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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