the team, which was down 3-1 against the Penguins and staged a historic rebound.

“We want it to be a great story, we’re not trying to hide that,” Richards added. “We’ve played good hockey all year. (But) the biggest thing is it made Marty get to know the guys and the organization a lot quicker than he would have if that didn’t happen. He felt like the organization was there to support him; we felt how passionate he was for us, coming back (from home) and playing. So it just made him and us closer, and he really feels like he’s a Ranger now.”