Tag Search Results for "blues"
Just some quick impressions from me on the Blues Roster.
[b]Goalies[/b]
Manny Legace
His improved play was just as important to the team improving as Andy Murrays hiring. The team didnt win quite as much as soon as he was injured at the end of the year. It was the right move to re-sign him and it is key that he starts strong next year.
Curtis Sanford
He was ...
Alright, so a G N' R reference from the 80's isn't the most timely thing I could come up with, but it applies to the Blues right now. Blues fans, I beseach you- be patient.
I know we want to see our last two first round picks in the Blue note ASAP, but we may have to wait for both. TJ Oshie (24th pick 2005) annnounced yesterday that he's returning to North Dakota fo...
With the playoffs in full swing and some excellent hockey on Versus, the St. Louis Blues have rarely been on my mind. Don't get me wrong. The team put in a solid Blue's collar effort this season and finished one position better in the standings than I had expected. More importantly, they played entertaining hockey and eliminated the ability of couch-coaches to easily predi...
Hello everyone- I would like to use my first blog as a place to introduce myself and my goals as a blogger.
I go by the user name Kansas City Blues because I am a hardcore Blues fan based out for Kansas City. I have followed the Blues all throughout my 17 years of life and will always bleed Blue.
Living in Kansas City it is tough being a hockey fan. I grew up with the Ka...
Post-Dispatch reports that Erik Johnson has signed and will be introduced Thursday. He is expected to be on the opening day roster next year, woo hoo. Now lets get a forward for Backman. Next season starts soon right?
For the past couple of weeks I have been enjoying the spectacle known as the NHL playoffs. As a Blues fan and only 24 years old, last year was the first time I have ever watched the post season without my team. The second time around has been a little easier since I know bright things are on the horizon. While our ownership has the people of St. Louis happy, the same can n...
During the 2005-2006 season, or as us Blues fans called it, Hell, there were few bright spots. One of those shining moments came after sending off Mike Sillinger and Doug Weight; the Blues without their top two point producers put together their best stretch of games all year. During that stretch an OT defeat of the mighty Calgary Flames brought forth a new name to the cit...
from The Checking Line
Thanks to a couple bad seasons and a little assistance from the lockout, it’s now been over 1,100 days since the St. Louis Blues have been part of a playoff series. So what are the chances of my beloved Note getting in the dance in 2008? Let’s just say that it’s a good thing that John Davidson and Co. have months to work their magic becaus...
Before this year I thought a coach’s impact was minimal. Sure he could design a system and give great pep talks, but it was up to the players on the ice to execute. Then along came the day of December 12, 2006. The Blues were scheduled to play the Blackhawks that night and it was announced that Andy Murray would be taking over the vacant head coach position for the Blues...
Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste.
So now that we've got the Stones reference done with, here's the basics: I'm Kevin. I've played hockey for nigh on 15 years now, and have loved the game ever since I first strapped on skates and went around Kirkwood Ice Arena in the St Louis suburbs. I idolized Gretz, Jagr and Hull when I was a kid, and...
Swiss League-A-Club [b]Ambri-Piotta [/b][b]signed [/b]yesterday former Bruins Stay-at-home-D-Man [b]Zdenek Kutlak [/b]to a one-year-contract. He's a gritty player with a decent shot and knows new czech Ambri-Coach [b]Jan Tlacil [/b]from czech extraliga-club [b]Ceske Budejovice[/b]. Ambri signed before [b]Toronto Marlies [/b]Topcenter [b]Erik Westrum[/b].
Kutlak will ear...
So it's 90 degrees now, several of the local rinks have already switched to running inline or putting turf down for soccer/lax, and I'm blogging on a hockey site. Hopeless, right? Well, this summer I'm turning this blog into a sort of stream-of-consciousness on hockey, music, film and life.
--Scott Niedermayer...if you retire on top, you'll be doing a good job, but it'l...
Keith Tkachuk traded back to St.Louis along with 4th round pick in 08 draft (which could be 3rd round in 09) from Atlanta for The conditional 1st round pick in 08 St.Louis would have gotten if Atlanta were to resign Tkachuk. St.Louis now has the exclusive rights to re-sign Tkachuk before July 1st.
Tony
Here we go again:
11) Carolina----Brandon Sutter
May have the best all-around game in the draft, but I still think this is a little high for him consideringCherepanov was still on the board. Needs to fill out a lot and still develop a little more grit. Yes he's a Sutter, but he isn't as Sutter-y as others. Has good character to fall back on if his skills don't make him a...
So it's about 2 in the morning, I'm suffering from severe insomnia, and what am I to do? Well, I've decided to start a series on the 13 or so (fairly well-spent) years I've had in the game of hockey. Please to enjoy.
I was about 6, 7 years old, living with my family in San Antonio, Texas (where my father had relocated after Southwestern Bell, his then-employer, shifted ...
Per Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
No word on the others yet.
Congrats to a truly deserving guy!
Other deserving players are going to have to wait a year unfortunatley, and three more will hear they are in with Al.
Great news for the Blues family that Al isn't one of those who has to wait.
Way to go Chopper!
Here we go again.....
16) Minnesota(from ANA) ----Colton Gillies
A lot of people don't like this kid. I'm not one of them; I love his combination of size and skating ability. The knock on this guy is obviously the lack of offensive ability, but I think he just needs to put himself in better position to put up big offensive #s by putting on muscle so he can drive to the n...
BluesHockeyOhBaby! writes...
Patience is Key for the Blues: Do Not Overspend!
Posted Friday | Comments 0
The St. Louis Blues fans have been through a lot these last two years since the lockout. They experienced having the worst team in the league two years ago, injuries, and big-name salary dumps of Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight, Mike Sillinger, and of course by far the biggest name on the list, Chris Pronger. While it all seemed to be heading downhill for the Blues...
Wow, let's just take a look at the kind of team the Blues will have this upcoming season. First of all, it will look so good to see Erik Johnson strap on the Bluenote and patrol the blueline for years to come, fan favorite Keith Tkachuk is back, Manny Legace provides stability in net, Lee Stempniak has broken out as a goal scorer, and now add in All-Star Paul Kariya to the...
The Blues have brought many good players into there system. The thing is they all where old. Kariya is bringing them in the right direction. They still won't be a playoff contender, they need alot more, but they will be better.
According to the Post-Dispatch, Andy Murray was said to already be playing with possible lines in his head. The lines went,
"The Blues have a nice supply of forwards now, and the power play should be better. Murray is already tinkering with these line combinations, at least in his head:
— Kariya, Tkachuk, Brad Boyes.
— Martin Rucinsky, Weight, Jamal Mayers....
[i]The following also appears at [url=http://www.checkingline.com]The Checking Line[/url].[/i]
The past two free agent signing periods made Blues fans feel like the kids who got lumps of coal at Christmas time. But John Davidson and Larry Pleau put on their Blue Santa Claus suits, came down the Scottrade Center Chimney and delivered a shiny new Paul Kariya to Blues fan...
The Blues are into a transitioning mood as we get ready for the 2007-08 season. So far the reports from development camp are more than positive. There are four or more players ready to play now. I'm thinking I like Perron playing in the AHL this year instead of Quebec. This is going to hopefully pressure vetrans to play hard or force them to be traded. Unfortunately s...
I know we haven't seen a blog post from Andy today, so I thought that I'd start this: how many of you are going to the Blues development camp game tonight at the Mills? It's a 7:00 start time, it's free, and there's a lot of things around (the Mills being what it is, after all). I'm just curious how many HB readers are going, because I certainly am.
BluesHockeyOhBaby! writes...
St. Louis Blues Prospect Camp: Bright Future
Posted Friday | Comments 0
I have been all around the Blues prospect camp this week and I have been impressed with the amazing talent and skill that is being shown out there by some of the Blues brightest young stars. Some we will see sooner than others, but the future of St. Louis Blues hockey is going to be amazing. Here are some of the players that were quite impressive: (in no particular order)
...
Hola guys.
Ice Melts at 32 F, or 0 C for those of you north of the border. And seeing as it got to 92 today, I should be thinking baseball. But with the Reds 40-55 and 13.5 games back, I'm just waiting for the next 78 days to pass, so that I can throw on that sweater and relax. Instead, I'm gonna take a stab at some Central Previews. I'll do another one in September, as...
Yeah, this doesn't have anything to do with hockey, but I did wear a Hockeybuzz hat to the theatre, so that will have to qualify. Not only that but BluesFan44 demands a review.
After much personal anticipation-I have been a Simpsons junkie since the days of the Tracey Ullman Show shorts-I finally got to see a feature film dedicated to my favorite yellow folks and their ...
I've been talking to a few people from both sides, and I've been told that the Oilers are trying to grab Hossa from the Thrashers.
Now even if both teams work something out, I've been told that Hossa is unwilling to sign a new deal, and will test the free agent market next summer.
Also, don't count out the Sharks or the Habs if the Thrashers really open up talks fo...
BluesHockeyOhBaby! writes...
Davidson: "We are done" Say Hello To The 2007-2008 Blues
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Now that John Davidson has confirmed that the Blues are sticking to the roster they already have, we can start breaking down the kind of team the Blues will have for the upcoming season. Let's start with the forwards:
David Backes - big and strong, was a veteran at the development camp last month, has matured a great deal and shoulc score many goals if he just drives to t...
What does it mean to “overpay” for a player? Since July 1st, fans have been complaining that players are being “overpaid” arguing that a particular players hockey numbers don’t warrant that kind of money. And that may well be true. But those fans are forgetting one thing: the NHL is a business.
This isn’t about winning games; this is about selling tickets. F...
hockeyisgd writes...
Top 5 teams I'm excited about for the 2007-08 season
Posted Monday | Comments 0
Hope everyone had a good weekend. Today I want to tell you 5 teams I'm excited to see this upcomming season.
5. St. Louis Blues
After two dismal seasons, the Blues are going to attempt to turn it around this season. After making key additions, I believe the Blues will be headed on the right path this season. GM John Davidson has done a spectacular job of building this ...
[i]With all of the big new contracts signed this year, there are a lot of players with big shoes to fill. There are a lot of players with a new responsibility to be "the guy" for their respective clubs. There are a lot of players that need to step it up this season and show why they were worth the big bucks that their teams threw at them.
So which players are actually...
On my way in to work this morning, I heard a very interesting story. The Blues have a 33% increase of season ticket sales this year (compared to last) giving them 8500 sold so far. The rams, however, are currently looking at more than half of their regular season games not sold out. This is a first since the team moved here in the mid 90's. The radio personality asked ...
If there is one team the Detroit Red Wings need to be looking out for in the rear view mirror, it’s the St. Louis Blues, and this year, the Blues are much closer than they appear. No, the Blues won’t contend for a Cup (at least not for a couple more years) but for the time being, they have a real shot at making life hard for the Red Wings in a very weak Central Divisi...
[b]Originally Posted on [url]www.PredNation.com[/url][/b]
Michael Peca signs with Columbus. Detroit signs Brian Rafalski to replace Mathieu Schneider. St. Louis signs Paul Kariya and re-signs (of a sort) Keith Tkachuk. Chicago obtains/signs Sergei Samsonov, Robert Lang, Patrick Kane, Kevyn Adams, and Yanic Perreault. Those are just a few of the moves made by our div...
For some inexplicable reason, the Blues are considering changing the song they play after the Blues score. Thankfully, they’ve let the fans decide between a new song and the old one, so PLEASE VOTE FOR THE OLD SONG!!! Here's the link. If you're really adamant, you can return to the Blues home page, find the link on the page, and vote again.
http://blues.nhl.com/team/a...
For some inexplicable reason, the Blues are considering changing the song they play after the Blues score. Thankfully, they’ve let the fans decide between a new song and the old one, so PLEASE VOTE FOR THE OLD SONG!!! Here's the link. If you're really adamant, you can return to the Blues home page, find the link on the page, and vote again.
http://blues.nhl.com/team/a...
Next, I looked at the Central Division
[b]Columbus Blue Jackets[/b]
Could this be the year the Columbus Blue Jackets make the playoffs... NO. However they will be better. Mainly because the Columbus Blue Jackets fired Doug MacLean and heired Scott Howson. Also the team got immediately better last year when they heired Ken Hitchcock. The Blue Jackets are stacked with ...
[b]Originally posted (and more readable) on [url]www.prednation.com[/url][/b]
In Part I, we took a look back at the expectations going into last season. That look provided a brief glimpse at the players we were going to ice as well. At this time last season, we were a team coming off of a 100+ point season. We were going into the season expecting another 100+ point c...
Heart.
When you hear the word, perhaps, the first thing you think of is that organ beating inside your chest.
You also might think of that hard rocking, but IMO god-awful, girl band comprised of the sisters - Ann and Nancy Wilson. Sorry, not a big Barracude fan.
When I think of the word "heart," I immediately think of it in relation to organized sports. Not ...
Well, folks. Thursday is the day the Blueshirts officially open the doors to training camp, though reports are circulating that many players have in fact already begun "informal" workouts, both on and off the ice.
Players who have already been spotted on the ice include: Brendan Shanahan, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Martin Straka, Henrik Lundqvist, Petr Prucha, Sean Ave...
Time for Part 4 of my 6-part series on the new jerseys. So far, we've covered the Northeast, Northwest and Atlantic divisions. For those who have not read them yet:
http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=2407&post_id=2473
http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=2407&post_id=2499
http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=2407&post_id=2552
Up n...
After having to sit through another boring baseball season (which was compounded by the Cardinals playing like crap), and realizing that pro football just doesn't seem as much fun anymore (I'm sure my crappy rams have something to do with it, still love college though), I get to finally watch the greatest sport in the world!! Though the season starts tonight (and I will h...
In honor of friendly debate and maybe someone who has as much passion for the Blues as I have I was wondering, if when you have time, we can shoot the S*^t about the Blues. I agree to disagree in the sport of learning something new and seeing things from another perspective.
So far this season Salvador has been playing a solid game. What I saw in the preseason gam...
Twas the night before the opener and all through the arena
The techs are testing the speakers by playing funky cold medina
The Zamboni's are out to make the ice real smooth
And the Vendors are hooking up the kegs full of ice cold brews
The Skates are being sharpened with oh so much care
In hopes that goals will be scored in threes or in pairs
And I the ticket holder ...
Since when did the entire city of St. Louis jump on the Blues bandwagon? I know the Rams are losing and the Cardinals didn’t make the playoffs, but this is ridiculous.
Last year, I could walk up the night of the game and get tickets. But now, the first three games are well on their way to becoming sellouts! Only a few very expensive seats remain.
I’m not saying t...
Sometimes it just isn’t your night. That was the case last night as the Predators suffered their first loss of the year at the hands of the division rival St. Louis Blues 4-1. From the start the Preds seemed to be playing the part of the Washington Generals to the Globetrotting Blues.
They let them get up early, on a pretty goal from Brad Boyes started ...
The Blues finally put the POWER back into the power play last night against the 'hawks. PP goals from Kariya and Walt on sweet feeds from Stempy and Boyes and we're back in business!
Prior to last night, the 'note had been scuffelling along at a 9.something % clip. 2 fer 20 something (research smesearch) and OH fer eleven since rook Erik Johnson scored the game winn...
I usually never try to blame the refs in hockey...it's a tough sport to officiate and i already assume that the refs are gonna basically suck to some extent to someone on the ice. Saturday night though...that was brutal. NHL states that a stick horizontal to the ice surface and placed into an opposing players abdomen area or higher is hooking. Any use of a stick to impe...
Like Andy Strickland was saying it's time for the Blues to make some tough descions. I think Andy is correct in his opinions about Backman. I think he will be a good player at some point and I wonder if a change of scenery might just be the thing that would do it for him. It will be hard descion to make especially as the Blues start to bring in talent from Sweden. Back...
BluemanGuruu writes...
Isn't It Awesome to be Able to Nit Pick the Small Things?!?
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Isn't it awesome that at this time really all we can do is nit pick the roster and not feel deeply depressed that our team isn't competive like a year ago? I remember everytime I went to the chow hall in Iraq at this time last year snapping up the latest copy of Stars and Stripes(when it was available), and turning to the page with the game summaries and quickly searching...
BluemanGuruu writes...
Why the Ducks Should Be Watched WIth Close Eyes By NHL
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
First off I want to say that the Blues/Ducks game was a well played game by a number of skilled players. After that I want to say the officiating was a bit questionable but understandable, those guys have a tough job and obviously don't see everything...but I'm sure they saw a few things they chose not to call. But what irks me more than anything is the style that the Du...
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 gu...
bcallaway writes...
David Perron: Is Blues Management all on the same page here?
Posted Friday | Comments 0
Jeremy Rutherford who covers the Blues for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and stltoday.com had this to say yesterday prior to the Blues game in Columbus:
"[i]Murray continues to emphasize the work Perron is getting off the ice. While everyone agrees with that, I get the feeling that some in the club want to see Perron in a game soon. That decision continues to be left with...
I heard from a buddy of mine that Al, John and Larry were all at the practice on Friday and watching intently Eric Brewer, Jay McKee and Christian Backman.
I believe their are preliminary talks involving the Rangers, possibly about Jagr.
Besides that there are a few logical conclusions to suggest that a trade could be taking place soon. It revolves around the fact...
The Blues are freakishly healthy right now. With [b]Erik Johnson [/b]nearly set to return, the Blues could have as many as eight "top six" defensemen available on a given night. At forward and in goal they have no one currently laid up. This makes dressing a team each night a good but difficult decision to make for the Head Coach.
A lot has been said in the early day...
This started as a response to Andy Strickland's blog on Garth Brooks interest in being a part of a KC hockey team, but it got too long, so here I go. I posted on these message boards about KC hockey before, so I thought I would compile it all into one blog.
First of all, I've lived in Kansas City for the better part of three years now, but I grew up a rabid St. Louis Bl...
After the game against Chicago I thought the lines were muddled and didn't shine through with players strength. The only line that looked really any good at all was Weight, Marty and Perron. That being said I'd like to propse a few different line possibilities and hear what you think and what lines you can come up with.
In the preseason the line of Weight, Boyes and P...
After the game against Chicago I thought the lines were muddled and didn't shine through with players strength. The only line that looked really any good at all was Weight, Marty and Perron. That being said I'd like to propse a few different line possibilities and hear what you think and what lines you can come up with.
In the preseason the line of Weight, Boyes and P...
Every time Al MacInnis appears on the jumbotron in St. Louis, the crowd cheers. Al MacInnis is a class act, and his Hall of Fame status has been bringing back great memories. Because of my age, most of my memories come from his time in St. Louis, so feel free to add any more in the comments. Here I go:
-His Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe in Calgary. I've only really seen t...
[b]The NHL did a great thing[/b] by putting a large chunk of divisional games so early in the season this year. It really gets the rivalries going and gives each team a great opportunity to see what they are competing against in their division. For a long time I was wondering why they NHL didn’t do more of this...to me it seemed so easy a solution to add meaning to th...
The Blues beat Detroit which is always a good thing, but there are a couple things that really irked me tonight...
-Night Class. I didn't catch the entire game and only saw the last period. I missed the one freaking time that Blues not only beat Detroit, but beat them on national TV!!!
-eric brewer. I didn't capitalize his name because he was very bad. I understand m...
This is bascially a blog with one message for a very 'special' kind of person. All of us other Blues fans would like to say to you Jackman5, WETOLD YOU SO!
So let us get this straight, you think we should send Perron down to juniors after his next game?
He, according to you Jackman5, is not a scoring threat.
Well buyah buddy, booo--yaaah.
Personally, I...
It's official, Blackhawk fans. I hate your team again.
I'm not trying to be mean. It's a [i]good[/i] thing that I hate your team again. Let me explain.
During the early 90s, I hated the Hawks. Belfour, Roenick, Chelios...I hated them all with a passion. Nothing was better than sweeping them out of the playoffs. All the fans brought toy brooms and Eddie the Eagle had ...
It's official, Blackhawk fans. I hate your team again.
I'm not trying to be mean. It's a [i]good[/i] thing that I hate your team again. Let me explain.
During the early 90s, I hated the Hawks. Belfour, Roenick, Chelios...I hated them all with a passion. Nothing was better than sweeping them out of the playoffs. All the fans brought toy brooms and Eddie the Eagle had ...
I hate to write blogs based on 'ifs' but this one was too good to pass up.
[b]IF[/b] (not the use of bold to emphasize how this is not happening) the NHL season were to end today (it would be crazy for it to since we haven't even hit the quarter pole yet) the Central Division would boast [b]FOUR[/b] (note bold use again...this time to emphasize how crazy this statement...
There are lot of things hockey players will say to each other in the heat of competition, none of which can be reprinted here. But there's one dirty word that no one uses, not even Sean Avery: the "s" word.
The "S" word, of course, is shutout. I even feel dirty typing it, and I really hope my Hockeybuzz Id doesn't get suspended for using it. I apologize in advance to an...
BluesHockeyOhBaby! writes...
Central Division Is The Most Competitive in NHL Right Now
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
This fact is proven with the Blackhawks beating the Red Wings for yet a fourth time already this season, keep in mind the Wings only have five regulation losses, with the other coming against another central division team, the Blues.
The Central Division is home to the best team in the Western Conference, the Red Wings, and no other division currently has every single t...
Of course he isn't a dirty player but the headline needs to be an attention getter as well as get to my main point.
I realize it's early to be writing this piece but I have a sixth sense about things. If you don't believe me - check out my Forum piece entitled [i]"Prediction: David Perron will return to Juniors". [/i]Yes, I'm quite the prognosticator.
EJ is only...
[i](a note to the Nashville haters..can you give us this day? Can you give it to us without the negative comments and Nashville bashing? Thanks)[/i]
[b]Well...the day that Pred fans have been waiting for has arrived[/b]. A deal has been reached with the city on a new lease the guarantees that Nashville hockey fans have the Predators for at least five more years. The har...
Let me start off by saying that I have taken notice of Brewer's better puck handling skills as of late, but that does not translate tp playing the point on the power play. Unless he does the old Pronger trick, and heads down to screen the net minder then he's more of a risk factor than having a forward on the point.
There's no statistical data I'm aware of to back this...
I was very impressed and excited for the Blues beating a tough Buffalo team on the road. They have played well at home but they were under .500 on the road and this was a big road win and a comeback win at that.
Being down 2-0, the Blues could have packed it in, but this team has such confidence and fight in them that they rallied with three goals of their own before Bu...
And so we're approaching December....
The teams have established themselves as to where they sit in the league, where they need to improve and so on...
one thing that has been very noticeable is just how incredibly inconsistant almost every team in the league has been thus far with only Detroit once again showing the constant and consistant poise it has for essential...
You know you're a Blues fan...
- if You think Weight Watchers is a Doug Weight fan club and some chick named Jenny Craig is president.
- if You yell 'Blackhawks Suck!'...at a Cardinals game
-if your vision of hell entails the Blues losing in the second round of the playoffs with either Detroit or Colorado winning the Stanley Cup
-if you realize just how depress...
Hockey Canada is currently waiting for final word from the remaining two NHL teams with Junior eligible players, on whether or not those players will be released to represent Canada at the WJHC. Those two teams are the Edmonton Oilers (Sam Gagner) and the St. Louis Blues (David Perron). Minnesota (James Sheppard), Boston (Milan Lucic), Pittsburgh (Jordan Staal) and Chica...
the first part and notes for a future blog where i lazily save it onto hockeybuzz instead on my own machine. i repeat, this is not a complete piece. any recomendations, questions and comments that are helpful are welcome. thank for your patience and consideration for my laziness. ;-)
here's something interesting my fellow fans. a quote from murray out of rutherford'...
It still hurts to talk about the loss last night. Believe it or not, despite giving up 8 goals, Hannu Toivenan can’t be blamed for the loss. The loss was a total breakdown on all defensive fronts.
How many times was brewer going to be out of position?
How many times was the 6 foot 2 Backman outmuscled on the puck?
How many times did the defense watch Colorado se...
jammer21 writes...
Pregaming with the Blues harder than Edmonton Postgames
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
It’s time to look ahead to the Blues game tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. Be warned, Blues fans. If the Oilers give up an early lead, by the first intermission, the fans will likely call for the firing of a coach, a GM or a combination thereof. Wait, wrong Canadian team. Do we play the Leafs this year?
The last time these two teams met on December 7th, the Oilers...
One of the main reasons why the schedule changed is so people around the league could see the Alex and Sid shows at least once a year.
Okay, yes, I know. A lot of non-hockey fans might come to the game to see them play, but let me just go off on a hockey fan rant here for a second about why I never want to see the best players on the other team.
[b]Because, not only ...
I was shocked that the Blues traded Dougie Weight and It is truly sad to see him go. He has been a fan favorite in St. Louis and we were happy to have him back after he won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes. But now this trade marks the end of Weight as a Blue I believe, and I think it is better for him to go to Anaheim and maybe get back on track offensively under a new...
This season, the Blues launched "Louie," a saxophone playing, bear-looking monstrosity that relentlessly annoys fans during the game.
Why, God? Why?
First of all, the mascot doesn't make any sense. We are the St. Louis Blues, not the St. Louis Saxophone Playing Blue Bears. Everyone laughed when we tried to launch "Kool Kat" with those notoriously hideous third jersey...
If you look at the standings as of Tuesday afternoon, 20 teams are above .500 and 4 teams are right at .500.
How is this mathematically possible? Is this the ‘parity’ that Bettman insisted would exist under the new CBA, or is it just an illusion?
Why are the standings like this?
Because the NHL rewards losing teams that are tied after regulation.
At one tim...
bcallaway writes...
Teemu Selanne to St. Louis? Could it happen?????????
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
It's not out of realm of possibility. Andy Strickland was on a local radio station last night and basically summed it up this way:
Everyone knows already that Teemu is working out every day. He talks to Paul Karyia every day and if there is anyone that could sell Teemu on the idea of coming to the Blues it's his best friend.
Not to mention the chemistry that Selanne...
[b]WHAT MAKES THE BLUES TICK?[/b]
The next team on my 30 team tour is the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are a terrific team to watch, and they are well coached. I really feel that the Blues have one of the best coaches in the league in Andy Murray. Murray has system in place, and more important, the players have bought into it . The Blues have the talent, but what make...
[b]WHAT MAKES THE BLUES TICK?[/b]
The next team on my 30 team tour is the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are a terrific team to watch, and they are well coached. I really feel that the Blues have one of the best coaches in the league in Andy Murray. Murray has system in place, and more important, the players have bought into it . The Blues have the talent, but what make...
CaptShark writes...
Sharks @ Blues; Keys to the Game, Setoguchi back to Woostah
Posted Friday | Comments 0
*UPDATE
Rookie winger Devin Setoguchi sent back to Worcester of the AHL. The Sharks want him to keep playing but he has not been good lately and was a healthy scratch in the last game.
It has been hard getting back into the swing of things, but I have managed. Tonight the Sharks face off against the Blues in St. Louis. Things have been nothing but good for the Sharks o...
Damn - I wish I could have watched the Blues savage the Blue Jackets 6-1 last night.
Living the UK though, a number of the Blues games don't actually start until 1.30am and I cannot justify staying up for the whole game. Shame. NASN is the satellite channel in the UK that shows a lot of hockey - unfortunately we've only had one Blues game. Which one did they pick? ...
Love it or hate it, the outdoor game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres brought the NHL a lot of attention from people other than hockey fans. The All-Star game is meant to do the same thing; the league showcases their talent to attract new fans.
So, my question is, why don't we hold the All-Star game outdoors (that is, when it's not in Atlanta)?
Thin...
BluesHockeyOhBaby! writes...
Congrats to Manny Legace, But Boyes Should Be An All-Star
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
If there was anyone on the Blues deserving of an All-Star appearance I strongly believe that it would be Brad Boyes. He is having a very solid season, leading the Blues with 24 goals and on many nights, he provides the sole offensive punch. He is 8th in the NHL in goals.
But this brings up the question of if Blues were to be represented by one player in the All-Star gam...
I thought about this one for a while a said "Oh what the hell ". It's like Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China. Damn what a good movie! So if the Rangers are really going to give this cup run a shot their gonna need a quality 1-2 punch in net. Cujo has had alot of nice playoff performances in his career. Those of you lucky enough to have the NHL Network can see t...
Despite being in a "rebuilding mode,' the Blues are in the midst of contending for a playoff spot in the very competitive Western Conference. Don't expect the Blues to trade away any picks or prospects, but at the same time, John Davidson wants this team to be competitive. So, if I were JD, these are goals I would have for the Blues lineup:
[b]First off: The Tradeable A...
Like Frankenstein's Monster, I was nearly driven off the chicagoblackhawks.com message boards the other day by an angry mob of villagers wielding pitchforks, for daring to say that the Hawks had no chance of making the playoffs.
"This is a fan board. Why are you here?" One poster reasoned.
I am a fan. But I am also a journalist, and therefore I need to make objective...
(All, I am no longer HB28, but my real name. Nice to meet you)
I just got done responding on Al Cimaglia's blog with regard to Denis Savard's system.
Make no mistake, Savard-Bashers. He has a system. He has a vision. And it's working.
As a Hawk fan, it's very easy to be cynical about any member of the front office or staff who comes from within the ranks. For year...
At the beginning of the season, the Blues went on a fairly aggressive ad campaign with the slogan "Whatever it takes". These commercials featured players and/or executives talking about the Blue Note Code. One of the things said in these ads was "we will not be outworked". However, anyone who watches the Blues lately can tell that this as been far from the case.
Team...
Andy Murray has done a spectacular job turning this team around, despite the recent slide in the standings.
But the honeymoon is over with Murray. Crunch time has come, and the team is flailing. One of the knocks on Murray's coaching style is that he loses control of the veteran players as they lose faith in his system, which sounds eerily similar to the Mike Kitchen fi...
Different game, same story for the St. Louis Blues in their 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
For the second time in as many games, the Blues had a goal disallowed at a critical juncture of the game, and this time, the marker would have been the game winner. Both times, the play was blown dead, even though the puck was in the goal and the goaltender didn't have possess...
I was an advocate of the shootout competition to begin with, just because I thought it would be more fun than it turned out.
Think about it: what do you do whenever you have rink time with your friends just to goof around with the puck? You "pull a Michigan" behind the net, point like Owen Nolan, or fling the puck lacrosse style.
So that's what I imagined the skills ...
NickBoston writes...
Blues vs. Leafs Recap; Who Should the Blues Acquire?
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The first game back from the All-Star break was an unimpressive one for the Blues, but they managed to pull out a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night in the Air Canada Center in Toronto.
Keith Tkachuk scored two goals in the first 5:48 of the first period, and David Backes scored a goal of his own in the second period to lift the Blues to...
In years past, the Blues have virtually stripped their roster at the deadline by trading away veteran UFAs for picks and prospects. From Doug Weight, Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin alone, the Blues received: 3 first round picks (Ian Cole, Patrick Berglund, David Perron), a second and third round pick, Jay Barriball (the former leading goal scorer at the University of Minnes...
Coming out of the All-Star Break, the Blues started out great, winning their first two games against Toronto and Anaheim. But recently, they've squandered an opportunity at four easy points against an injury-depleted Colorado Avalanche team, and a down-and-out Tampa Bay Lightning squad. Saturday's game against Colorado was a perfect example of not taking advantage of a per...
As I attended the last two home games of the St. Louis Blues the title is the only word that can describe the feeling I had walking out of the Scottrade Center. After a thrilling shootout win over a very good Ducks team, the Blues got outworked and didn't show any sense of urgency the past two games. Granted, Manny was his All Star caliber self the past two games, but seri...
The Blues today called up goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu and forward Yan Stastny from Peoria, and have sent backup goalie Hannu Toivonen to the Riverman for conditioning.
Toivonen started Saturday night in a 6-2 defeat to the Dallas Stars, and was pulled in favor of a sick Manny Legace after allowing four goals. He is 5-6-3 in 16 games played this season with a goals a...
I have talked to a couple of people tonight that have told me the Blues and Penguins are definitely talking trade. The Blues apparently have expressed interest in defenseman Ryan Whitney and forward Erik Christiansen, among a few others.
If a trade is indeed made, it looks as if defenseman Barrett Jackman is one of the definite names mentioned to be heading to Pittsbur...
[b]Man...I could think of a many headlines to describe last nights game[/b]. I could go for the obvious and make reference to a St. Valentines Day Massacre. Maybe the Preds had a Red Wing hangover following their emotional win on Tuesday. I could go subtle and talk about how the Preds 'Do Little' after a brilliant rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by Melinda Doolittle ...
[b]It's not very often that you can say the Columbus Blue Jackets [/b]have embarked on a very important road trip. Having dismantled the Detroit Red Wings just two nights before, using common logic one could deduce that the Blue Jackets may be starting to build momentum. Where the encouraging victory would lead them, however, follows a common theme.
[b]The Blues did not...
As far as I'm concerned, the Blues season ended on Sunday night with a 2-0 loss in Phoenix to a Coyotes team they are chasing in the Western Conference. Oh, it's a long way from official since they are still six points out of a playoff spot with two games in hand over eighth-place Nashville, but it's obvious that they simply aren't good enough to return to the postseason t...
I agree with Blues Blogger Matt Rainey about the Blues' season being unofficially over after losing in Phoenix tonight. The last three games killed them. When you lose to teams you ABSOLUTELY NEED TO BEAT if you want to get in the playoffs (Los Angeles = last in the west) and (Phoenix =team just in front of STL in the standings) the Blues dropped the ball here.
With a n...
In my opinion, the re-signing of Barrett Jackman has set things in motion for the Blues to make a much larger deal before the 2:00 PM CT trade deadline Tuesday afternoon. For weeks, the Blues and Jackman had discussions on a contract extension, but it didn't get any further than both sides tossing out numbers. Jackman beleived he was worth "market value", that being the $3...
consider for a second the last draft pick from the judge huston ordeal was zach parise and then think of what that has made us fans feel. now flash forward. salvador not the greatest to play the game but a guy worth more than a cam janssen and yet this is what we got. now last year during the draft the bllues went with in the late rounds peluso instead of picking up the...
3-1 Dallas
This was trade deadline hockey. Dallas picked up one of the prizes of the trade deadline, and tonight's game was indicative of that. The piecemeal lineup Dallas had out there tonight is something we likely won't have to see again, but the determination they showed in the third period is something very positive to take away from this game. They were backe...
A little commentary on the trades. First we will start with the moves that weren't made. First, we will address getting rid of Rucinsky. Honestly, I am sure they tried but just couldn't find anyone willing to give up much for him, especially since he is a FA at the end of the season, teams knew that unless they thought he was a missing piece to a playoff run, he could b...
As Blues fans may have noticed, rookie forward David Perron has been spending a lot of time in the pressbox during games instead of being out on the ice with his teammates. Perron has played in two out of the last six games recently. An article written by Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch describes why coach Andy Murray and team president John Davidson conti...
i began calling for about two and half weeks ago, or before the blues had the mini explosion of wins,the tanking of the season. this way you end up with steve stamkos. then you dump half of these worthless non goal scoring schmos.
tops on my list to not resign or those who need to be traded:
1)tkachoke(keith tkachuk). when you see a guy show up once in a while...
In honor of my fellow Blues fan and friend [i]BluesFan44[/i] and his sick and twisted sense of humo(u)r.......
The Blues marketing has given us [b]Blue Note Code #1[/b] - Whatever it Takes.
I give you the other (9) Blue Note Codes that will be coming to a billboard near you:
[b]Blue Note Code #2[/b] - We will take no shot before it's time.
[b]Blue Note Code #3[...
Assuming that everyone's win-loss-otL-soL ratio stays the same, I took the time to calculate how many points everyone will have by the end of the season.
[b]Eastern Conference[/b]
NEW JERSEY DEVILS- 102 Points
Montreal Canadiens 100 Points
CAROLINA HURRICANES- 91 Points
Pittsburgh Penguins- 100 Points
Ottawa Senators- 97 Points
New York Rangers- 96 Points
Boston ...
S Kaspar Rollins writes...
Flames Whip Blues 7-3 - Exactly What The Doctor Ordered
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
In a historic and uncharacteristically decisive win, the Calgary Flames beat the St. Louis Blues 7-3 at the Saddledome tonight. The spotlight in this game was on Jarome Iginla, who, at 18:27 of the 1st period, passed Theoren Fleury to become the franchise's all-time goals leader at 365, one-timing a pass from Kristian Huselius at the left circle. However, Iginla was not th...
I'm just trying to find my other blog..............
Former Dallas Stars GM Doug Armstrong has reached a five-year deal to become the Director of Player Personnel for the St. Louis Blues. An official announcement could come as early as today.
Armstrong will work in an assistant capacity to current Blues GM Larry Pleau for the next two years, and then will take over the GM duties once Pleau's contract is up with the Blues....
Kings have aquired St.Louis Blues 2009 5th round draft pick for 20 yr old T.J. Fast. Fast spent last year in WHL.
Fast, 20, was selected by the Kings in the second-round (60th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He played in 71 games this past season with Tri-City of the Western Hockey League where he recorded 54 points (17-37=54) and 92 penalty minutes.
I think t...
With free agency fast approaching, there are many questions for the Blues to answer. The team has five unrestricted free agents and two restricted free agents, and they have to figure out who to sign and who to dump. The list is as follows:
[b][u]UFAs:[/u][/b]
Martin Rucinsky
Ryan Johnson
Mike Johnson
Yan Stastny
Matt Walker
[b][u]RFAs:[/u][/b]
David Backes
...
According to the Ottawa Sun, SI.com, and XM Home Ice Radio, the Blues are trying to work a deal to get much-maligned goaltender Ray Emery out of Ottawa. One of the Blues' main targets this offseason is to find a suitable backup goaltender to starter Manny Legace.
The deal mentioned has Emery and offensive prospect Ilja Zubov going to the Blues for defenseman Jay McKee,...
The Fan 590 out of Toronto reported earlier today that the Blues have been approached by the Pittsburgh Penguins about the possibility of trading for winger Yvgeni Malkin. The Penguins are asking for the Blues' number four pick in Friday's draft, along with two or three prospects.
Los Angeles is also one of the teams in the mix for Malkin.
This may be just a pipe dre...
David Poile should play poker professionally. He should. I saw him on local news tow nights ago saying "I am not confident at all that we will be able to sign Dan Ellis. I think he wants to test the free agent market."
Well...I'll be jiggered if he didn't go and pull off a deal that cleared the way to get Ellis to sign by trading Mason away to the St. Louis Blues. This ...
Word around the Blues' front is that they're working on something major for tonight's draft. In the past day-and-a-half, they've traded longtime winger Jamal Mayers to Toronto for a third round pick, and acquired goalie Chris Mason from Nashville in exchange for a fourth round pick. The name I've been hearing bantered about the most is Ottawa's Jason Spezza.
Spezza is e...
I went to the first day of the Blues' development camp today. This is the second year of this event, where fans can watch some of the Blues' top prospects practice under the wings of some of the Blues' coaches and personnel. After watching the first day of practice, here are some of the things that stood out:
- Defenseman Jonas Junland definitely stood out from the rest...
Here are some notes from day two of Blues development camp:
- Except for a select few, everyone came out skating hard today. Some looked like they had something to prove to the coaches and staff.
- It wasn't as full today as it was yesterday. If I had to estimate, I'd say there were about 35 people in the stands today.
- One thing about Anthony Peluso: For such a ...
Today I had the chance to interview St. Louis Post-Dispatch Blues writer Jeremy Rutherford. Here's the transcript of the interview:
NB: What will be the biggest difference and/or change between last year's team and this year's team in your opinion?
JR: [i]Well I think it's one more step towards the youth movement. Last year you had kids like Erik Johnson and David ...
Here are some notes from day three of Blues Development Camp. Today was based solely upon endurance training.
- Today's training was maximum reps endurance skating. Players skate from goal line to goal line and are timed by a stop watch. It's basically a last man standing event to see who has the most endurance.
- Gold team was out first. They were split up into two ...
Yesterday, I had the chance to interview Blues' up-and-coming prospect TJ Oshie. Here's the transcript of the interview:
NB: TJ, you participated in this development camp last year. What's the biggest difference between last year and this year?
TJ: I think it's just being more confident and comfortable on the ice. Last year, I was new to everything and really didn'...
Friday, I had the chance to interview Blues' President John Davidson on a number of topics. Here's what he had to say:
NB: We're in year two of the Youth Movement. What can Blues' fans expect to see from this year's team with the additions of TJ Oshie and Patrik Berglund to the roster?
JD: I think we're in a position where we have veteran players who can give us mo...
According to TSN, the Canucks have signed Blues' forward David Backes to a three-year offer sheet at about $2.5 million per-year. The Blues have seven days to match, otherwise, they receive a second round pick from the Canucks as compensation.
Honestly, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see the Blues match the offer sheet.
Stay tuned...
Nick Boston
[code]s...
NickBoston writes...
Canucks Offer for Backes Matched, but RJ is Gone...
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
As I mentioned in my previous blog not to be surprised if the Blues match the Canucks' offer for David Backes, they did.
Backes remains a Blue after the Blues matched the three-year, $7.5 million offer for the 23-year old winger. It was a smart move by the Blues, because as John Davidson said in an interview here in St. Louis, "Backes is a major part of our youth moveme...
According to Andy Strickland of ESPN 1380 in St. Louis, the Blues have re-signed winger Yan Stastny to a two-year deal. Terms of the contract have not been disclosed. The first year of the deal is a two-way contract, and the second year is a one-way contract.
Stastny, 25, played in 12 games with the Blues, notching one goal and one assist. He's expected to fill the role...
The Blues signed RFA forward Steve Bernier to a one-year, $2.5 million contract today. The Vancouver Canucks have seven days to match the offer, or they will receive the Blues' second round draft pick in next year's draft as compensation.
Bernier, 23, totaled 32 points last season (16 goals, 16 assists) between the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres. He was acquired via...
According to XM Home Ice Radio, there is a rumor that the Blues, Kings, and Blackhawks are working on a possible deal. The rumored deal has the Kings acquiring goalie Nikolai Khabibulin from Chicago and defenseman Jay McKee from St. Louis; St. Louis would get defenseman Tom Preissing from Los Angeles and forward Martin Havlat from Chicago; and Chicago would get St. Louis' ...
Today, I picked up the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and saw a story about the competition in Rams training camp for the 3rd string quarterback position. So, I decided it was time to start writing about hockey, because I’m already sick of football and baseball. Since the Post-Dispatch isn’t going to satisfy my hockey craving, I’ve taken matters into my own hands. Today, bo...
This is my first blog on hockeybuzz so here goes, I have been an avid blues fan since birth and this year has to be the most anticipated year of blues hockey that I can remember. I think John Davidson is taking this team in the right direction and if we as blues fans can be patient we might soon be seeing the blues raising a stanley cup banner of there own real soon.
NickBoston writes...
Blues to Look Outside Of Organization if EJ is out Long-Term
Posted Monday | Comments 0
I have read various reports about the status of defenseman Erik Johnson. Some have said he's fine, and others have said they've seen him walking around with a noticable limp. I honestly don't know what to expect, but if the MRI of Johnson's right knee tomorrow comes out not looking good, then expect the Blues to look elsewhere for help.
I just got done talking to a sour...
NickBoston writes...
Erik Johnson Out 3-4 Months with Torn Ligament in Knee
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The news has come out regarding the status of Erik Johnson's knee, and it isn't good.
I just got done talking to a source within the organization that told me the Blues' defenseman is out 3-4 months. Doctors in Cleveland discovered a torn ligament in his right knee after taking an MRI.
Johnson injured his knee last week while on a team golf trip.
Expect the Blues...
The Blues announced the folowing cuts today:
Nicholas Drazenovic, TJ Fast, Nikolai Lemtyugov, Tomas Kana, Eric Neilson, Cam Paddock, Thomas Potulny, Ryan Reaves, and Julian Talbot have been sent to Peoria.
Jake Allen, Mark Cundari, and Anthony Peluso have been assigned to their junior teams.
That leaves the following players:
[u]Forwards:[/u] Paul Kariya, Brad ...
What I have to say might sound crazy to some. But I'm going to pick my top nine teams in each conference to make the play offs. Top nine you say? Well considering that each season one of the divisions always appears a bit weaker than the others and nearly or completely blocks out a team with a better record.
Western Confernce:
Detriot- Though I think the road for ...
The Blues have sent defensemen Alexander Hellstrom and Jim Jackson, and goaltenders Marek Schwarz and Ben Bishop to Peoria. The last line of cuts will come after after Monday and Wednesday's games against Toronto, which is a home-and-home series.
Nick Boston
Injuries are starting to pile up early into the year for the Blues' defense.
First was Erik Johnson's freak knee injury, then it was Jonas Junland injuring his shoulder in the first preseason game in Kansas City, and now comes word of another big injury.
Jeff Woywitka will be out for 4-6 weeks with a cracked bone in his right foot. The injury occurred after he blocke...
The Blues announced today they have assigned Trent Whitfield, Brad Winchester, Matt Foy, Charles Linglet, and Andy Wozniewski to Peoria.
The Blues also announced they have placed forward Cam Paddock on waivers. If Paddock clears (which is likely), he'll be sent to Peoria.
In Wednesday night's preseason finale against Toronto, Chris Mason is expected to start in goal ...
The Blues are now in uncharted territory.
For the first time in a long time, the Blues are drafting and developing their own talent, and we'll start seeing the fruits of their labor.
Prior to the lockout, the last legitimate Blues first rounder that stayed in the organization and developed with the team is Barrett Jackman, drafted in 2000. That was 8 years ago. Whil...
The Blues announced today that they have sent forward Chris Porter and defenseman Tyson Strachan to Peoria.
The roster as it stands going into the season opener October 10th looks like this:
[b][u]Forwards:[/u][/b]
Paul Kariya
Keith Tkachuk
Brad Boyes
Andy McDonald
Lee Stempniak
Jay McClement
David Backes
Patrik Berglund
TJ Oshie
Cam Janssen
Yan Stastny
D...
In an online chat Blues President John Davidson had with fans today, he mentioned that despite the injuries and the influx of young defensemen on the roster, there will be no waiver wire pickups being made by the Blues going into the season.
There had been some preliminary discussions between the Blues and the agents for both Bryan Berard and Kyle McLaren, but Davidson ...
Eric Brewer holds the dubious distinction of being the man who was traded for Chris Pronger.
At first, fans rode Brewer hard, taking their anger from the trade out on him. Interestingly, Pronger himself was ridiculed for being “soft” and for terrible play after Mike Keenan traded Brendan Shanahan for him.
But while fans eventually came to love Pronger, not every...
BluesHockeyOhBaby! writes...
Blues Provide Excitement and Glimpse of Future
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Last year the Blues' roster was filled with underproductive guys, many of them being paid lots of money to score, but never amounting to much. So the Blues said goodbye to Doug Weight, Petr Cajanek, Martin Rucinsky, and others and welcomed the next generation of players, the future Blues.
And I don't know if it comes as a surprise or not that these players have stepped ...
BluemanGuruu writes...
What to Do: Fourth Line Questions to Ponder with the Rise
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
We're early into the season yet and but a few patterns have emerged. The obvious one being the Blues penchant for falling behind and the other being they usually come back. Another pattern is the inability of some of our defense to make a good breakout play or pass. None of the D-men seem to keen on rushing the puck or making the move on the intial forechecker but are q...
It told us we still have offense. It showed what happens when we have a decent time in the transition game. BUT...oh yes the but. But in the end Florida was pretty sluggish and did not truly resemble the team I'd seen this season. Their forecheck was not as strong as it usually was and that still means seeing the turnovers throughout the game that the Blues major issue...
There's some sarcasm in the title. I know why there are so many officials but I no longer know why they are all on the ice. Maybe the NHL should consider putting an official either between the penalty boxes or between the benches.
What, why? If you watch as much hockey as me you've probably noticed how manytimes the officials get in the way of the play or can't bel...
NickBoston writes...
Karyia Becomes the Latest Casuality on Injury Front
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Can it get any worse for the Blues?
The rash of injuries the Blues have had early on this season has now spread to Paul Kariya. He is flying back to St. Louis to have an MRI taken on what is being called a "lower body injury" by the team. Kariya was injured in the second period of last night's game against Anaheim, and didn't return. While nothing has been leaked about ...
NickBoston writes...
Karyia Becomes the Latest Casuality on Injury Front
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Can it get any worse for the Blues?
The rash of injuries the Blues have had early on this season has now spread to Paul Kariya. He is flying back to St. Louis to have an MRI taken on what is being called a "lower body injury" by the team. Kariya was injured in the second period of last night's game against Anaheim, and didn't return. While nothing has been leaked about ...
NickBoston writes...
Karyia Becomes the Latest Casuality on Injury Front
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Can it get any worse for the Blues?
The rash of injuries the Blues have had early on this season has now spread to Paul Kariya. He is flying back to St. Louis to have an MRI taken on what is being called a "lower body injury" by the team. Kariya was injured in the second period of last night's game against Anaheim, and didn't return. While nothing has been leaked about ...
NickBoston writes...
Kariya Becomes the Latest Casuality on Injury Front
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Can it get any worse for the Blues?
The rash of injuries the Blues have had early on this season has now spread to Paul Kariya. He is flying back to St. Louis to have an MRI taken on what is being called a "lower body injury" by the team. Kariya was injured in the second period of last night's game against Anaheim, and didn't return. While nothing has been leaked about ...
Buffalo Sabres 8-3-2 6th in East
St. Louis Blues 5-7-1 15th in West
Last week:
Sabres - 1-1-1
Blues - 0-2-1
Powerplay:
Sabres: 21.6% 5th
Blues: 27.1% 2nd
Penalty Kill:
Sabres: 88.7% 5th
Blues: 81.0% 15th
Goals per game:
Sabres: 2.93 t-16th
Blues: 3.00 t-10th
Goals against:
Sabres: 2.21 t-3rd
Blues: 3.38 25th
Team leaders:...
I could never understand how teams made bold trades or adjustments when they were on top of the league. When Claude Julien got dumped by Jersey a few days before the playoffs I laughed. When the Rangers moved Mike Gartner to the Leafs at the deadline in 94 I cried ( well a little) . But the truth is sometimes these head scratchers become huge chess moves in capturing t...
Wow.
Lee Stempniak exchanged for Alexander Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo.
I like it, and here's why:
Steen has plenty of potential. Ever since his 45-point rookie season Leafs fans have been anxiously awaiting his top-six winger potential to unleash on the NHL. Many, including myself, predicted Steen to establish himself as a 60-point guy who is responsible in his ow...
The Calgary Flames did not show up to play the Blues, as the Defense stood around and Kipper bailed out the team. The main concern I have is that this team has been like this all year. I thought they were snapping out of it, then they put on a game like this tonight. They were terrible in the first period, a period that was dominated by the Blues, who came out with a 2-0 ...
BluesHockeyOhBaby! writes...
Time to Let Manny Legace go after the season?
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Ok so I am writing this right now very frustrated after watching the Blues get handled in San Jose tonight. Granted the Sharks are a good team but the Blues gave the Sharks every chance to get back in the game and tie it (stupid penalties, turnovers, not scoring on 2 4-minute power-plays) and the Sharks just picked away at the Blues lead, went ahead, and then won it on a n...
The Flames roll into St. Louis on Tuesday to face the injury riddled Blues. With likes of key players such Paul Kariya , Manny Legace, Andy Mcdonald, Eric Brewer, D.J. King , and Erik Johnson all out of the line up. One would assume Calgary should easily be able to manhandle the basement dwellers of the western conference. St.Louis 's pains are Calgary's gains.
The rec...
On more than one occasion I have heard rumblings that the St. Louis Blues may be facing money problems in the very near future. Which begs the question: Do they panic and change course? Will they panic and change course?
The Blues have stressed patience, drafting and developing of a nucleus of young players, many of whom still have not reached the NHL.
How long ca...
Happy Holidays to all of my fellow HockeyHeads out there...
I Wish the best to all into the New Year which, for the NHL, begins at the corner of Clark and Addison for the 2nd Annual Winter Classic--which seems like an oxymoron, but I digress. In a very short time, the W.C. has unquestionably become one of the too few highlights for the NHL (regular season) that really ...
As most Blues fans will tell you, the reason to watch the Blues isn't because they're going to win or make the playoffs. The excitement is watching the young talent on this team and salivating over the potential. Thank God for that shred of hope, because watching the Blues right now is maddening.
[b]The Good.[/b]
(In no particular order)
The emergence of David Backes ...
On a day that the country paused to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, the St. Louis Blues went into the TD Bankworth Garden in Boston and stole two points right from under the skates of the Bruins.
It has to be because of the Monday afternoon holiday games this season for the Blues...there's no other explanation for it.
Remember back to October 13th of th...
NickBoston writes...
Blues' 2004 First Round Draft Pick Opts for Czech Republic
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Marek Schwarz, who was once considered to be the top goaltending prospect for the Blues, has left the Alaska Aces of the ECHL to play in his native Czech Republic, according to Aces' coach Keith McCambridge.
It's a sad story for a guy that the Blues spent a first round draft pick in 2004 on, and coming out of Sparta Praha of the Czech Republic was highly-touted as the n...
The news just doesn't get any better for the Blues these days...
According to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Andy McDonald limped off the ice during practice at the United Center in Chicago today, with what appears to be another injury to the same ankle he broke in November.
McDonald slipped and fell in the corner of the ice, threw his stick down i...
Even though the rumors of the Blues being up for sale have been constantly denied by everyone within the Blues organization, some people apparently aren't buying it.
Sportsnet hockey analyst Mike Brophy was on Fan 590 in Toronto today, and said that Chris Pronger could be traded to the Blues because they "might be put up for sale" and that "a new owner would love to hav...
First of all, I would like to say that I'm not happy at all with the effort and the way the Flyers played tonight. It was as craptastic of an effort that you could ever see from the Flyers. It was a bad, bad game for the Flyers as Chris Mason made 36 saves for his third shutout of the season to help the Blues beat the Flyers 4-0 tonight. Even though the Flyers had 36 shots...
Before I start with the call-ups, I wanted to mention the game the Blues played last night against Philadelphia. This is exactly the type of game the Blues' fans were expecting to see from the Blues coming out of the All-Star Break. The Blues showed heart, intensity, desire, and passion...something that seemed to appear obsolete against Ottawa Thursday night. With the exce...
I was at the Joe last night for the Blues-Wings game and I couldn't help but be very impressed with the Blues and how they played. They out-hustled the Wings to every loose puck, their offensive forecheck was great and it created some Red Wings defensive zone turnovers, and I really like the Blues for the most part being very active and aggressive on defense.
I think th...
According to a league source, The Blues are very close to finalizing a deal to open the 2009-10 season in Stockholm, Sweden.
The opponent for the Blues in this game...
The Detroit Red Wings.
This has been going about the rumor mill for a while, but it seems as if this is really going to happen. What an opportunity for the NHL, the Red Wings, and the Blues to be ab...
NickBoston writes...
Blues' Recent Success Has Fans, Team Thinking Playoffs
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
The St. Louis Blues have been on quite a roll recently. They have won six out of their last 10 games, and have taken at least one point in nine of those 10. After defeating Colorado Saturday night 4-1, the Blues have crawled all the way back from seemingly nowhere to within five points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
This has a lot of fan...
The St. Louis Blues announced today that they have signed center Andy McDonald to a four-year contract extension.
McDonald has played in 16 games this season with the Blues, tallying six goals and 12 assists. He has been sidelined since November 16th, when he broke his ankle in a game against Montreal. McDonald was set to become an unrestricted free agent after this sea...
After missing the past 36 games with a broken ankle, Andy McDonald has been cleared to play and will be in the lineup tonight when the Blues take on the Vancouver Canucks.
McDonald practiced at full-speed this morning and everything checked ok, so coach Andy Murray and the Blues' trainers gave him the green light to return to the lineup.
However, McDonald will not be...
NickBoston writes...
The Rest of the Week Could Determine Blues' Playoff Chances
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Blues passed phase one tonight. They defeated the reeling New York Rangers 2-1 in front of a packed house at the Scottrade Center, thanks to BJ Crombeen's 10th goal of the season late in the third period.
Now comes phases two, three, and four: beat Columbus and Nashville on the road, and Nashville at home.
The way the schedule pans out this week, not only for the...
NickBoston writes...
Roman Polak On Road Trip, Could Play Thursday or Saturday
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The Blues got some great news on the defensive front as Roman Polak, who has been out of action since breaking his foot almost a month ago, is on the team's current road trip and could be back in the lineup by Thursday at the earliest.
X-rays on Polak's foot Monday showed the broken bone in his foot is nearly healed. It's possible, though, that the Blues could hold him ...
The Blues made a minor move today, placing forward Yan Stastny on waivers.
Stastny was just recalled yesterday after his two-week conditioning assignment with Peoria. Stastny broke his thumb in early January and missed almost a month of action.
The Blues will find out by 11 AM Wednesday if Stastny has been claimed by another team, which is not expected to be the case...
Cam Janssen received a $2,500 fine from the NHL after his hit on Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek last night.
Janssen left his feet and got an elbow up on Michalek behind the Phoenix net during the first period of the Blues' 2-1 victory over the Coyotes last night.
The NHL stated, however, that he will not be suspended for the hit.
The hit that Janssen l...
Many people in the Hockey community are not aware of the tragedy that struck two St. Louis Blues fans and a future St. Louis Blues fan a week ago. As reported by the St. Louis Post Dispatch ( http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/1D2B34AF39C85DB686257565001231FF?OpenDocument ), "a man and his pregnant wife were killed Saturday afternoon in a...
From 1980-2004 the St. Louis Blues were a staple in the NHL playoffs. Now after a 4 year layoff(counting the lockout year of 2004-2005) I like many other Blues fans are hoping the Blues can make the most of their last twenty games, continue their strong play, and win themselves a playoff spot.
It was only a few weeks back that the Blues seemed a lock to finish ...
As of right now the Blues have a chance to be in the 8th spot come late Tuesday night.
Tonight:
Need the Ducks to lose.
Monday:
Need the Preds to lose
Tuesday:
Need to win. Need the Wild to lose
Wednesday:
Need the Ducks to beat the Sexual Predators. If the Ducks win tonight this game makes it impossible for us to keep the 8th spot.
The NHL is ridiculousl...
As of right now the Blues have a chance to be in the 8th spot come late Tuesday night.
Sunday
Needed the Ducks to lose. Got it
Monday:
Need the Preds to lose
Tuesday:
Need to win. Need the Wild to lose
Wednesday:
Need the Ducks to beat the Sexual Predators.
Thursday: Need to win to keep the spot or need Oilers(vs AVS) and Predators(vs SJS) to lose. Both...
Ok so now this is in no way bashing shootouts. I'm fine with the shootouts. But, why not make the game more interesting, and make teams fight for every game by eliminating the extra point for the OTL or Shootout loss? Looking at this year it would not effect the standings much, maybe a spot or 2 here or there, but if the extra point was eliminated, the Standings would look...
Yeah Boyes writes...
Controversial Disallowing of Goal is too much for Blues
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The Blues applied their best pressure of the series late in the second period last night. They tied the score at 2-2 with two goals and again had the puck in front of the net and close to the goal line. Luongo never appeared to have the puck covered as it was sliding around in the crease area and eventually crossed the line and into the net.
It was ruled that the puck h...
The story is known around the league. A team left for dead at the halfway point by bloggers, journalists, and insiders alike. A team depleted by injuries mid way through their rebuild. Fans are talking Tavares vs. Hedman and if the Western Conference cellar dwellers will play as bad as the East to get a shot at the Canadian Sniper or the Swedish Pronger.
Enter the Manny...
So, here we are. The draft is coming up, and the Blues sit with a plethora of capable defensemen, and not so much offensive pure scoring depth. I think we can all agree one more potent scorer would put this team over the top. Tampa Bay sits at the #2 pick, and are seeking some high caliber defensemen in exchange for the #2 (or Lecavalier, for that matter).
The Island...
The NHL Entry Draft will soon be upon us and the Blues are looking to have another strong draft weekend.
The Blues have an amazing prospect cool, but it could stand to get better. After take the time to analyze team needs and prospects that could be available at the given times the team will be selecting players.
Round one: Given Jarmo's track record with late 1st r...
I here every one talking about a big trade or move coming the blues way. I think what’s on most of the fans minds are will it include sticking to the plan or straying from it. what I mean by that is will the blues be throwing some draft picks another teams way or will they put one of the young players up in a deal. I think most people who call them self a blues fan would...
NickBoston writes...
Thoughts on the Blues Offseason So Far, and NHL Free Agency
Posted Monday | Comments 0
The Blues, coming off of last season's remarkable stetch run that led to their first playoff appearance since 2004, followed by a crash-and-burn effect in the first round of the playoffs against Vancouver, have seemed to be relatively quiet this offseason. Other than the typical few moves here and there to bolster depth, nothing has really stood out to me in what they've d...
2007 Blues' first round draft pick, and highly-touted defensive prospect Ian Cole has decided to stay at the University of Notre Dame for his Junior year, instead of joining the St. Louis Blues for the upcoming 2009-10 season.
Cole recently had a meeting with General Manager Larry Pleau, Team President John Devidson, and team scout Al MacInnis to discuss his immediate f...
NickBoston writes...
A Look at Free-Agent Defensemen...Are the Blues Interested?
Posted Monday | Comments 0
It's the question Blues' fans seem to be asking these days...
What about the defense, and are the Blues going to trade for/sign a puck-moving defenseman?
It's something the Blues have sorely missed since the days of Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis. Let's face it...they haven't had one since that time. The draft pick of Erik Johnson in 2007 was specifically designed to...
The Blues and defenseman Steve Wagner have come to terms on a one-year contract.
The new deal is a two-way contract, which means he'll earn $575,000 in the NHL with the Blues, or $75,000 in the AHL with Peoria.
The 25-year old defenseman will most likely begin the season in Peoria. At times, though, he has shown flashes of being a capable defenseman at the NHL level....
The Blues today make a depth move, signing free agent defenseman Bryce Lampman to an AHL contract.
He will report to Peoria's training camp in September.
Nick Boston
The Blues made a depth move on defense today, signing defenseman Brendan Bell to a one-year, two-way contract.
Bell, 26, scored six goals along with 15 assists in 53 games with the Ottawa Senators last season. In his career, Bell has tallied seven goals and 21 assists for Ottawa and the Phoenix Coyotes.
This move gives the Blues an experienced blueliner that can be p...
NickBoston writes...
Blues' Defenseman Johnson Recieves Medical Clearance
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Blues' defenseman Erik Johnson, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL in his right knee, has officially recieved full medical clearance from his doctors to resume on-ice hockey activities, according to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The 21-year old star blueliner was injured before the 2008-09 season even began, while on a team bonding golf t...
Now, I've officially seen everything...
Former NHL goaltender Ed Belfour has been hired by the St. Louis Blues to become their minor-league goaltending consultant on a part-time basis, according to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The job became available when Dave Rook left that same position to become the golatender coach of the Columbus Blue Jacke...
We're halfway through Gary Bettman's 15th year as the first ever Commissioner of the National Hockey League.
Bettman has been labeled in hockey circles as "controversial", an acceptable moniker considering the decisions Bettman has made pertaining to the NHL.
Like him or hate him, he's lived up to that moniker quite well.
With the latest news coming out that the ...
NickBoston writes...
A Look at the 2009-10 St. Louis Blues - Part 1: Goaltending
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Blues fans, we are just over four weeks away from training camp, which means one thing...
St. Louis Blues hockey is fast approaching for the 2009-10 season!
Coming off of a 2008-09 season filled with excitement, drama, ups and downs, and an unbelievable stretch run that catapulted the Blues into the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2004, I'm sure Blues fans are ...
The Blues have invited free agent defenseman Darryl Sydor and left winger Ryan Bayda to training camp on a professional tryout, sources have confirmed.
Sydor, 37, tallied three goals and 12 assists in 73 games played with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars last season.
Bayda, 28, had five goals and seven assists in 70 games played with the Carolina Hurricanes i...
You won’t find much about hockey in this blog but rather some words of wisdom that may save you the pain we have endured over the last 24 hours.
I hope you all are as lucky as I am to have found a special someone who not only humors your passions in life but truly shares in them as well. Much to my surprise, my bride of more than 10 years suggested that we take a much...
Please read and post your thoughts and what you like/dislike or what you'd change.
Well, it's early... and it's very safe to say that Power Rankings at this point in time in the season don't mean very much. They're mostly a combination of last year's finish and this year's promise.
I like James Duthie's column on TSN.ca about Premature Evaluation, in reference to ju...
The Islanders gave away a win last night that they should have easily held on to. The Wild were playing with a depleted roster that is trying to perform under a new system, much like the Islanders of last year. Despite gaining a 2-1 lead after being down a goal in the first period, the Isles failed to hold on in the final minute as Owen Nolan buried the puck passed Biron. ...
Despite the Blues needing a shootout to beat the Dallas Stars 4-3 Wednesday night, they completely dominated the play for the majority of the game. Their forecheck was exceptional, aggressive and relentless. Just like it should be. As a result, they forced the Stars d-men to turn the puck over, which turned into scoring chances.
What impressed me about the game was how ...
As the game wound down, it seemed to be just another night where the Blues gave an all-out strong effort yet came up short.
It happened Monday night in Columbus, as the Blues came back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game and control the action. But a goal in the third deflated them for good, and the Jackets added two empty netters, which made the game's box score look m...
The home futility continues for the St. Louis Blues. If they could play all of their games on the road I bet they would consider it at this point. It's a completely different Blues team on the ice at home than on the road, which is quite frustrating for Blues fans...and like Monday night, can get quite embarrassing.
The Blues came out flat against the Avs but seemed lik...
In front of a packed house at the Scottrade Center on Brett Hull night, the Blues pulled out a rare home victory on a beautiful late goal by T.J. Oshie. It was a great play set up by the forecheck of David Backes, allowing Paul Kariya to take the puck and feed Oshie with a beautiful pass that Oshie roofed.
Another rarity, the Blues scored a power-play goal. That unit st...
[url=http://bluenotezone.com/2009/12/20/how-i-would-fix-the-blues/]How I Would Fix the Blues[/url]
Fans of the St. Louis Blues have been crying for change most of the season. Some of it hasty, some of it on point. The call has increased recently. Even after Owner Dave Checketts "Get you butt in gear" speech in mid November, the Blues are still consistently inconsistent....
Now that's the way the Blues should play every game. Against the best home team in the NHL, the Blues came out and completely out-worked Vancouver. They were faster, stronger, dove for loose pucks, and blocked shots during crucial penalty kills.
It's that type of game the Blues should strive to play every single game. Despite being dead last in the West heading into Sun...
The Calgary Flames are officially in a slump. They are not playing desperate hockey and are not playing well. After a nice three day break where they could take some time to work out some of the kinks that have been bothering them over this stretch, it seemed as if this would be a perfect game to bounce back in. The Blues, after coming off of big wins in both Edmonton and ...
[img]http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=media%2Fapphoto%2F16fb2ef1-6d5f-44d7-af63-e2ec402fdc41.jpg&w=512&h=407[/img]
Home sweet home for the Blues....or anything like it. The Blues-Sabres game tonight went like a classic home game for the Blues. They battle for about two periods, take a lead and tease the hometown fans....then completely fall apart by game's end. While...
More proof that the REAL problem was the players....the Blues lose another game in classic fashion. They lead for most of the way, but inevitably give up the game-tying goal and eventually lose the game. If the Blues thought they could beat San Jose in their own building, with a single goal, they had to be crazy. This was not going to be a 1-0 game, and the Blues sat back ...
[img]http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=media%2Fgettyphoto%2FGYI0059328895.jpg&w=715&h=477[/img]
It was a hard fought game through two periods, and you couldn't help but feel good with the Blues only down a goal going into the third period. But getting the next goal was critical for the Blues and it just did not happen.
Erik Johnson committed a cardinal si...
Kamal Panesar writes...
Daily Habs Links - Blues, Darche recalled, Price, Haiti...
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Gameday previews, player audio interviews, Darche recalled, Price in nets?
Read it all and more at Habs To The Top:
http://www.HabsAddict.com
UPDATE: Habs media departement announces donations to Haiti relief. Details on Habs To The Top.
K.
Kamal Panesar writes...
Daily Habs Links - Blues, Laraque bought out, Price...
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Habs rally falls short, Habs BUYOUT LARAQUE's contract, Price gets into fight...
http://www.HabsAddict.com
K.
[b]Game Summary:[/b]
I can't do it....no wait...maybe I can...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, ummmm, ya....errr....nope, I can't. That is probably the best way to describe the Habs 3-4 overtime loss to the Blues last night. There were bad, they were good, they were up, they were down, they were losing, they came back but ultimately lost it all on a weak goal ...
[img]http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=media%2Fapphoto%2Fc58d240a-e197-499f-92cc-467f3d3b4afc.jpg&w=512&h=312[/img]
I don't think there is a better word to describe what the St. Louis Blues have been able to do, or not do, when holding a big lead in the third period than "collapse". Perhaps the most epic of collapses, based on the playoff magnitude of the ga...
Question: What is the difference between a falling tree and the Calgary Flames?
Answer: A tree never gets booed out of its own forest.
Lucky consecutive loss number 7 for the Flames tonight, as they were shut out for the 2nd time in 3 games on home ice. They have scored a staggering 2 goals in their last 4 games at the Saddledome. They must be reading the Tiger Woods...
BluesHockeyOhBaby! writes...
Blues In Good Position For Now And The Future
Posted Friday | Comments 0
[img]http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=media%2Fgettyphoto%2FGYI0059435216.jpg&w=715&h=476[/img]
I've been thinking all night about how much the Blues are actually underachieving up to this point in the season, and I think they're right where they should be.
Last year's blistering finish to claim the sixth spot in the playoffs created high expectations for this team...
[img]http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=media%2Fapphoto%2Fc70cfebc-f290-4fce-9c39-48940666083e.jpg&w=512&h=358[/img]
Another classic Blues loss Thursday at home against San Jose. Blues rally back to within a goal, but then give up a nail-in-the-coffin goal that puts them away. Conklin has to make that save on the shot from the side by Nichol. It was not re-di...
doktordave writes...
TRADE DEADLINE - Thoughts and Possible Moves - #2 TAMPA
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
(2) The Lightning apparently have their owner's permission to spend at the deadline, though realistically, they will have to move out some salary to add anything significant.
Vinny is NOT going to move, get that out of your mind in this Cap-restricted NHL, at least not at a time when the Bolts are struggling for a play-off appearance and buyers would have to dismantle t...
NickBoston writes...
Kariya On His Way Out, and a Former Blues' Star Returning?
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
It's looking more and more likely that the Paul Kariya era in St. Louis is about to end.
There have been rumors floating around St. Louis from varying sources (including one very reputable source) that Blues winger Paul Kariya is on his way out of St. Louis, and is headed up north to play for his hometown Vancouver Canucks. These same sources have said that Kariya has w...
According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the Blues front office sent out an e-mail today to the other 29 teams notifying them that winger Brad Boyes is availabe for trade.
The Blues did the same thing last week in regards to defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo.
Boyes does not have a no-trade clause in his contract, so moving him would be much easier than someone like ...
NickBoston writes...
Only Minor Moves Made as Blues Head Into Home Stretch
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
After all of the speculation concerning the possible movement of Paul Kariya, Keith Tkachuk, Brad Boyes, and Carlo Colaiacovo, the Blues listened to the offers given but said "Thanks, but no thanks".
Instead, the Blues kept their main roster together as they head into the final 20 games of the season, and potentially a spot in the playoffs.
Rumor had it that Kariya w...
[img]http://media.canada.com/bdbffb02-dc75-420e-8b09-c7871e3d0f7a/2511cory2.jpg[/img]
With the trade deadline now past and the Blues currently on a great five-game win streak, I want to take a brief look back a few days to the trade deadline and a few thoughts I have on the matter.
I can't help but be disappointed about two things the Blues did approaching the deadli...
BluemanGuruu writes...
Some Intial Thoughts concerning the Blues' Draft
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
There's a lot of interesting players in this draft. As always it depends on who is drafting in front of you and who they chose and how you have your draft board ranked.
I'm of the opinion that you go for skill heavily balanced with character. You only break from character in later rounds looking for home-run picks, the kind which can gain value in a potential trade.
...
I'm tired of hearing year after year, "were going to stick with rebuilding and not sign anyone this year." We have a good young core of players now, we need a shut down defenseman and a forward like Tomas Plekanec or even Maxim Afinogenov.
Basically we should've never traded Chris Pronger, and we would have been in the playoffs for the last three years, and then to put ...
Annotated Mock NHL Draft 2010
V-3.0
11. DALLAS STARS MIKAEL GRANLUND - F
*A young Saku Koivu*
Intelligent and quick, with exceptional skills and great vision, this kid will juice up the stars offence for years to come.
There was some concern that Granlund might be smaller than his stats listed, and if he turned out to be 5’8” or 5’9” he would hav...
Here are some quick little nuggets of news pertaining to the Blues on this, the first day of free agency...
- The Blues got a real bargain in re-signing Alex Steen for what they did. The Blues were expecting to have to pay a lot more than the $3 million per season they signed him for today. This now frees up money for other uses the Blues may need in free agency.
- I...
Two years ago, the Blues fleeced the Maple Leafs in a deal that sent Lee Stempniak to Toronto for Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. At the time, I might have been the only person in St. Louis who liked that deal. I felt Stempniak was a flash in the pan, and that either Steen or Cola straight up would have been a good trade. But Stempniak was a fan favorite in the STL, proba...
Western---
1)San Jose
2)Vancouver
3)Chicago
4)St. Louis
5)LA
6)Edmonton
7)Nashville
8) Colorado
Eastern---
8) New York Rangers
7) Carolina
6) Buffalo
5) Toronto
4)Pittsburg
3)Philly
2)Boston
1)Washington
Maybe Davis Payne should bring Mariano Rivera in to lecture the Blues on how to finish goals and games.
After scoring two in the first four minutes, the Blues couldn't find the net the rest of the game and let 2 points slip away in a 3-2 shootout loss to Dallas.
But they had plenty of chances.
Patrik Berglund hit the crossbar on a beautiful move during a power-p...
Tonight's loss to the Hawks must really sting for the Blues.
They played tight defense and shut down the champs for about 54 minutes and Jaroslav Halak was showing exactly why the Blues gave up a former first-round pick for him.
But naturally the Blackhawks stormed back and won it in overtime. The second straight game the Blues have lost in OT after leading 2-0.
...
You can't help but think there is just something special happening with the Blues.
This isn't the same team that would cough up third-period leads last year, or would get caught watching the play, getting pushed off the puck, or getting pushed around physically.
No, this is a Blues team that has flipped last year's script and are doing to opponents what they fell vic...
I'll keep this short and to the point.
Thanksgiving is over, yet the Blues felt the need to give that game away like a three-button coat at the Salvation Army.
They struggle SO MUCH to score any goals, yet let in garbage like that.
This was their game, but instead of going home with 2 points and a chance to sweep the home and home, they're going home dejected. J...
The Flames are rolling into the All Star break with four straight wins and now sit only two points out of a playoff spot. Head on over to the Sports Roundup to read more about the Flames impressive string of play.
http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/01/flames-roll-into-break.html
Newman
@TSRNewman
www.thesportsroundup.com
www.thecheckingline.com
thomas_vanek26 writes...
How Brad Boyes will Affect the Sabres Postseason Chances
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Sabres acquired for Blues forward Brad Boyes late Sunday evening for a 2nd round pick in next year's draft. The move has garnered quite a bit of attention in both markets involved. It's obvious the Sabres were in need of a top 6 forward who can score, skate hard, and check harder. Boyes can backcheck and forecheck with the best of them. He skates with intensity that I ...
Come stop by at www.thecheckingline.com for a live blog from the Nassau Coliseum press-box as I will be covering the Islanders matinee against the visiting St. Louis Blues!
Join in at any time during the game to talk about what's happening on the ice or anything that's going on in the hockey world!
-Rob McGowan
Follow me on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/IslesRM
New post over at The Checking Line covering the Islanders 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues this afternoon at the Nassau Coliseum
http://thecheckingline.com/blog/rob-mcgowan/new-york-islanders/isles-defenders-tune-out-blues-5-2-win
-Rob McGowan
Follow me on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/IslesRM
The last time Ray Emery was in the Ponda Center, June 6th 2007, I was standing on my seat serenading Emery and laughing my head off when he scored on himself playing for the Ottawa Senators. (http://videosift.com/video/Stanely-Cup-Game-5-Chris-Phillips-Own-Goal)
We (Anaheim fans atleast) knew that the Ducks were going to with the cup much earlier then this. With Teemus ...
In case you missed it I was on the CBC Homestretch this afternoon talking about the Flames playoff chances. Come to The Sports Roundup to have a listen.
http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/04/tsr-talks-to-cbcs-homestretch.html
Newman
Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/TSRNewman
Normally around this time of year most Blues fans would feel mad cause we got knocked out of the playoff's by Detroit, Vancouver, or someone else. However for the last five years that has went the other way. One playoff apperence in 5 years and now trying to find a second new owner since the lockout, not since 1983 when the team was up for possible relocation to Saskatchew...
After a long absence, I'm back...
It's been a while since I've written a blog, but with the July 1st "Free Agent Frenzy" upon the horizon, I felt it was a fitting time to return to what I enjoy...writing about my hometown St. Louis Blues.
From now through the entirety of the upcoming free agent period, look for updates regarding player movement as it pertains to the ...
The St. Louis Blues announced this morning they have re-signed forward TJ Oshie to a one-year contract worth $2.35 million.
Oshie, 24, played in 49 games last season, registering 12 goals and 22 assists with a +10 rating. Oshie missed significant time after breaking his ankle in a scrum during the end of a game against Columbus last October.
In three seasons with the...
A quick update for you all...
There seems to be some growing interest in the Blues' front office in signing one of either Jamie Langenbrunner or Tomas Fleischmann.
Langenbrunner's interest is obviously because of the connection he and General Manager Doug Armstrong had when both were in Dallas.
Langenbrunner, as I mentioned in a previous blog, would provide some...
Quick update before I go back to work...
The Blues are finalizing a deal that would bring back forward Matt D'Agostini.
The deal should be announced soon, but sources indicate it's a two-year contract.
More to come,
Nick Boston
http://twitter.com/Nick_Boston
Like the last three years, the first day of the NHL Free Agency Period is met with the same response from Blues' fanantics around 4 PM CT.
They're losing their minds.
Frustration, anger, disgust...
Those would be three of many words that could be used to describe the Blues and their activity (or lack thereof) in the free agent market.
This year more than ever,...
Quick Update:
The Blues have signed goaltender Brian Elliott to a one-year, two-way contract.
Elliott, 26, played in 55 games with Ottawa and Colorado last season, tallying a record of 15-27-9 with a 3.34 GAA and an .893 save percentage. Elliott also had three shutouts last season.
Elliott is expected to battle with goalie Ben Bishop for the backup goaltender job ...
The Blues yesterday afternoon announced the signing of defenseman Kent Huskins to a one-year, $1 Million contract.
Huskins, 32, played in 50 games last season with the San Jose Sharks, registering two goals and eight assists and had a +8 rating.
Huskins gives the Blues another left-handed shot on defense that they've been rumored to be looking for.
[u]Other r...
Two signings the Blues have made today...
The Blues Tuesday afternoon signed center Scott Nichol to a one-year, $600,000 contract.
The 36-year old veteran played in 56 games last season with the San Jose Sharks, tallying four goals and three assists. Nichol has also spent time in his 12-year career with Buffalo, Clagary, Chicago, and Nashville.
Nichol is known ar...
The Blues today signed forwards Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner to one-year contracts.
Both players signed for $2.5 million, with bonuses adding up to potentially $2.8 million.
Langenbrunner, 35, played in 70 games with New Jersey and Dallas last season, registering nine goals and 23 assists. The former Devils' captain was also the team captain of the 2010 USA O...
The Blues today signed forward Jonathan Cheechoo to a one-year, two-way contract.
Cheechoo, 30, played in 55 games last season with Worchester of the AHL, totaling 18 goals and 29 assists. The former 56-goal scorer last played in the NHL in 2009-10 with the Ottawa Senators.
Cheechoo will make $600,000 on the NHL roster, and $225,000 in the minors with Peoria of the ...
The Blues today re-signed forward Ryan Reaves to a one-year, two-way contract.
The 24-year old enforcer agreed to a deal that will pay him $525,000 on the NHL roster, and $105,000 with Peoria of the AHL.
Reaves is penciled in to be the team's fourth-line tough guy, replacing Cam Janssen, who signed with the New Jersey Devils late last week.
Last season, Reaves pla...
bamdoucet writes...
Predictions for 2011-2012 Standings ! Playoffs ! Trophy's !
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Might as well be a month ahead of everyone's blogs saying whose gonna finish where and whatnot...not like anyone cares, but this is for my own sake and something official when a team makes the playoffs that no one even considered, i might be the one who told u so and have it officially out there, but anyways, i say 50% of what im about to write will come true! if not, i wi...
Over the past several seasons, we have seen an enormous amount of transition in the Blues franchise. Since 2004, the Blues have seen 2 owners, 3 Head Coaches, and 2 GM's and now the franchise is for sale yet again. How has this affected the team?
Well, beginning in 05-06, the Blues have wound up with 57, 81, 79, 92, 90, and 89 points in each season respectively, whic...
With high expectations from the fans, much of the success or failure of this season for the St. Louis Blues rides on the shoulders of David Backes.
Named to the All-Star Game last season, Backes racked up a very solid 31 goals and 62 points last season, all the while amassing 93 PIMS and a +32 rating. While not exactly the season many were hoping for from the team, Bac...
The Chicago Blackhawks will look to continue their winning ways tonight when they matchup with the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. The Blackhawks are coming off of an exciting 5-4 shootout win against the struggling New York Islanders last night and look to build on that success.
This will be the second matchup of the season for these two teams, with the Blues ta...
It’s been a long time since I posted anything (which is to say it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to watch a Red Wings game in its entirety). Ironically enough, the last game I was able to watch was December 6 at St. Louis.
It appears the tables have turned in the steadily-heating rivalry against the St. Louis Blues with the Wings taking this battle 3-2. ...
Finally!! When the schedule makers came up with the idea of pushing the Chicago/detroit series off until this late in the season, could they have known how much it would be anticipated? Chicago with 50 points, Detroit with 47, the Blues playing like annoying little brother wanting to play with the big boys, all together three of the best teams in hockey.
Chicago is o...
Yellowknife, NT
[img:left]http://nyrnation.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/sean_avery-300x3001.jpg[/img]
Welcome to the first rendition of the Broadway Blueshirt Blogger. You will have to forgive me as I am not a professional writer or journalist. I am simply a die hard New York Rangers fan. I signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent fan on July 21, 1996 alon...
Yellowknife, NT
[img:left]http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/p/sp/getty/aa/fullj.62fe0168591164499a23e1265e45da05/62fe0168591164499a23e1265e45da05-getty-136322072.jpg[/img]
The New York Rangers have long been known for their deep wallet and infamous free agent signings. Some of the worst Ranger signings in history include the likes of Bobby Holik, Darius Kasparitus, Theoren...
Hitch would have freaked out. He would have absolutely lost his mind. No one pinching. No one forechecking. Open passing lanes. Open in front of the net. I was losing my mind watching the Hawks and Wings on Saturday afternoon.
The St. Louis Blues play a gritty style of hockey. They take no shifts off. They put the opponent under pressure from the get-go and neve...
The Blues and Stars played one of the toughest games I've watched in a long time. Gritty, old school hockey was the name of the game. The goalies, especially Halak, were absolutely huge. Both teams crowded the other out the whole game. An inch or two here and there was going to make the difference. Tough game indeed.
The Stars played with a bit of an edge. They we...
Doug Armstrong is going to be earning his paycheck the rest of this calendar year. Besides trying to figure out what to do about possibly picking up a player for the playoff push, he's going to have to figure out a lot of contract situations for next season. My gut tells me that he won't make any deals the rest of the way this year. Andy McDonald is coming back (hopeful...
Having a couple days off can be great for getting healthy, getting rejuvenated, and getting hungry.....but it can also be great for getting lazy. Tonight is one of those cliché "trap games" everyone always talks about. A bad team coming into your barn where you're the best in the league looking to make a statement without 3 of their top 4 scorers against a red-hot goalt...
The Blues need Andy McDonald right now. There's no way they can keep this kind of winning up. 1-0 after dominating the WHOLE FREAKING GAME is crazy. They had at least 15 shots before the Oilers got their first. That sort of thing just doesn't happen. And it also shouldn't be that the Blues can have that many shots 10 minutes into the first period without a goal to sho...
The next two nights are going to be tough. Detroit forgot how to lose at home and the Penguins have been on a tear as of late. These are two legitimate teams playing some great hockey. The Blues are going to have to play their butts off to win both of these games.....and here's how they're going to do it.
Jeremy Rutherford reported via Twitter this morning that the l...
The Blues are going to have to cherish their break. Only one guy is going to the All Star Game and that's the "backup" goaler. Everyone else gets to play around, rest up, get healthy, and refocus for the second half of the year. If it was me, I'd be spending some time on my couch....because that couch is going to be lonely the rest of the season. February is pretty spl...
If for no other reason the St. Louis Blues need a top notch goal scorer is to get more calls I'm all for it. I am sick and tired of watching the "best" teams get every single freaking call all night long. Malkin falls down twice, Blues get penalized twice. Brad Stuart drops his gloves first, Chris Stewart gets 2 minutes for the instigator and a 10 minute misconduct. It...
There have been a lot of talk about Parise lately and where he'll end up. We heard from site to site different stories ranging from him resigning with the Devils to being traded at the deadline to almost every team in the NHL. So last night I started thinking, which doesn't happen much at my age, and started to look around the league to find a right partner for Parise if a...
Andy McDonald.......you're close, you're really close to making every St. Louis Blues fan very happy. Your speed, your vision, your finishing touch, your experience.....oh how we've missed you. You are the missing component in making the Blues go from a contender to a legitimate favorite come playoff time. Your impact on the ice will echo a great deal off the ice where ...
Maybe I'm thinking about the Blues' scoring woes the wrong way. Maybe they don't need a scorer via trade. Maybe Andy McDonald and Alex Steen aren't as essential as I originally thought. Maybe they need a defenseman or two to change the offense. Maybe....
Pietrangelo is becoming a legitimate #1 defenseman. Shattenkirk isn't far behind but he's more an offensive play...
As the trade deadline approaches there is much speculation, anticipation, and reservation to go around, depending on where your rooting interests lie. Sometimes it is easy to predict the players that will be traded, but where they go and for who can be a little tougher to pick. Instead of trying to figure the future out, I am going to revisit some recent trades that invo...
In my lifetime I've seen the St. Louis Blues play hundreds of games. I've seen them at the Checkerdome/Arena/Greatest Place Of All Time. I've seen them at the Kiel Center/Savvis Center/Scottrade Center. I saw them play last season in Buffalo at the HSBC Arena. Nothing compared to what I saw at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Predator fans are definitely one-of-a-k...
He scored a goal last night and got an assist on another.....but I'm getting really irritated by Chris Stewart. He can be fairly lazy out there. The Deveils' second goal was on him. He was flat-footed, lethargic, uninspired in going to Henrique after being picked on his way to the puck. He didn't care. He didn't think anything would happen. Well.....dammit......Henri...
Andy McDonald came back with a vengeance last night at home against the Sharks. The Blues looked instantly charged up. They looked faster. They looked tougher. They definitely didn't look like a team who played the night before. The previously absent power play showed up. The Blues looked better. Andy McDonald.....you are the man.
Does that mean that Doug Armstro...
One of this seasons biggest surprises has been the St. Louis Blues. With the hiring of Hitchcock, they have been one of the best defensive teams in the league. They have signed backup Brian Elliot to a two year extension giving them two more years of affordable goal tending. There defense at one time was said to be lacking a veteran, but do you mess with the succes...
To the Blues Management and Coaching Staff,
Please do something with Chris Stewart. He's not helping the team. He's not a good player right now. He's not producing. He's not working. He's not a Blue. It's way past time for something drastic. Was today the day?
Reports from practice today are coming in as positive as ever for #25. Hitch, good job in putting hi...
Something is happening this year with the St. Louis Blues. Something is different. Things are changing. A 5-1 victory, in years past, would call for a parade down market. Nothing but good feelings. No matter how the team would have played the score would have dominated the coverage, the reaction from the fans, even the players and how they talk about the game. This y...
The Chicago Blackhawks have rebounded nicely after losing nine straight games, some of those to division opponents, and added a solid team effort against their rivals to the south by defeating the Blues 3-1 at the United Center.
There was no magical formula consumed by the Hawks a la "Space Jam" to bring about this recent successful play - pretty simply, the Blackhawks'...
What the hell was that? The Flames looked terrible tonight against a much better Blues team. Read more here:
http://west.thecheckingline.com/blog/derrick-newman/calgary-flames/flames-sing-blues
Newman
- The whole Rick Nash saga played out about as I expected, although it may not be for exactly the reasons I described here [url]http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=6464&post_id=13064[/url]. I honestly think that Scott Howson really had no intention of dealing Nash unless someone was going to give up the house...and no one did. He did get a fair return for Jeff Carter...
At a point in time when points matter most in the standings, the Chicago Blackhawks were unable to match the work ethic and effort in a 5-1 loss to their division rivals, the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center tonight.
The Blackhawks didn't do themselves any favors by allowing the Blues to skate circles around them for sixty minutes and leaving their goaltender, R...
Wow, that was an exciting first round with numerous upsets, and plenty of teams having some very close calls over the past 2 weeks. Like you, I’m surprised about several of the teams that are still alive and kicking in the NHL playoffs. Here’s my take on the 2nd round, and predictions as to who is moving on to the Conference Finals.
http://betweenthebenches.com/?p...
With my local home team out of the playoffs after a mostly successful season, you can understand how attention has turned to the completed sale of the team and toward potential moves the team may make for next season. There have been many articles written about the financial struggles and questionable long-term profitability of teams like the Blues and Coyotes. Articles ...
The Blues need someone to pair up with pietrangelo. And the Blues as you remember from the playoffs petro went down, no one was there to carry the load.. Shattenkirk could not handle it by himself. Figuring that Jason Garrison signed 6 years 4.7/year. Figuring carle will recieve 4 years about 4.9/ year.. Now carle will most likely wait till suter goes. The blues do have ...
The Blues need someone to pair up with pietrangelo. And the Blues as you remember from the playoffs petro went down, no one was there to carry the load.. Shattenkirk could not handle it by himself. Figuring that Jason Garrison signed 6 years 4.7/year. Figuring carle will recieve 4 years about 4.9/ year.. Now carle will most likely wait till suter goes. The blues do have ...
The Blues need someone to pair up with pietrangelo. And the Blues as you remember from the playoffs petro went down, no one was there to carry the load.. Shattenkirk could not handle it by himself. Figuring that Jason Garrison signed 6 years 4.7/year. Figuring carle will recieve 4 years about 4.9/ year.. Now carle will most likely wait till suter goes. The blues do have ...
The Blues need someone to pair up with pietrangelo. And the Blues as you remember from the playoffs petro went down, no one was there to carry the load.. Shattenkirk could not handle it by himself. Figuring that Jason Garrison signed 6 years 4.7/year. Figuring carle will recieve 4 years about 4.9/ year.. Now carle will most likely wait till suter goes. The blues do have ...
The Blues need someone to pair up with pietrangelo. And the Blues as you remember from the playoffs petro went down, no one was there to carry the load.. Shattenkirk could not handle it by himself. Figuring that Jason Garrison signed 6 years 4.7/year. Figuring carle will recieve 4 years about 4.9/ year.. Now carle will most likely wait till suter goes. The blues do have ...
The Blues need someone to pair up with pietrangelo. And the Blues as you remember from the playoffs petro went down, no one was there to carry the load.. Shattenkirk could not handle it by himself. Figuring that Jason Garrison signed 6 years 4.7/year. Figuring carle will recieve 4 years about 4.9/ year.. Now carle will most likely wait till suter goes. The blues do have ...
The Blues need someone to pair up with pietrangelo. And the Blues as you remember from the playoffs petro went down, no one was there to carry the load.. Shattenkirk could not handle it by himself. Figuring that Jason Garrison signed 6 years 4.7/year. Figuring carle will recieve 4 years about 4.9/ year.. Now carle will most likely wait till suter goes. The blues do have ...
The Blues need someone to pair up with pietrangelo. And the Blues as you remember from the playoffs petro went down, no one was there to carry the load.. Shattenkirk could not handle it by himself. Figuring that Jason Garrison signed 6 years 4.7/year. Figuring carle will recieve 4 years about 4.9/ year.. Now carle will most likely wait till suter goes. The blues do have ...
The Blues need someone to pair up with pietrangelo. And the Blues as you remember from the playoffs petro went down, no one was there to carry the load.. Shattenkirk could not handle it by himself. Figuring that Jason Garrison signed 6 years 4.7/year. Figuring carle will recieve 4 years about 4.9/ year.. Now carle will most likely wait till suter goes. The blues do have ...
The Blues need someone to pair up with pietrangelo. And the Blues as you remember from the playoffs petro went down, no one was there to carry the load.. Shattenkirk could not handle it by himself. Figuring that Jason Garrison signed 6 years 4.7/year. Figuring carle will recieve 4 years about 4.9/ year.. Now carle will most likely wait till suter goes. The blues do have ...
[b]For everything hockey - 24/7 news updates, scores, humour, blogs, and everything else in between, please follow me on twitter at https://twitter.com/DailyNHLGrind.[/b]
LINK TO PART ONE: [url]http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=13838&user_id=131735[/url]
LINK TO PART TWO: [url]http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=131735&post_id=13858[/url]
[b...
With the St. Louis Blues home opener scheduled for less than a month away, we, as Blues fans, should be waiting for the NHL premiere of Vladimir Tarasenko and the proud moment when we get to lift a championship banner to the rafters, but instead Vladi is in Russia and the banner is probably getting hung up without a celebration.
So, what is there to do during the lockou...
Last night, the Phoenix Coyotes played against the St. Louis Blues in their second game in as many nights. After losing to Anaheim 2-0 the previous game, the Yotes were looking to have a solid rebound game against a banged up Blues squad. Unfortunately for Coyotes fans, the Blues had their way with the Coyotes last night. The final was 6-3, but it wasn’t even that close ...
The Sabres should look into a trade with the St.Louis Blues. The Blues have alot of young great talent, both on offense and defense. They also hav alot of players who will be restricted free agents after the season, while the Sabres have some assets that the Blues could use for a deep playoff run this year. Darcy should look into a trade that sends [u][u]Stafford and Re...
Chris Stewart plays the game with power and finesse. Often when talking about a particular player it is custom to make a comparison in order to paint a clearer picture. No two players are alike, but if comparisons are a must, Chris Stewart’s game resembles that of Cam Neely, Todd Bertuzzi and Jarome Iginla.
The big righty with good hands and a great shot can score. It...
This is a plea to the supporters of all the teams trailing in their series. rnInstead of saying we just stayed alive in the series, it should be: our team forces game 6, game 7. Instead of struggling to keep up with the other team, it should be: our team is about to exploit their weaknesses. Instead of blaming and focusing on a single mistake, it should be our responsibil...
Hey all, my first blog post here and I'll be covering the St. Louis Blues. Looking forward to writing blogs and connecting with people on this website!
If the playoffs taught us anything, it's that the Blues are sorely lacking in the offensive department. 10 goals in 6 games is simply unacceptable if we want to make a deep cup run in the future. Yes, I do realize Quick ...
Just going to make an update about several Blues related topics.
- Looks like Adam Cracknell has been signed to a 1 year contract worth 600k. Well deserved for him, the CPR line was a treat to watch down the stretch, and I'm more than happy to be able to see Cracknell back in the note in October. He knows how to use his body to shield the puck, and can lay out devastati...
Since the Blues season ended a while back I've been meaning to make a blog about grading each players performances. I will be taking into account the regular season as well as the playoffs. Today will be the forwards, and the other half will be the D and goalies.
[b]Forwards:[/b]
[b]David Backes: B-[/b]
There's no denying that Backes had a down year, managing only ...
Going into the offseason, the St. Louis Blues are in an interesting position. They have a few key RFA's they need to get signed. Beyond that, it will be tough for them to improve the team, and likely they will go into next season hoping that the maturing of their young players combined with Ken Hitchcock getting his first shot at a full training camp and season with the te...
Patrick Berglund has agreed to a 1 year contract in principle at $3.25 million. He will still be an RFA after the contract is up.
My thoughts on this deal? No complaints.
Berglund is an enigma of sorts, he has the ability to be an immovable tank or just simply a ghost. Berglund's tenure thus far in the note has been a rollercoaster ride, literally. Coming off a bril...
The St. Louis Blues entered the 2013 NHL Entry Draft with 6 picks. They left with 4 thanks to a couple moves by Doug Armstrong. Let's take a look at the prospects.
[b]Tommy Vannelli D (2nd round, 47th overall)[/b]
An interesting pick to say the least. Almost every Blues fan was praying for Armstrong to snag a center at this position, someone like John Hayden, Jimmy Lod...
GM Doug Armstrong and the Bluenote brass have done what they set out to do. No, they didn't sign the top 4 centers available to solidify the position where we diehards have placed this offseason blame, but they did address an obvious need. In the span of three days we (and yes I say we. At this point so much sorrow shared by such a large group of people can only be descri...
So Ek says Ken Hitchcock is willing to do whatever it takes to get Hank and Danny out of Vancouver. Not likely to happen but it's a fun thought. But for 2 players of their calibre, St.Louis WILL have to pay pretty heavily.
[u]IF[/u] it was to happen what is a fair price?
I for one have loved [b]Chris Stewart's [/b]game for a long time.
He fills that RW hole we ha...
I've been a Blues fan for a long time now and it ceases to amaze me at how little attention the team gets, both in local and national news.rnrnrnrnI realize that St. Louis isn't considered a major market, when it's compared to cities like New York or Pittsburgh, but what does a team have to do to get some respect. Right now, the Blues are at the top of the Central Divisio...
DavidCQuack writes...
St. Louis Blues at Columbus Blue Jackets Game Preview
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
[Note: I think it's too bad that one of the best teams in the league is currently without a blogger. Therefore, I took it upon myself to preview the Blues upcoming game. If you do not like it, feel free to let me know in the comments section and I will not post anymore. Thanks for reading]
On Saturday night the St. Louis Blues (21-6-3) will travel to Columbus to take on...
30 games into the season, the St. Louis Blues are 21-6-3, a record that most fans would be proud of. However, the Blues have struggled recently, particularly against teams in the California district. The Blues are 0-4 against these teams, with 2 losses to the Sharks, and 1 each to the Kings and Ducks. If the Blues want to finally make some noise in the postseason, they're ...
30 games into the season, the St. Louis Blues are 21-6-3, a record that most fans would be proud of. However, the Blues have struggled recently, particularly against teams in the California district. The Blues are 0-4 against these teams, with 2 losses to the Sharks, and 1 each to the Kings and Ducks. If the Blues want to finally make some noise in the postseason, they're ...
Friday, February 28, 2014 (or March 28, 2014 if you read the Buffalo News), marked the end of an era in Buffalo. It was an era that a lot of people didn’t necessarily want to see end, but we knew was coming, even if we didn’t want to admit it.
[b]Ryan Miller, is no longer the goalie for the Buffalo Sabres. [/b]
Miller has been haunted by trade rumors for the pas...
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Ryan_Miller_skating_2011-10-15.JPG[/img]rn[img]http://twopadstack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/nhl_g_miller01jr_576x324.jpg[/img]rnrnrnrnRyan Miller has a reputation of being an all-star goaltender, and was part of a trade this year that sent him from Buffalo to St. Louis. St. Louis wanted better goaltending in an ...
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Ryan_Miller_skating_2011-10-15.JPG[/img]rnrn[img]http://twopadstack.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/nhl_g_miller01jr_576x324.jpg[/img]rnrnrnRyan Miller has a reputation of being an all-star goaltender, and was part of a trade this year that sent him from Buffalo to St. Louis. St. Louis wanted better goaltending in an ...
Welcome to the National Hockey League! Where our inconsistencies make our league a laughing stock in sports!
The NHL are up to their usual antics of throwing random suspensions at players for their illegal actions during hockey games. It has been a reoccurring event for the NHL to be doing this ever since the Department of Player Safety was created.
The latest string...
Are Blues fans and the Blues organization read to put a lot of faith in Jake Allen to take the reins and try and lead the team to the holy grail?
Allen has been paying his dues in the AHL since 2010 while enjoying a successful February 2013 with the Blues. He's been a good organizational team player and seems ready to be given a bigger opportunity. I hope he is able t...
DirtyPierre writes...
Spezza to Blues, Kessler to Ducks and Thornton Options FTW
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Spezza will be on the St. Louis Blues for next season. Look for a return of Derek Roy and a 2nd round draft pick with a prospect in return. Spezza will fit in extremely well with the offense in St. Louis.
Kessler is in the cross hairs of Anaheim, and the Ducks wont let any other team snag him without having a good back door plan to add forward with heavy fire power.
...
While it may not have been The Curious Case of Vladimir Sobotka, the closing of t he Roman Polak Door in St. Louis sure does appear to very curious, at least on the surface. While most hockey pundits had speculated about the Blues wanting to get tougher on the blue line this offseason, the Blues traded away one of their toughest blueliners for another puck moving, transit...
After the 2014 NHL Trade Deadline a lot of people (including myself) considered the St. Louis Blues to be favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately their run in the playoffs didn’t even last one round thanks to their division rival Chicago Blackhawks.
The team finished sixth in goals scored during the regular season and with the loss of Ryan Miller, GM Doug Ar...
stljam writes...
Brian Elliott is Rodney Dangerfield, he gets no respect
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Around a month ago, Blues coach Ken Hitchcock anointed Brian Elliott as the incumbent. It "is Brian's job, he's earned the right, he's improved every year, he's waited patiently...it's his turn." He further commented that "this is the first time Brian gets to carry the ball for a little while and I think you're going to see Brian play better because he knows he's going to ...
Re-posted to fix the formatting issues...
Many around St. Louis are scratching their heads regarding the defection of Vladimir Sobotka to Omsk of the KHL. While I won't claim to have seen this moving coming from a mile away, I can't understand why people are so surprised when they look at the situation from both sides' perspectives.
[b]The Sobotka Perspective:[/b] I...
stljam writes...
If a tie is kissing your sister, shootout loss points are...
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
If a tie is like kissing your sister, then the points awarded for shootout losses seem like a consolation or attendance prize. I realize that the shootout is here to say. The league loves it. Casual fans love it. Traditional fans stand to watch it. Blah. Blah. Blah. I have resigned myself to accepting that the shootout is here to stay.
One of the things that I don't ...
[b]Follow me on Twitter @DailyNHLGrind[/b]
[b]A Glance Back[/b]
Looking back, it’s insane to think that this division didn’t win the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks were amazing, the Blues were great, and the Avalanche were simply fantastic. They actually stole the title from St. Louis during the final days of the season.
Patrick Roy got the best out of pretty muc...
[b]Please follow me at https://twitter.com/DailyNHLGrind[/b]
The Western Conference also boasts a few good names still left unsigned. Jaden Schwartz headlines the group that includes a goalie that won a couple playoffs games this year and a young winger that scored a series-winning goal. The rest of the group all gained playoff experience except for the young Predators ...
As the St. Louis Blues training camp starts, I think we can all agree that, barring an injury situation, the Blues will carry 2 goalies, 7 defensemen, and 14 forwards on the 23 man roster. So who will those seven be?
You have to think there are six complete locks barring a trade with those being right handers Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk along with left hande...
stljam writes...
With the D list partly cloudy, the F roster is densely foggy
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
As I discussed in my prior blog, the picture for the Blues defensive corps for 2014-15 is fairly clear with Cole, Prosser and Butler fighting to sort out the scraps unless there are injuries or trades. The forward picture is a lot more crowded and a lot less clear with likely only fourteen roster spots available. Some might argue there are nineteen NHL capable or soon to...
Holy Crap! What is with all of these Restricted Free Agents missing their teams training camps because of contract disputes?!?! Torey Krug, Rielly Smith, Cody Eakin, Brendan Dillon, Ryan Ellis, Jaden Schwartz, and perhaps the biggest name in the group Ryan Johansen. All seven of these players are still negotiating new contracts with their clubs in September after becoming ...
In a bit of a pattern developing in the preseason, the Blues didn't start playing at the drop of the puck and couldn't fully recover. They came out flat and allowed the first four goals to Columbus and came up a short at the end.
On the first goal, the puck almost gets out of the Blues zone but gets held at the line and Oshie's back side pressure on Nick Foligno isn't ...
Just a few quick hits for you Blues fans. It appears Chris Butler and Colin Fraser cleared waivers and that Brian Elliott will start tonight at the Scottrade and get two out of the last three preseason games.
Per JR, here is tonight's expected lineup:
Berglund - Backes - Oshie
Steen - Stastny - Lindstrom
Fabbri - Lehtera - Tarasenko
Mueller - Jaskin - Paajarvi (the...
The Blues came out strong in the first period, outplaying and outshooting the Hurricanes fourteen to six in the first period with little to show for it. Even with their strong play, they were unable to get a puck past stingy netminder Cam Ward. They were however rewarded at the end of the period with Vladimir Tarasenko and David Backes drawing penalties, allowing them to...
FINAL UPDATE - The events and outcome of the game last night mattered little in perspective as a 34 year old female fan lost her life at the arena shortly after the game. According to various reports, she fell off a second floor escalator. I hope you will all keep her family, friends, and the other fans and Scottrade employees that witnessed this tragic event in your th...
Update 1:18 pm
Reports are that Butler, Lindbohm and Jaskin have been assigned to Chicago and Fabbri back to juniors. I am trying to research how Lindbohm can go as it was my understanding that his Finland contract only had an NHL roster out. More to come on that front. JR is saying that Lindbohm choose to go to Chicago over Finland because he was told that he was c...
ETA: I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of our friends and relatives in Canada a wonderful Thanksgiving. Those of us here in the US are happy to have you as neighbors.
Original: The Flames couldn't handle the Blues Saturday night and showed their youth and inexperience with numerous fumbled pucks and chances.
The Blues jumped out to an early lead ...
Update to add JR's projected lineup.
Just a quick hit for you all in case it wasn't posted around.
According to Canucks.com - Although an official announcement was not made, the early indications after yesterday's optional practice suggested that Miller would get the call for tonight's tilt.
With Miller in net, I really am disappointed I can't attend tonight's g...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs Still Can’t Solve The Overtime Period, Steal a Point in
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
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The Avs remained winless both in overtime and in divisional play Saturday night when they lost a shootout to the St. Louis Blues. The Blues skated away with a 3-2 victory after holding a 2-0 lead early in the third period.
The Avs used their power play to tie the game before the third period even went to ...
In the era of the salary cap, a GM can't be judged based only on his players performance, sans them winning the organization a Stanley cup. Rather, each player selection whether it be via draft, trade or free agency, is judged based on the players performance relative to their own contract, to their peers and their contracts, and to the overall market place throughout the...
Although this is an exciting year for the St. Louis Blues with the emergence of an up and coming star in Vladimir Tarasenko, the core of the gritty hockey club seems to still produce average offensive numbers. ...
AarifDeen writes...
Avs and Blues put on a show, Oshie wins it in Overtime
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
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Paul Stastny made his long awaited return to the Pepsi Center to play his former team tonight and came away with a victory after the Blues defeated Colorado 3-2 in overtime. The centerman signed a 4-year $28 million contract with St. Louis after spending eight years as an Av.
Stastny however was not a fac...
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The Avalanche is back at .500 in time for the Christmas holidays. Colorado scored early and often as they shut out the Blues 5-0 Tuesday night in Denver. Semyon Varlamov returned after missing six games with a groin injury and recorded his second shutout of the season.
“It’s a big win for us. You know...
The Christmas break has had me thinking a lot about where this Blues team stands after 34 games. The 3-game losing streak was ugly. They gave away points like a 3-button coat at the Salvation Army. The 5-0 drubbing in Colorado was the icing on the cake.
I agree that this team is getting complacent, but every Blues fan has seen this before, many years now. These are the ...
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Tonight may very well go down as the final meeting ever between two NHL greats—Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur. With one of them a coach and the other nearing the end of his career as a player, Roy and Brodeur’s storied rivalry will go down as one of the best between two goaltenders in NHL history. Tonigh...
The Penguins got a huge win Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues, one of the best teams in the National Hockey League. Pittsburgh won 4-2 on two goals from forward Blake Comeau, who, along with all other Pens forwards, was playing with a different line. Comeau played with Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz on the second line, and they were clearly the most productive lin...
The Penguins came up with a huge non-conference win against St. Louis Saturday. The top reason for the convincing victory was some line shuffling by coach Mike Johnston. Pittsburgh needed a boost on offense after failing to win in four straight games despite stellar performances from goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. They got the boost with the reformed lines.
On line one, ...
stljam writes...
Blues look to continue taking advantage of friendly Canada
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
As the Blues travel east through Canada, they look to add to their 7-3-1 record against Canadien teams, including a 3-1-0 road record in Canada. They also hope to add to the Oilers two game home losing streak
While the Oilers have improved in the last 10 games, it's like saying your kid improved in school by going from a 45% on their first test to a 55% on their second...
The Blues continued recent trends in their 2 -1 victory over the host Edmonton Oilers, winning their second road game in a row on Canadian soil and handing the Oilers their third straight home loss. it also kept Elliott undefeated against Canadian teams this year.
In the victory, the Blues failed to score more than two goals yet again even though they were facing an Oi...
Thursday night the Blues head to the city of brotherly love to take on the Flyers. This is a precursor for next Thursday's tilt at the Scottrade Center. The Flyers have been strong ta home posting a record of 18-8-6 while the Blues have been extremely strong on the road going 18-10-3 and finding ways to salvage points like the game in Vancouver.
Both teams have been...
ETA - All of the trends continued with Steen getting three helpers, Oshie a goal and an assist and Backes with a goal and the Blues winning yet another game against a Canadian team.
After struggling in the city of brotherly love on Thursday, the Blues look to right the ship in the friendly confines of Canada. They hope to improve on their 8-3-1 overall and 4-1 road rec...
HarrisonHamm writes...
Steen scores OT winner as Blues beat Penguins 3-2
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Despite the solid play of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins’ much better play in this game than in other recent games, the Pens failed to pull off a victory at home against the Blues. They had a 2-0 lead at 8:58 of the second period, but two former Pens negated that advantage.
After Steve Downie’s goal made it 2-0 midway through the second period, Blues ...
Reddevil45 writes...
St.Louis Blues against Minnesota Wild: Series Prediction
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
One of the biggest storylines of the season is the Minnesota Wild and Devan Dubnyk who will be facing off against Central Division leaders the St. Louis Blues. Dubnyk (.936Sv%, 178GAA with the Wild) started 39 out of the Wild’s last 40 games of the season. He took the Wild from miles out of the playoffs into clinching the top wild card spot in the West. Many thought Dubn...
rebel_deucer writes...
2015-2016 Early Playoff Predictions & Cup Champ
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
For the fun as the season has had several changes here are my early predictions.
NHL Atlantic Division:
rn1: Tampa Bayrn
2: Montrealrn
3: Detroitrn
4: Floridarn
5: Bostonrn
6: Ottawarn
7: Buffalorn
8: Torontorn
I predict a dog fight between Montreal and Tampa, Tampa will emergeduring the season, with Detroit not far behind as the quality is still there despite ne...
In this article, I will outline which teams I believe will ice the top special team's index's this upcoming season. For those who are unsure what a special team index is; It is a number developed by adding both the PK% and the PP% of a specific team. As a reference point, last season the St. Louis Blues had the best index at 106, while the Sabres posted the worst index a...
[b]Update 2[/b]: STL Post Distpatch's Tom Timmermann is reporting that the Blues signed Scottie Upshall today to a two-way deal and that the Blues are interested in a deal with Gomez (ugh). NOTE that this leaves the Blues with 14 forwards INCLUDING Berglund who by all accounts has not been placed on Injured Reserve as of yet but he will be. Infer what you will but this a...
The Blues start a very tough road trip (6 games in 10 days) by heading to Minnesota, hoping to begin avenging last seasons playoff loss and to begin asserting their dominance in the Central division. While the Blues and Wild split the regular season last year, the Blues fell to the Wild in 6 games in the first round of the playoffs.
In past regular seasons, the Blues h...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Game No. 19- Columbus Blue Jackets v. St. Louis BlueS
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
What a battle of opposites tonight in Columbus. The rested Blue Jackets are battling the fatigued St. Louis Blues. The Jackets are on a roll, winning two in a row. The Blues are just coming off a win against the Winnipeg Jets last night.
This is the first time these teams are meeting this season, and the Blues made a couple interesting moves in the summer. They sur...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Post-Game No. 19- The Young Streak Continues
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
What a victory for the home team last night. The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the St. Louis Blues by a final score of 3-1. This improved the Jackets record to 7-12-0. The Blues record sticks at 11-8-0.
For the Blues, their only goal scorer was Kevin Shattenkirk. Other players that got points include Magnus Paajarvi and Dmitri Jaskin. My player to watch, Colton Pa...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Post-Game No. 19- The Young Streak Continues
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
What a victory for the home team last night. The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the St. Louis Blues by a final score of 3-1. This improved the Jackets record to 7-12-0. The Blues record sticks at 12-6-1.
For the Blues, their only goal scorer was Kevin Shattenkirk. Other players that got points include Magnus Paajarvi and Dmitri Jaskin. My player to watch, Colton Pa...
stljam writes...
Blues vs. Carolina Hurricanes - 1/14/16 game day preview
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Blues vs. Carolina Hurricanes - 1/14/16 game day preview
The Blues continue their home stand against their second consecutive Eastern conference team when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes at the Scottrade Center at 7pm tonight. The Hurricanes come in on a hot streak, winners of their last 3 games and taking points in 8 of their last team. Even with the hot streak...
Most, if not all, will pick the Blues to advance to the Western Conference Finals. It's going to be tough for the boys in Victory green but not impossible. Here are 5 reasons I'd put my money on Dallas.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
This Is A Trade Idea That I've Come Up with.
To Blackhawks - Alex Pietrangelo
To Blues - Jonathan Toews
Toews Is great defensively, but not as defensive as Pietrangelo. The Blackhawks need defence, so they can get Defence, and i'm sure they're not Happy about his salary. Toews struggled this year, so with a fresh start, i think he can do better than he did this year...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Split-Squad: Columbus Blue Jackets v. St. Louis Blues
Posted Monday | Comments 0
Preseason hockey has arrived to the hockey world. For the Blue Jackets, they play a split squad matchup against the St. Louis Blues.
Since it's the first games, I will let you guys know who the Blues added, lost, and who is on PTOs before getting into the lineups, so you guys know whose there.
The Blues lost veteran players in Steve Ott (DET); Troy Brouwer (CGY); A...
Over the weekend, the Edmonton Oilers have traded former a number one overall pick in exchange for a minor league prospect and a conditional draft pick, continue the question of what is going on in Edmonton.
Sticking with what recently happened, Russian winger Nail Yaukpov has been dealt to the St. Louis in exchange for center Zach Poricho and a conditional 2017 3rd ro...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Game No 10- Columbus Blue Jackets @ St. Louis Blues
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
The Columbus Blue Jackets are at the Scottrade Center to battle the St. Louis Blues. Both teams are in different spectrums of direction. The Jackets have won their last three; the Blues lost their last two. The Jackets are also on the end of a back to back series, where the Blues are starting.
The Blues and Blue Jackets played in the preseason under split squad circums...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Post Game Lucky No. 13- Home Domination Double Up
Posted Monday | Comments 0
The Columbus Blue Jackets offensive success continues on a 8-4 onslaught against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
The Jackets opened the scoring in the first period on a behind the net play from Lukas Sedlak. The AHL breakout was able to get to the puck first on a dump and chase play, got it to Scott Hartnell, who got it to the eventual scorer Sam Gagner, who cam...
It was the type of atmosphere, that the Isles had in the first and second rounds of the playoffs last year, and they did not let down their fans. The Isles advanced to 4-0-1 in in their last 5 games and starting to play like a playoff team. In the 5 game point streak the Isles went from 6-10-4 to 10-10-5 making their presence felt in the league again.
The day started o...
INSIDEEDGEHOCKE writes...
The Instigator |Episode 16 1,260,162 Thank You’s to the NHL
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Instigator |Episode 16
1,260,162 Thank You’s to the NHL
Well the wildly overpaid goon for the Washington Capitals is back at it again, but this time the National Hockey League makes him pay for it. In the Capitals final preseason game, forward Tom Wilson landed a vicious head shot on St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist. The was needless and extremely danger...
As I listened to the broadcast last night, then watched the game when I arrived home. I feel that aside from the obvious exhaustion due to the game frequency, as well as players playing above there slotting, the ref's have too much influence on the game. While I delve deeper into these thoughts. I am going to go into the game killing, momentum changing Patrick Maroon...
If there is one thing that adds some excitement to the NHL season, it would be fantasy hockey. Going head to head against friends, colleagues, family and random hockey minds across the globe is certainly something that brings me joy. It always helps to add to the excitement by being successful and taking care of business week in, week out and eventually claiming the top ...
One of the most exciting moves of this pre-draft weekend is the one that never happened. Outlets far and wide reported that the St. Louis Blues would be receiving, from the Philadelphia Flyers, 31 year old center Kevin Hayes and 27 year old defenseman Travis Sanheim as well as salary retention in exchange for a late first round pick and a blue liner. By late Saturday afte...
ST. LOUIS –One of the most exciting moves of the 2023 pre-draft weekend was the one that never happened. Outlets far and wide reported that the St. Louis Blues would be receiving, from the Philadelphia Flyers, 31-year-old center Kevin Hayes and 27-year-old defenseman Travis Sanheim as well as salary retention in exchange for a late first round pick and a blue liner. By ...