Why trips to face Blues are always ones to relish for Stars' Bishop

ST. LOUIS --One of the ironies of lineup introductions is that Ben Bishop is listed as "from Denver, Colorado."
Bishop was born in Denver, but moved to St. Louis before his first birthday. So, if you ask him, he's actually "from" St. Louis.
That was never more apparent than Monday at Enterprise Center when Bishop had a nice contingent of family members for a small workout with the Dallas Stars.

"That was my brother-in-law, my sister, her two kids, my other sister's kid, and my cousin and their two boys," Bishop said going through the list in his head. "They're getting older, so it's kind of fun to come down here and get some gum and Gatorade.
"That was a big highlight for them."

The off day in St. Louis was perfect for Bishop, who is expected to start Tuesday against the Blues. Of course, he was just here for Christmas with his wife, Andrea, and son, Ben, so St. Louis is never far from his heart. He lives here in the summer, and has pretty much maintained a residence his whole life, whether while playing for the Texas Tornado in high school, for the University of Maine, or at professional stops in Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Dallas. He also played youth hockey for the Kirkwood Stars and St. Louis Junior Blues, and was originally drafted by the Blues, so he's very familiar with several different aspects of the city.
"St. Louis has always been home, and I'm lucky enough that most all of my cousins and aunts and uncles all live in St. Louis," he said. "When you have your immediate family and your extended family here, it makes it all feel more homey."
Bishop's dad is CEO of the family construction business, and young Ben worked there a few summers. The company does concrete and water proofing work among other things, so Bishop gets to see some of his handiwork when he's driving around. Bishop has had to help with jackhammering, making forms for poured concrete, hauling pavestones, and sealing roofs.
He said one of his best memories was when he just had to sit and watch while testing to see if a sealing project worked.
"We had water proofed the roof, and I had to sit there and watch it flood," he said. "You have to flood it to make sure it's not leaking, and I got paid overtime to watch it flood. I thought that was a good day."

Bishop said he definitely learned lessons from his short time in the family business.
"I think manual labor makes you realize how lucky you are," he said. "There are a lot of people out there who have a harder day of work than you do. It makes you appreciate what you have. It definitely puts things in perspective."
His dad also bought a restaurant about five years ago, called Bishop's Post, so that's become a gathering place for family, and just another reason St. Louis is special to him.
"We have a lot of our family dinners out there, so that's been nice," he said. "St. Louis has a big place in my heart. I'm biased, obviously, but I think it's a great city."
You could actually say he's "from" here.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.