jammer21

"The Ten Minute Misconduct"

The last piece of the (rebuilding) puzzle, MO • 27 Years Old • Male

Blues expected record: 80-2-0

At least, in Andy Murray's mind, the Blues should expect to win every game, and that's why I love Andy Murray as a coach.

I know every professional goes out to win every game, but I'll never forget the story from last year, as told by John Kelly, the Blues broadcast man, when Murray asked the Blues how many games they needed to win to make the playoffs. No one had a guess, and so Murray asked how many games were left. "31 games left," he said. "I think you can win 31 games, and make the playoffs."

Last season, the Blues surged under Andy Murray. He took the same basic roster that finished dead last, and turned them around to the point where the word "playoffs" and "Blues" were being uttered realistically in the same sentence during the season. In fact, the Blues would have made the playoffs last year if Murray had coached the whole season. And it's because he expects to win every game. He's not making excuses about "rebuilding" of "doing the best with what we got" (even though most fans would agree that roster is a developing work-in-progress with all of these youngsters). He fully expects to win every game, regardless of the circumstances.

He has high expectations for his players, and expects them to do their job well, which, although simple, is what makes them so good. For example, when Manny Legace does well, Murray's explanation is, "He's a goalie, He supposed to stop pucks."

There's nothing fancy with Murray. Everyone knows their job and he expects them to do it. And maybe this simple approach is why the Blues have been on a rampage. Under Murray, the Blues were 27-18-9 last year, and this year, they're 5-2.

Now, I know people are going to say that I'm saying this because I'm a Blues fan, but I'm going to say it anyway. If the Blues make the playoffs this year, Andy Murray should win the Jack Addams Award. This year, he's had more help, with the addition of Paul Kariya and the emergence of some of our younger talent like Brad Boyes. But even still, he's played a large role in the turnaround of this team.