Ott goes from player to coach, joining Blues as assistant

ST. LOUIS (AP) The St. Louis Blues have hired Steve Ott to be an assistant coach on Mike Yeo’s staff.

General manager Doug Armstrong announced the move Thursday, a little over a month after Ott’s final game as a player with the Montreal Canadiens. Ott had not even announced his retirement.

The 34-year-old moves immediately from the ice to the bench after playing 848 NHL games with Dallas, Buffalo, St. Louis, Detroit and Montreal. The hard-nosed forward played parts of three seasons with the Blues, and Yeo says he expects Ott to bring the same competitiveness he showed as a player to his coaching career.

Ott joins former defenseman Darryl Sydor as new additions to Yeo’s coaching staff. The Blues named Sydor as an assistant on Wednesday.

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