More than an enforcer

By Dan O’Neill, St. Louis Post-Dispatch – Believe it or not, it hasn’t always been this way for Cam Janssen. There was a time, growing up, when he was valued as a goal scorer.

During his youth hockey career in St. Louis, at the Triple-A level, he once had 50 goals to go with more than 300 minutes in penalties in about 40 games. He could do things besides fight. But somewhere along the line, between his early teens and his NHL career, that Cam Janssen got lost.

Maybe, at least on some levels, he is back. Janssen isn’t going to score 50 goals, mind you, unless he plays 50 seasons. But the Blues forward is earning respect for other contributions. He is being valued for contributions other than fighting.

“I think he’s improved as a player,” coach Andy Murray said. “He’s playing physical without taking penalties. There’s no question the referees are looking when he’s on the ice. So he’s improved his skills and he’s improved his discipline in terms of being physical and knowing when to be physical.”

It’s not easy for Janssen to escape his roughhouse reputation. In 175 NHL games, he has 390 minutes in penalties and 49 recorded fights. Two of those bouts came on Tuesday, as he helped the Blues establish a physical hierarchy while defeating the Canucks, 6-1.

At the same time, in those same 175 games, Janssen has two NHL goals, meaning he averages a goal for every 195 PIMs and 24.5 fights. As he looks back, Janssen realizes he began to drift toward the hostile side during two seasons with the junior league St. Louis Sting 10 years ago.

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CAM JANSSEN STORM BIO… Janssen joined the Storm at the 2003/04 OHL Trade Deadline in a deal with the Windsor Spitfires that sent former first round pick Ryan Garlock the other way… the bruising winger was a key piece in the Storm’s drive to the 2003/04 OHL Championship playing alongside Jakub Koreis and Kyle Spurr on a checking line.