St. Louis Blues Top 10 Players of the 2010 Decade
By Todd Panula
![ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 19: Vladimir Tarasenko #91 of the St. Louis Blues moves the puck up ice against Jordan Weal #43 of the Montreal Canadiens at Enterprise Center on October 19, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 19: Vladimir Tarasenko #91 of the St. Louis Blues moves the puck up ice against Jordan Weal #43 of the Montreal Canadiens at Enterprise Center on October 19, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/53729d72acc1dc6a050a228de23920391972744eb09c3729969f90fd5c85867a.jpg)
Alexander Steen
I debated this one in my own head, meaning just as many fans will likely be on one side or another regarding Alex Steen. He is one of the longest tenured Blues in recent memory and has given a lot to the team and the city.
His role in possibly dividing the locker room and planting seeds that ended Ken Hitchcock’s tenure with the team remain a sticking point. There is no proof of that, but merely hearsay and rumor. Still, it just got to the point where there had to be fire due to so much smoke.
Nevertheless, Steen was a good player on the ice. In fact, it is easy to forget how good he was because of the more defensive role he adopted in the last few seasons.
In his first full season with the Blues, coming from Toronto, he set a personal record for goals and points. He would lead the team in scoring in 2013-14.
That season he had 33 goals and 64 points. Unfortunately for Steen, it took him until age 29 to hit his best. Father time is unrelenting and age seemed to set in with each progressing season as far as scoring production.
Even so, there is little doubt that Steen was good in the locker room. Rumors swirl about potential arguments over the captaincy, but Steen found a way to lead by example.
Even when things were going poorly, you could not really accuse him of loafing on the ice. Perhaps the goals were not there the way you wanted, but he was putting in the effort.
It can’t be discounted how big it was for him to put his ego aside during the 2018-19 season as well. Steen could have easily rocked the boat, touted his time of service and said he would not play on the fourth line.
Instead, he was a team player and bought into Craig Berube‘s plan. Steen was so effective on the fourth line that you have to say he was an integral part of that Stanley Cup winning team.
He was definitely a divisive figure at times, but Steen was still one of the best to wear that sweater during the decade.