St Louis Blues Blog Posts

Bring on the Rivermen

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:39:02 EST

120:52 is an eternity for the St. Louis Blues.

That is how long it has been since the team has lit the lamp, which occurred on October 28th in North Carolina when David Perron added an empty-net goal to seal a 5-2 Blues victory. The celebration did not seem to last long.

The next night, the Blues threw 32 shots at Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, who stopped every single one in a 2-0 blanking of the Blues. Long-time Blues-killer Tomas Vokoun displayed a similar achievement two nights later in a 34-save effort en route to the Panthers snubbing the Blues 4-0 at Scottrade Center. Being shutout two games in a row is not something that Head Coach Andy Murray has expected out of his club.

"All losses look bad," Murray said after the Florida game. "Again, we're down 2-0 in the first period and we're having such a tough time scoring ourselves, and yet we give up two easy goals; very poor coverage decisions in our end and it's 1-0. Again, another goal with poor coverage decisions."

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Blues Early Season News and Notes

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:32:46 EDT

Only 3 games into the season, the Blues have plenty to talk about. So lets get started...

Defenseman Barret Jackman sprains ankle; goes on IR (per Jeremy Rutherford).

Jackman will have to miss at least seven days, according to NHL injury reserve stipulations. The Blues have claimed that this injury is “week to week.” Jackman was a -1 to start the season, while posting 2 assists.

The silver lining from this injury is that Alex Pietrangelo will see some playing time with the big club. He has been a healthy scratch the past three games, but showed promise in the pre-season. He is expected to play alongside veteran Darryl Sydor in his season debut.

Forward D.J. King assigned to Peoria of the AHL for reconditioning.

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The Official 2009-10 NHL Hockey Online St Louis Blues Preview Part II

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:00:47 EDT

The offensive side of the red line is not the one that aged Blues fans may be used to.

The days of Adam Oates or Pierre Turgeon are over in St. Louis. It is hard to find which Blue may stand out from the rest, much like the start of last season. Brad Boyes and David Backes took that spot over with relative ease during the Blues' amazing playoff run.

Boyes, the Blues goal-scoring leader from 2007-08, picked up where he left off last season when he notched 33 goals and 72 points to lead the team. The 27-year old right-winger has the ability to get open more often than not and can one-time the puck as good as anyone else on the team. If Boyes is going to be a point-leader yet again, he is going to have to hit the net more often and continue to utilize his hard shot. Being in the prime of his career, the former Bruin still has to prove he is a number one forward in the NHL

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The Official 2009-10 NHL Hockey Online St Louis Blues Preview Part I

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:56:23 EDT

What do you get when you mix a group of wily veterans, rising young stars and surprise goaltending? No, this is not a joke that you heard while playing cards with your grandpa. The answer is the St. Louis Blues.

After a fantastic finish to 2008-09 and a dismal performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Blues are ready for another playoff push this upcoming season. The Blues finished last season with an NHL-best second half record of 25-9-7, which catapulted them from the cellar to the sixth seed in the playoffs. But that was then and this is now.

The biggest part of that run was goaltender Chris Mason. After being acquired last summer to back-up reigning all-star Manny Legace, Mason took over the job in early February and held an outstanding 21-7-5 record through the rest of the season. Mason has just one more year left on his contract, so he has to prove in 2009-10 that he deserves the starting job in St. Louis in order to be rewarded with a new contract.

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Inter-League Game Could Spell Bad News for NHL

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:06:34 EDT

Could an exhibition game really give bad publicity to a major North-American sports league?

The NHL has constantly been trying to show that their league is the best to the public all over the world. For the past few seasons, the league has sent four of their teams overseas to play in places such as Germany, Sweden and England. The teams usually open the NHL regular season a week early, playing two games in the country that they were designated. This season the league has decided to send the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings to Sweden, and the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers to Finland. Not only are these teams playing each other, but they will see time against some of the best teams of the chosen nation in pre-season play.

Why is this a possible threat to the league? The NHL holds themselves as the greatest hockey league in the world with the most powerful teams and the best players. There is almost no way of disputing that prestigious honor as long as the teams are playing against each other all the time and do not allow any outside teams to jeopardize that point. Allowing other teams from other leagues could harm the reputation of the NHL.

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Misprint Still has St Louis Buzzing

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:27:51 EDT

It's funny how one mistake on an online publication can put a few thousand people in an uproar.

“Phil Kessel Traded to Blues” was the headline on a story without any subtext included with it on Thursday evening. The New England Hockey Journal, a well-respected hockey website, posted this error that sent the fans of the Bruins and Blues into a state of panic. Bruins fans were terrified that they did not get a decent return while Blues fans were anxious over who had to be traded. Online hockey message boards lit up with questions on how the deal went down and when the teams were going to officially announce the news. The media bonanza even made it as far as ESPN.com when they posted “Rumors: P. Kessel maybe headed to Blues.”

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Oh Those Summer Blues

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:18:00 EDT

Late July is always the time of year that weighs down on hockey fans. The Stanley Cup has been handed out, the Entry Draft is over and free-agency is pretty much at a standstill. It always brings in all of those questions regarding if the team has improved or regressed. Blues fans always have the same question on their mind almost more than any other teams' fans: When will it be our turn?

Blues media kept fans on the edge of their seats early this summer when there were constant talks of Chris Pronger returning to the blue and gold. Those discussions came to a crashing halt on the first day of the NHL Entry Draft when he was shipped from Anaheim to Philadelphia in the first blockbuster deal of the summer. Draft day was still exciting for the Blues though, when they selected defenseman David Rundblad at 17th overall in the first round. Rundblad is known for his smooth skating ability and offensive instincts, but worries some scouts with his defensive lapses at times. The Swedish defenseman reminds many scouts, including the Blues' Director of Amateur Scouting Jarmo Kekalainen, of Mike Green from Washington. It will take a few seasons to see that progression though.

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All-Star Preview Among Other Topics

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:45:14 EDT

1. Tonight’s the Home Run Derby. I’m heading down there later to soak up some of the atmosphere and to see if I can get close enough to Clark Street to maybe grab a ball. Albert Pujols has come close to hitting it out of the park in regulation play, so he might have a shot when he’s being grooved pitches. That being said, I’m a little worried about him heading into this competitive batting practice extravaganza.

Pujols had minor surgery on his elbow this year that will eventually need reconstructive surgery. Pujols is in the midst of his best home run hitting season in his already extraordinary career. Would it be cool to see him win the derby in his home stadium? Of course. But I’d much rather see him get to the 50 home run plateau for the first time, which could also propel the Cardinals to their first postseason berth since they want it all in 2006. Colby Rasmus and Ryan Ludwick are both starting to get into grooves. If Pujols goes down, those performances disappear faster than Mark McGwire at a press conference. That’s not to take anything away from either player, but if pitchers can be more careful with them, they’ll make fewer mistakes. Fewer mistakes will equal lower production and it will trickle down through the rest of the already struggling lineup.

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The Blues fill a big need look to sure up roster

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:19:48 EDT

The Blues have done well this offseason to retain key pieces of last year’s team such as Keith Tkachuk, Jay McClemment, Brad Winchester, and Mike Weaver. I personally didn’t see Weaver coming back, not because of his lack of performance, but because I didn’t think that the Blues would have room for him on their roster. That changed once the team decided to buyout the final year of Jay McKee’s contract. The Blues now have Weaver, Erik Johnson, Carlo Coliacavo, Eric Brewer, and Barret Jackman locked up for next year. They also have a qualifying offer on the table to Roman Polak who is apparently expecting some massive contract offer from the Blues, but the team isn’t biting. The club would probably be willing to pay him more than just the qualifying offer they gave him, but they’re not going to overpay for a guy who’s just a supporting player, albeit a solid one.

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Blues Sign Ty Conklin to 2-Year 26 Million Contract

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:55:28 EDT

Blues fans have been asking about a back-up goalie for starter Chris Mason. Ask and ye shall receive.

The Blues got a fantastic run out of starter Chris Mason last season, as he was the driving force for the Blues' run to the playoffs. The Blues sent former starter Manny Legace to Peoria of the AHL in February, which left the back-up role a question mark. Until now.

Ty Conklin, a 33-year old out of Alaska, was back-up to the Detroit Red Wings last season. He witnessed his starter Chris Osgood have an up and down season, seeing many spot starts and extended starts. His final record on the season was 25-11-2 with a .910 save percentage. Conklin has seen time with Edmonton, Columbus, Buffalo Pittsburgh and Detroit.

While the Blues did answer their question of who will back-up Mason, this was not the best back-up available in the free-agency market. Scott Clemmensen, a very capable NHL goaltender who stood in for Martin Brodeur last season, was available. He is coming off of a 25-13-1 season, accompanied with a .917 save percentage.

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