50 Most Outstanding Players in St. Louis Blues History: 30-21

26. Craig Janney

Forward, 1992-95; 186 games, 48 goals, 185 assists, minus-10 rating, 38 PIM

Much like the player the Blues acquired him for, Adam Oates, Craig Janney was a center who didn’t spend a whole lot of time in the Blue Note but truly made the most of his opportunity to set up Brett Hull on a consistent basis. Even though he didn’t necessarily receive the respect he deserved because he was arguably the third-best forward on his own team behind Hull and Brendan Shanahan (the teammate that would eventually steal his wife), Janney was a multi-point-per-game player throughout his tenure in St. Louis.

Janney was acquired from the Bruins in exchange for Oates in February of 1992, and he immediately began to make an impression, collecting 36 points in just 25 games. In his first full season with the Blues in 1992-93, Janney burst on the scene in a major way, leading the team with 106 points (24 goals and 82 assists) over 84 games, unseating Hull as the team’s leader in points for the first time in four seasons.

Shanahan took over as the team point leader in 1993-94, but Janney was still extremely successful in his own right, collecting 84 points (16 goals and 68 assists) in just 69 points. Unfortunately, though, drama would take over in the form of Shanahan’s affair with Janney’s wife (which would eventually turn into a marriage that lasts to this day.) Shanahan was dealt to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for Chris Pronger, and though Janney remained with the Blues at the time, the rest of his career in St. Louis would be mired by controversy.

During a lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, Janney entered into a feud with Blues coach Mike Kennan and growing irate after he was scratched for four straight games. He left the team and never returned. The Blues dealt him to San Jose in March of 1995, and that deal cast somewhat of a dark light over his career with the Blues.

While his time in St. Louis was quite short, lasting just 186 games in total, he made quite the lasting impact. He ranks second in franchise history in assists per game (0.99), third in points per game (1.25), sixth in shooting percentage (17.3%), and sixth for points in a single season (106). Janney’s tenure with the Blues might not have been the longest or happiest, but he deserves recognition as one of the most talented puck distributors in the club’s history.