After a long wait, Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo soaks up his first NHL All-Star appearance

TAMPA, Fla. — As soon as you laid eyes on Alex Pietrangelo at Amalie Arena, you could tell something was different about him.

His beard. For the first time since his wedding in June 2016, it was gone.

“I feel fresh, I feel light … that’s how you feel every day on your head,” Pietrangelo told this follically challenged reporter.

But that wasn’t it — there was something else.

It was that smile that you couldn’t wipe off that clean-shaven face of the Blues captain. Not that Pietrangelo doesn’t grin often, but as one public-relations staffer who’s been around the defenseman on a day-to-day basis for years agreed, this was different.

After 586 regular season games and 57 playoff games with the Blues, one Olympics, two World Championships and a World Cup, Pietrangelo had finally been invited to the NHL All-Star Game.

“I’m happy it’s my first one,” Pietrangelo said. “It makes you feel good. It’s an accomplishment like anything. It makes it feel like the effort that you put in, the work that you put in — not only throughout the summer but over the years — is paying off. It being my first one, it’s a good feeling.”

When Blues coach Mike Yeo, who coached against Pietrangelo for five seasons in Minnesota before coming to St. Louis last year, heard that the defenseman had never played in an All-Star Game, he couldn’t believe it.

“I was actually really surprised to hear that, that it was Petro’s first time,” Yeo said earlier this month when the selections were announced.

The top coaches and players in the NHL today were equally surprised when they were made aware at Saturday’s media day that Sunday’s game would be Pietrangelo’s All-Star debut.

Barry Trotz has game-planned against Pietrangelo 29 times in his coaching career, 22 while with the Nashville Predators in the Central Division and another seven times after taking over in Washington.

“Petro is one of those guys, he doesn’t get enough recognition,” said Trotz, who was on the Metropolitan Division bench Sunday. “He is a guy that defends very well, he’s got a big shot, he can help out offensively and he’s a guy that you’re going to use late in games. He is underrated and he’s a quality, quality guy, too. I’m happy for him. I think he’s going to get some votes around the league for the best defenseman.”

Patrick Kane, a forward on the archrival Chicago Blackhawks, played in his seventh All-Star Game on Sunday. He said Pietrangelo is one of the tougher guys in the league to play against.

“He’s had a great career so far there in St. Louis and seems like a real backbone for their team,” Kane said. “It’s a tough All-Star team to crack, especially when you’re only giving out three defensive spots. (But) I think a lot of players view him as an All-Star in this league, and if you asked around, you’d probably think he had more than one.”

Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson, who was selected 11 spots later than Pietrangelo in the 2008 NHL draft, suited up for his fifth All-Star Game. He said Pietrangelo has been a good player for awhile but is finally getting more attention.

“I think just talking to the guys that I know up in St. Louis, he’s been a guy that’s been doing the right things for a long time and obviously developed into an elite player in the league these days,” Karlsson said. “It’s good to see him here and probably he’ll do a lot more than just one.”

There is some explanation why Pietrangelo has never played in an All-Star Game. In his seven full seasons in the NHL, there have been only five midseason games, with the 2013 All-Star Game canceled due to the lockout and the 2014 game not scheduled because of the Sochi Olympics.

In 2011, Pietrangelo’s first full season, he did have 11 goals and 43 points and was a plus-18 in 79 games. But the 21-year-old was a rookie and the roster was littered with big names such as Nicklas Lidstrom, Chicago’s Duncan Keith and Boston’s Zdeno Chara. Karlsson played in his first one that season as Ottawa’s lone representation, and David Backes attended for the Blues.

In 2012, Pietrangelo had 12 goals and 51 points, a point total that six years later remains tied for his career high. This was probably the year that Pietrangelo was most deserving, even though it was only his second in the league. Vancouver and the New York Rangers each had two participants and Pietrangelo could have been considered ahead of the Canucks’ Alexander Edler or the Rangers’ Dan Girardi. But once again, just one Blue was tabbed and it was goaltender Brian Elliott.

There were no midseason games the next two seasons and perhaps Pietrangelo would have been gone in 2014. He hit 51 points again and was a career-best plus-20, and his stock was high, as evidenced by his spot on Team Canada’s gold-medal-winning roster at Sochi. If he had a choice, the defenseman certainly would have chosen the Olympics, but it still held him out of a potential All-Star appearance.

When the game returned in 2015, the Blues were represented by three players, but along with Elliott and forward Vladimir Tarasenko, Kevin Shattenkirk got the nod on defense. At the time of the announcement, Shattenkirk had seven goals and was tied for the most points in the league among defensemen with 36.

Pietrangelo has been worthy of consideration the past two seasons, but despite logging large minutes against top competition, he continued to be overshadowed by Shattenkirk’s point production. It wasn’t until Shattenkirk was traded to Washington last season that Pietrangelo’s offensive role was increased.

“How could I complain when ‘Shatty’ was so good at what he did?” Pietrangelo said. “It was fun to watch and we had a really good 1-2 punch, the way he held the first-unit power play duties and I took the tough matchups a lot of times. It worked, so how could you complain? If it’s for the better of the team, it’s what you’ve got to do.

“But (Shattenkirk leaving) opened up an opportunity for me to play a little bit of a different role. I do take pride in playing on the defensive side of the game, but with those opportunities, chances are you’re going to produce a little bit more. You feel more confident with the puck when you get put into those situations and it’s part of the reason why I feel why things have grown.”

Pietrangelo had seven goals and 16 points in the first 17 games of the season, and although his offense has slipped since the start of the year, he’s still on pace for a career-high 58 points. And while Pietrangelo has been effective in creating offense for St. Louis, it hasn’t come at the sacrifice of his defensive play. He’s been on the ice for 38 Blues goals at 5-on-5 versus 23 against, a goals-for percentage of 62.3 percent.

It’s been a season in which Pietrangelo has finally garnered some attention for the Norris Trophy, given annually to the NHL’s best all-around defenseman. The highest he has ever finished in voting was fourth in 2012 and last year he was 16th, two spots behind Shattenkirk.

Drew Doughty, who won the Norris with Los Angeles Kings in 2016, was asked for his vote at media day Saturday. He mentioned Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman, but then said, “I think Pietrangelo is kind of getting overlooked. He’s a very good two-way player. Not too many people talk about him. He’s a very special player. Not enough people talk about how good Alex Pietrangelo is.”

Doughty’s message was relayed to Pietrangelo, and he replied: “I feel the same way about him, so the feelings are mutual. We have a good respect for each other. I think him and I see the game the same way. He’s having another good year, like he does every single year.”

But despite a goal-for percentage that eclipses Norris candidates such as Hedman (60.61 percent), Doughty (55.41 percent) and Dallas’ John Klingberg (61.54 percent) and with a higher defensive zone-start percentage than any of those aforementioned defensemen, Pietrangelo may still not be getting the respect that he deserves. Last week, the Pro Hockey Writers Association released its midseason awards and Pietrangelo was not among the top three vote-getters, who were Hedman, Doughty and Klingberg.

“I think it might be a little bit of market,” Trotz said. “In the East, you get a lot of notoriety. There’s more of the media centralized in some of those bigger cities. Another guy out West that doesn’t get much attention is a guy like (San Jose’s Marc-Edouard) Vlasic. He’s on Team Canada all the time and there’s a reason. Those guys are very, very good. They just do it probably a little quiet at times. I just (Pietrangelo’s) style is a little bit quiet, but extremely effective.”

Brayden Schenn, Pietrangelo’s teammate who also played in his first All-Star Game Sunday, said seeing the defenseman on a daily basis after playing against him for six years in Philadelphia has opened his eyes.

“You don’t realize how good he is,” Schenn said. “He plays 27-28 minutes a night and a majority of it is against other team’s top lines. His positioning on the ice and his stick positioning and how good he is at defending and taking away pucks from the game’s top players. He just makes it easy on the forwards out there, and until you play with a guy every day and see him in practice, you don’t realize how good he is until you get that opportunity.”

Pietrangelo admitted that St. Louis’ market size or simply his style of game may be the reason he’s overlooked.

“But I’ve always said the guys in the locker room are the people with the best opinion on me — that’s the one I trust,” he said. “Obviously you want to win an award, everybody does, but there’s more to it than that and that’s being respected by the guys in the locker room. “I don’t really worry about the spotlight too much. I’m just worried about going about my business.”

One person who used to be in the Blues’ locker room and had a lot of respect was former coach Ken Hitchcock. He’s now in Dallas, where Klingberg, a fifth-round pick in 2010 has shown great development in his first season with Hitchcock and defensive assistant Rik Wilson. Klingberg was asked if the two ever bring up the name of a certain someone.

“Oh yeah,” Klingberg said, referring to Pietrangelo. “(Hitchcock) has drawn parallels with how they worked with Alex when he first came into St. Louis and how they wanted to develop him as a player. That’s something that’s been helping me for sure. We’re not really the same kind of player, but we’re similar, so I think he draws those parallels.”

Pietrangelo replied: “Aww, how nice of Hitch. I’m going to have to call him and tell him how nice that is. Hitch has seen me grow as a player. He knew how I was and where I’ve gotten to. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

This may be Pietrangelo’s first time at the All-Star Game, and it’s a compliment that many feel the honor is long overdue.

“They asked me who would be your No. 1 surprise that’s here?” Schenn said. “I said the guy next to me, Petro. He’s played on a Canadian Olympic team, he’s been a shutdown defenseman for the Blues, put up points, plays both ends of the ice. I know the All-Star Game is a tough game to make, but he’s been steady and solid throughout his whole career in St. Louis and it’s pretty shocking that it’s his first one.”

Brayden Schenn, left, says it’s shocking Blues teammate Alex Pietrangelo is participating in his first NHL All-Star Game. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Pietrangelo might have proved he belonged at Saturday’s NHL Skills Competition, winning the passing challenge. He sent saucer after saucer at the targets, hitting four of the first six and completed the course in 46.6 seconds.

“I was just happy — two things — I didn’t have to go first and Schenner went before me, so I knew what time I had to beat,” said Pietrangelo, who had a steak dinner bet on the line with his Blues teammate. “That’s all I cared about.”

Here’s a look at Pietrangelo’s performance …

Pietrangelo takes home the title with this clean, crisp, run. pic.twitter.com/umsbtKB7r4

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) January 28, 2018

Despite being second on the Blues with 27 assists this season, Pietrangelo joked: “maybe I should pass the puck more, eh?”

He took home $25,000 for winning the event and said afterward that it would be donated to charity.

“Give it back to somebody,” Pietrangelo said matter-of-factly.

On Sunday, the Central Division gave away a game in which it led 1-0 at halftime of the 20-minute contest, eventually falling 5-2 to the Pacific Division. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid had four assists for the Pacific.

“I told Connor he’s going way too fast,” Pietrangelo said. “He needs to go the speed of the rest of society. I’m not surprised that they won with him. He’s going way too quick. There should be a penalty for going too fast in an All-Star game.”

There was definitely something noticeable with Pietrangelo this weekend. It wasn’t the beard, which he says will be back to a scrum by Tuesday’s game against Montreal. It’s that he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

“You try and have fun with it,” Pietrangelo said. “It’s my first one. You never know if you’re going to be able to come back again, so make sure you enjoy as much as you can.”

AthleticSTL contributor Evan Sporer contributed information to this story.

(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Image)