Yan Stastny carries on family tradition with Blues

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008

By Lucas Aykroyd

Peter Stastny was the NHL’s second-leading scorer in the 1980’s behind Wayne Gretzky, and the Slovak legend amassed 1,239 career points between 1980 and 1995. His oldest son, Yan Stastny, will never match those totals, but is emulating the paternal example by wearing a St. Louis Blues uniform this year.

Stastny was recalled from the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen in mid-February, and scored a goal in his Blues debut in a 2-1 overtime loss to Nashville on the 16th. That leaves the 25-year-old center 17 points behind his father’s overall output with St. Louis in 1994 and 1995. But Stastny, who previously played for Edmonton and Boston, remained in good spirits despite sitting out a 4-2 loss to Vancouver on March 8 due to a fever and strep throat.

“We’re not getting any breaks at the moment,” Stastny said. “But if we can start scoring some goals and get on a run to end off the year, you never know.”

Despite the sound tactical coaching of Andy Murray, the Blues have been one of the NHL’s weakest offensive teams in 2007-08. They’ll need a drastically improved attack if they are to battle back into playoff contention with less than a month remaining, and it doesn’t get much more challenging than a nine-game road trip between March 5 and 23. Stastny doesn’t hesitate when asked whom he sees as key leaders on the team.

“Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya are guys you watch all the time and try to pick up a thing or two from on a consistent basis,” Stastny said. “You want to see how they approach things on the ice and off the ice.”

Before entering the North American pro ranks, Stastny established himself as an offensive star in two seasons with the DEL’s Nuremberg Ice Tigers. His 54 points in 2004-05 led the team. “My whole family’s from Europe, and I’ve been able to go back and visit, but actually living there for two years, I had a great time,” Stastny recalled.

How culturally comfortable was he? “I picked up some phrases in German, but never mastered the language. I speak Slovak and French.” And how about coming back to the DEL someday? “Hopefully after my NHL career is over.”

Meanwhile, the former Notre Dame star enjoys keeping track of the success of his younger brother Paul, who cracked the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2007 and has emerged as the top scorer for the Colorado Avalanche. The two siblings speak by phone between two and four times a week, chatting about hockey plus the latest books and movies.

Their father’s influence on their careers has been immense. “I have my dad’s skating style, and Paul’s got everything else!” joked Stastny. “Actually, my dad was never involved with us as a coach, but every chance he had, he’d come out and watch us play. He would always give us constructive criticism, pointing out a few things that he wanted us to continue doing or change. He still does it now. It’s a huge help, especially when you consider he’s a Hockey Hall of Famer.”

Peter Stastny represented three countries internationally (Czechoslovakia, Canada, and Slovakia), and this has led to persistent questions about whether his sons could or should suit up for the Slovak national team.

“I’ve heard it all the time, but it’s not an option for me anymore, since I’ve played for the US at the 2005 and 2006 World Championships,” Stastny said. “It was something that was brought up when I was 17 or 18 for the World Juniors. But really, I’m a Canadian who’s been naturalized as an American citizen, and I grew up and played hockey my whole life in the US. So it’s pretty fitting that I play for the US.”