Blue Notes

Five Keys to Playoff Success

2014-04-15T18:23:00.000-05:00

Jaybo, Backes, and Pietro must be prime playoff performers.

Well, here we are again. Another spring, another improbable journey that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs lies ahead of the St. Louis Blues. The first step in that journey: beating their most hated rivals and defending Stanley Cup Champions, Chicago Blackhawks.

Here are the five keys to the Blues hoisting the cup for the first time in franchise history:

The Defense. These guys have got to be a wall as well as a gateway. They have to keep the Blues defensive game in check and also provide some offense for a depleted forward group. Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester have got to be minute-munchers and play like the pairing that backed a defensive-minded Canadian team to Olympic gold. Shattenkirk must shake the demons of playoffs past and play great two-way hockey. Jackman and Polack have to avoid being over exposed, be warriors and minimize mistakes, while getting in the face of the opposition and shutting down their offense. Leopold, Colaiacovo, and Cole must step up when called upon. The Blues first step to the Cup starts with the backend.
Ryan Miller. Pretty simple: he’s got to be a deference- maker. Plain as can be.
Jaden Schwartz. A “Mr. Hockey” in the making. He is my pick to be the prime playoff performer in this lineup. With so many regulars down, he must continue his goal scoring ways and then some in the playoffs. He was arguably the Blues best forward last post-season. Now he has become a finisher, and for the Blues to finish on top, Schwartz has got to take control.
David Backes. He’s the leader, MVP, and heart and soul of this franchise that should be accepting his third Selke Trophy this summer. With all of the injuries, this is the one that the Blues can NOT afford to have extended into the playoffs. Backes must be in the lineup, making a difference, every shift, every game. He personifies what it means to wear the note.
Luck. It seems that in years past this has not been on the side of the Blues when it comes to the post-season. They’ll need a little to get through the playoffs and march down Market.

Thanks for reading and Let’s go Blues!

Western Conference Semifinals: Game 1

2012-04-30T08:05:00.000-05:00

Blues, Pietrangelo go down in game one.

Highlights:

How's This For Parity?

2012-04-27T14:07:00.000-05:00

You want parity in professional sports? Then look no further than the NHL.

The following list represents the seed number of all eight teams headed to the semifinals:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

That's right. The winners from both the Eastern and Western Conference Quarterfinals have no duplicates, that is, every seed is represented in the next round:

#1 New York (East)
#2 St. Louis (West)
#3 Phoenix (West)
#4 Nashville (West)
#5 Philadelphia (East)
#6 New Jersey (East)
#7 Washington (East)
#8 Los Angeles (West)

This is a shining tribute to the level of competition and parody in the NHL. There are no more favorites and anyone can win once they are in the playoffs.

Not only are the series tight, but the games themselves have been so far as well. The NHL set a first round record with 16 overtime games.

Nothing but fun and excitement left ahead in the playoffs!

No Tomorrow.

2012-04-26T09:16:00.001-05:00

The word around St. Louis from some is that the Blues' season has been a success: a division title, third in the NHL, and the first playoff series win in ten years.

Reading a forum on stltoday.com entitled "What do you consider a successful season for the Blues?", many suggested simply winning a playoff series was the goal and anything else is considered gravy.

I hope the players think like myself.

I believe, when you make the playoffs, anything else than raising the Stanley Cup is a failure.

With the Western Conference so wide open, why should the Blues not expect to reach hockey's holy grail? I'll be damned if I am going to watch Phoenix, Arizona or Nashville, Tennessee have a cup parade before us.

Not one team in the Western Conference has ever won the cup. In my opinion, the West is far and away the stronger conference even if the "experts" don't agree (Of course they picked the Pens and Canucks to win it all).

Looking at the East, not one team is strong defensively. There are no stand-out goalies like the West contains. Come Thursday, seeds five through eight could be all that are left. In my honest opinion, most of the Eastern Conference's elite would have struggled to even make the playoffs in the West.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. The West is were the Blues will really be tested. Nashville and St. Louis have to be the favorites to come out of their conference. Both have strong goaltending, play well defensively, and can score as needed.

Once again, let's not jump over Los Angeles, which will be a real test for the Blues. The number eight seed just took down Vancouver in a physical series where Jonathan Quick was lights-out.

Everyone around town is saying that Los Angeles and Nashville are scary match-ups for the Blues. I have news for you, they are all going to be scary from here on out, it's the Stanley Cup playoffs!

And why should the Blues be scared? To me, if I was another team, I would be afraid to face the Note:

a red-hot power play.
a red-hot McDonald (who has a history of being a red-hot playoff scorer on a cup-winner).
red-hot goaltending.
Great leadership, from the Captain to Vets like Langenbrunner, Arnott, and McDonald.
we've been good all season long, never faultering under Hitchcock.
Oh yeah, experienced coaching, who put in a system that has worked wonders and put belief in some underachieving players (See Oshie, Berglund). And...he's won a cup before.

I know I am looking through biased eyes while writing this, but to me, the Blues have to be favorites, especially if they can get out of the extremely tough Western Conference.

These opportunities are fleeting, fellow Blues fans, and our mantra does not need to be "We'll be good years to come, it's been a success, let's win it next year when we'll be even better." Look how tough the league is, look how tough the West is, and look how tough the Central is. You can bet that early exits by Detroit and Chicago are going to spark change in those organizations to make them competitive next season. Nashville will be back with virtual the same team, and Columbus will be on the rise someday.

The parody in the NHL is remarkable. A cup contender one year can miss the playoffs the next. There has not been a repeat cup winner since 1998 (Detroit). The Blues were poised in 2009 to break out and be a perennial playoff team. They missed the playoffs for the next two seasons.

There are no guarantees to make it to the playoffs, and once you're there the goal is to win the cup.

"Think how good we'll be next year" is a phrase Blues fans need to lose. The time is now. The opportunity is right in front of this team, and it is time they seize it and not hope for a better tomorrow. There should be no tomorrow in the locker room or the expectations.

July 6, 2011: The Day the Blues Became Contenders

2012-04-23T12:32:00.001-05:00

When the Blues power play struggled early on in the season, whose booming shot did they turn to to score on the PP?

Jason Arnott.

When the Blues needed a leader to provide energy and edge, who was there?

Jamie Langenbrunner.

When the Blues needed a big shift after giving up a goal, or just some good solid two-way hockey, who went on the ice?

Arnott and Langenbrunner.

When the Blues signed veterans Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner in the off-season, they put the pieces in place to be successful in the postseason.

Look no further than the clinching game 5 over the Sharks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals: The Sharks were in control, up 1-0 on the Blues who had generated little offense. The crowd at Scottrade was mute and preparing for a sixth game in San Jose.

But along came Langenbrunner, scoring a huge goal that set off a 45 second rally and propelled the Blues to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Langenbrunner has a history of scoring big goals in the playoffs, he is the active leader in playoff overtime goals and ranks third in playoff game-winning goals.

And Arnott? He only scored the game-winning overtime goal clinching the Stanley Cup for New Jersey in 2000.

For years the Blues have been a "bubble" team, poised to make the post season and take that next step. But lack of leadership and inexperience seemed to trump their talent, hard work, and potential season after season.

This off-season, Armstrong added Langenbrunner and Arnott on the same day with identical contracts. Both had been captains. Both had won the Stanley Cup.

Darren Pang Tweeted at the time: "These two signings are going to be significant for the development of players ready to take that next step."

It was not just significant for the development of players, but the development of a team as a contender.

Western Conference Quarterfinals: Game 5

2012-04-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

Highlights:

"Smile You Son of a ..." Time to Finish off the Sharks

2012-04-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

I've heard the golf courses in San Jose are nice. The Blues need to let the Sharks enjoy them next week.

This is the hardest one to win; the forth one. The Blues look to eliminate the Sharks tonight in front of a home crowd that will be rocking. With the series 3-1 in the Blues favor, Coach Hitchcock knows the importance of clinching as soon as possible. He talked before game four about wrapping up the series and not prolonging it for the players or extending travel time.

"I was in a lot of these [series] coming in and out of Dallas and they were not easy series. When it got to Game 5, 6, and 7 they were not easy for players, for coaches, for sleep patterns and they really impacted the next series."

Not to jump too far ahead, but Nashville has already clinched, and the other two Western Conference series stand at 3-1, with the Kings and Coyotes ready to move on as well. The Blues clinching in five will do wonders for rest and preparation for the next round.

Still, the Blues are not looking ahead and know that tonight's game will not be easy.

"We need to realize this next game is going to be the toughest one," Andy McDonald told stltoday.com. "If we don't play our best hockey, they're going to beat us."

Hitchcock added that the Blues are going to get the Sharks' "A-game. We know it. We just have to have an A-plus game."

There's blood in the water. Time for the Blues to clinch their first playoff series in ten years.

Western Conference Quarterfinals: Game 4 Highlights

2012-04-20T20:36:00.001-05:00

Western Conference Quarterfinals: Game 3 Highlights

2012-04-19T08:02:00.001-05:00

Won't Back Down

2012-04-16T11:04:00.000-05:00

The Blues showed their fortitude with a win Saturday night.

Some talking points about the series so far:

The Blues have been the better team in the first two games, but are tied 1-1 in the series. Will San Jose's experience help them or will the Blues learn fast and rely on veterans like Langs, Arnott, McDonald, and Jacks to show the way?
Elliot will play game three. Not sure of the extent of Halak's injury but what a job by Hitchcock keeping both netminders on their game late in the season. The Blues are one of the few teams that can put in their "backup" and not skip a beat. (Need I argue...improve?)
Look for game three to get fights out early, or late, or not at all. My guess, things will calm down due to both team's fear of going down by one in the series. I don't expect much carry over from game two.
Will the Blues win on the road in the playoffs?
Blues are easily winning the top two lines battle. (Backes V Thornton)
Look for T.J. Oshie to emerge as a playoff star. (Followed by Perron)

Let's Go Blues!

Game 2 Highlights:

Bring on the Sharks! But Who Will Hold the Net?

2012-04-08T11:02:00.001-05:00

The Blues finished the season with a victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. The Pacific division shuffled around and with a Vancouver win, the Blues were seeded second in the Western Conference. This means they will face the Sharks in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to begin Wednesday.

The NHL network will reveal the schedule live at noon today.

The Blues were 4-0 against the Sharks this season and have dominated them in recent years. But this is the post season and the Blues have not been at the top of their game of late while the Sharks have been on fire.

The Pacific division came down to the wire. The Coyotes won on the last game of the season (defeating the Blues a night before) to clinch the division and making the final game between the Kings and Sharks a battle for seventh and eighth place.

The Blues' final opponent, Dallas, was in first place in that division five games ago. Now their season is over, sitting in ninth place.

The Sharks had to battle to get into the playoffs and the Blues stumbled on their way in. A few days off should give them time to regroup, rest, and get back to the style that made them an elite team this year.

The time off will also give Hitchcock a chance to think about the roster. The forth line could be made of any number of players. The goaltending situation is a good thing, but no easy task to pick a starter for game one.

Could the NHL leader in GA and Save % be sitting the first game of the playoffs? It certainly appears so. Elliott did not get much support in his 4-1 loss against Phoenix, and his entire miraculous, best season by a goalie from start to finish that I have ever seen by a Blues goalie may be unfairly summed up by that loss.

On the other hand, Halak does have more playoff experience which includes that amazing run with Montreal two years ago. Of course, when he did that, he was a back-up goalie that out-shined the starter (sound familiar?)

Blues vs Red Wings, Tonight!

2012-04-04T15:07:00.002-05:00

Here's a little something to get us going...

We already know they have tremendous sex...

2012 "Because It's the Playoffs"

2012-04-02T22:36:00.000-05:00

Jon Hamm Loves the Blues

2012-03-25T18:08:00.003-05:00

With the long anticipated premiere of the hit show Mad Men, it's time to point out the Blues' number one celebrity fan.

"...I follow the Blues, they're my team..."
-Jon Hamm

John Hamm is not just a casual celebrity fan, he love da Blues. He even totes around that old hat that he remembers buying from the Kiel Center (who cares when the date was?).

He recently talked to Toranto.com about being such a big fan. He says that the team's success has given him some bragging rights against his on-screen fiancee from Mad Men, Jessica Pare`, a native of Montreal and avid Canadiens fan:

"It's non-stop hockey talk," said Hamm. "I'm from St. Louis, our Blues are doing very well this year, and I can lay into her beloved Canadiens."

I wonder how much Halak has come up in those conversations...

We've all seen those ads that Hamm did for the 2009 season, but here is an excellent interview where he talks about what hockey and the Blues have meant to him, and the fact that he considers hockey to be "the most immediate, exciting, fun sport on the planet." My thoughts exactly.

Good luck on the show Mr. Hamm, I'm a big fan. The show is fantastic!

Yahoo Video: Are the Blues the NHL's Best Team?

2012-03-19T17:50:00.000-05:00

Playoff Bound!

2012-03-17T21:46:00.000-05:00

The Blues become the first team in the NHL to clinch a playoff spot with their 100th point on the season.

With a 3-1 win at Tampa Bay Saturday night the Blues reached 100 points, and more importantly, clinched a playoff berth. They became the first team to reach those two milestones in the NHL. The New York Rangers are the next closest team with 95 points.

The game-winning goal came from Jaden Schwartz in his first NHL game. He became the 13th player in franchise history to score in his debut.

Schwartz got acclimated to the "loose Blues" in the warm up skate when the team had him lead them onto the ice, but they all stopped at the bench. Schwartz proceeded to the ice and did two laps alone while the rest of the guys got a good laugh from the tunnel.

Berglund opened the scoring with a short-handed goal in the first made possible by a fantastic set-up from Alex Pietrangelo. Perron added the third goal on a partial break. Halak made 22 saves.

Andy McDonald did not play and is "week to week" as Hitchcock puts it. David Backes left the game early with a foot injury, not great news.

Even with all the injuries, the Blues continue to win. They are surging and doing it on the road. All this is a great testament to the system that Hitchcock has sold to the team.

Blues Blanked by Canes

2012-03-16T22:30:00.000-05:00

Can't Hang on In Chicago

2012-03-14T23:10:00.000-05:00

May the Schwartz Be With Us

2012-03-12T16:44:00.001-05:00

Jaden Schwartz will join the Blues in Chicago.

The Blues were silent during the trade deadline mainly due to the ongoing ownership fiasco, but on Monday they added a player without giving up a thing. The Blues first round pick in 2010 and 14th overall, Jaden Schwartz has signed a three-year entry level contract. He will join the team in Chicago today and be available to play in Tuesday's game.

So the questions for fans to ponder become: Will he play? How much will he play? How big of a contribution is the team expecting from him down the stretch and into the playoffs? Can he make an impact? Who sits? (This is not a good sign for the return of Steen and D'agostini.)

The decision of how much Schwartz will contribute will be in the hands of his almighty, Ken Hitchcock.

"Ken knows hockey, does his research," Blues' GM Doug Armstrong said. "He will make those decisions."

By rule, a player who signs a contract this year has to play in the NHL, so Schwartz will not be shipped to the minors. He will be with the Note for the rest of the season.

Schwartz, 19, lead Colorado College with 41 points in 30 games. Their season came to a surprising end Saturday when they were upset by Michigan Tech in the WCHA playoffs.

More impressively, he was named the captain of team Canada's 2012 World Junior team. A rarity considering he was a college sophomore playing in the United States.

Armstong said that scouts were very impressed with Schwartz's play and thought he was ready for the NHL. Taking in the fact that the Blues are injury depleted, they felt that signing him was a benefit for the team.

There is a good chance Blues fans will see the NHL debut of Jaden Schwartz Tuesday in Chicago.

Que the jumbo tron:

Super Tuesday

2012-03-07T18:12:00.002-06:00

With Tuesday's convincing win against Chicago the Blues show they're Presidential contenders.

The Blues came back from a productive road trip to Scottrade on Tuesday. They beat the rival Blackhawks 5-1, outplaying them for 60 minutes. They are used to dominating teams on home ice, but the recent trip, where their record was 5-1, was very successful for several reasons: The Blues nabbed 10 of 12 points, they took over first place in the Central from the Red Wings, and they proved they can win on the road.

The Blues' special teams are also improving. On the trip they shut down the top four power plays: Edmonton, Nashville, Vancouver, and San Jose. On the other end, the Note's power play went 5-for-16.

The Blues are improving in most their trouble areas from earlier in the season, including getting plenty of offensive boost from the return of Andy McDonald.

They are running on all cylinders and there is no reason why they can not make a run at the President's Trophy. The hardware doesn't mean much, hopefully their minds are on a different piece of hardware, but the home ice advantage throughout the playoffs will mean a lot.

"It's hard not to look at the standings and see where we are," McDonald said. "It's exciting. we realize there is a lot of hard work left. More importantly, we have to make sure we're getting our game to a spot where we're ready for the playoffs and improving, not kind of coasting into the playoffs. We want to be playing at the top of our game."

If they continue playing at this pace, they may cruise into the playoffs atop the NHL.

Highlights:

Al MacInnis: Forever a Blue, Flame

2012-02-28T13:59:00.001-06:00

It is amazing to think that Al MacInnis produced more for a team than he did for the St. Louis Blues. But that may be the case for his time spent as a Calgary Flame.

MacInnis was inducted to the "Forever a Flame" program in Calgary Monday night. A banner with his picture and number 2 will forever hang above the rink where he started his career. He is the first to receive this great distinction.

MacInnis' Hall of Fame career spanned 23 seasons, 13 with Calgary and 10 with St. Louis. As a Flame he played 803 games, scored 213 goals, and amassed 609 assists which adds up to 1,274 points. He was an all-star eight times in Calgary. But his most lasting accomplishment came in the Flames 1989 run to the Stanley Cup, when the man they call "Chopper" lead the playoffs in scoring with 31 points, and captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. It marked the first time that a defenseman lead the NHL postseason in scoring. MacInnis considers winning the Cup in Calgary his "greatest hockey accomplishment in the NHL."

MacInnis was traded to St. Louis in the summer of 1994. In 613 games with the Blues he had 127 goals and 325 assists for 452 points. In 1999 he won his first and only Norris Trophy as the leagues best defenseman. He also won an Olympic gold medal with Canada in 2002. He announced his retirement in 2005 and took a job in the Blues front office as the vice president of hockey operations. His number 2 is retired and will forever hang in the rafters in St. Louis.

In his career he played in 1,406 games, scored 340 goals, and added 934 assists. He was elected into the hockey hall of fame in 2007.

John Kelly said, "in the history of the NHL he's got to be on the short list of all-time greatest defenseman." Joel Quenneville used to brag that MacInnis was one of the top five players to ever lace up the skates.

Growing up in St. Louis as a young defenseman in the 90's, I idolized Al MacInnis. I practiced my slap shot everyday to mimic Chopper. I took more pride in the way I handled the puck on the blue line after watching him. In school, I wrote a biography in English class detailing his wife. I clipped newspaper articles and have them to this day. I always looked back at his time spent in Calgary with jealousy, seeing pictures of him raising the cup. Although he was unable to lift the cup as a player, it would appear he can do it as a member of the Blues' front office.

It was a fantastic ceremony, and Calgary deserves to be proud. Do yourself a favor and watch it:

The Blues beat the Flames 3-1 in the game that followed. Jason Arnott scored 2 goals. It was their third straight road win:

This Date in Blues History: Blues Acquire Greatness

2012-02-27T20:04:00.000-06:00

On February 27, 1996 the Blues shook the hockey world as they announced the greatest player of all time would sport the note. Wayne Gretzky signed with buddy Brett Hull, and Shane Corson gladly handed over the "C" to welcome The Great One to town.

The excitement around St. Louis was amazing. I specifically remember feeling as if it was a dream. It was like a superhero had come down from the big screen to play for the Blues.

Gretzky scored in his first game wearing the Note. He played 18 games with the Blues that season, netting 8 goals and 13 assists for 21 points. No one knew at the time that that would be his career stats in St. Louis.

The Blues defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs. Next, they faced off against the President's Trophy winner Detroit Red Wings in a memorable seven game series. Chris Pronger, in an off-air sound bite, recalled an encounter early on in the series where Coach Mike Keenan came into the locker room and ripped everyone a new one including Gretzky, who decided then and there that he was not resigning in St. Louis:

Pronger recalls: "Thank f***ing God I wasn't on the ice, because I would have been blamed for it...We got spanked in that series, we lost the first game tight, 3-2, whatever, second game we got blown out 8-1, and it was like an NBC game, or whatever it was, and, oh my God, [coach Mike Keenan] came in and ripped everybody, tore Gretzky a new ass, and I'm sure he'd never had that happen before, and that was it, he was like, 'I'm not re-signing here, I'm done.' That was it. Mike showed up at his hotel that night- it was an afternoon game- that night showed up shitfaced at his room, he was staying at the Ritz in St. Louis..."-The break ends. It would be nice to know what Keenan said to him. He apparently apologized, but the damage was done.

That series ended with a puck being stolen from Gretzky at center ice, and the rest is one of the most famous goals in NHL history, but one of the worst moments in Blues' history.

What might have been? The Blues had 8 Hall of Famers on that 1996 team. If Hull and Gretzky would have played together for a few seasons many feel as if the Blues would have their Stanley Cup.

Amazing News Flashback (Remember when ESPN cared about hockey?)

Gretzky's First Goal as a Blue:

Health is on the Way

2012-02-16T13:58:00.001-06:00

Jason Arnott and Kent Huskins will return to the lineup tonight against the Islanders.

Both veterans are ready to go according to Head Coach Ken Hitchcock. Huskins will take Carlo Colaiacovo's spot, as he suffered from a wrist injury in practice Wednesday.

Arnott has been out since February 3 with a shoulder injury after crashing into the boards awkwardly in a game against Los Angeles. He has missed six games. Through 49 games, Arnott has 12 goals and 12 assists (24 points). He has been a pleasant offensive surprise this season, especially on the power play.

Huskins has been out since October 28, when he fractured his ankle. He had surgery November 16 and has missed 46 games. In nine games with the Blues, Huskins, not usually known for his offense, has 2 goals and 2 assists with a plus-6 rating.

Meanwhile, both Matt D'Agostini and Alexander Steen remain on the shelf with concussion syndromes.

Hitchcock is happy to have Arnott & Huskins back:

Central Issue

2012-02-15T23:48:00.000-06:00

The Blues must improve their play against their division rivals if they are going to maintain a top spot in the West.

Their recent relapse against the worst team in the league, the Columbus Blue Jackets, is showing a concerning trend with the Blues: they have a horrible record against their Central Division rivals.

That record is 5-7-2, and it is trending downward quickly. In the last seven games against the division their record is 1-5-2. Although the Blues play against the rest of the league overshadows this flaw, it is quite troublesome.

To start, half of the teams in the Western Conference playoff bracket will more than likely be from the Central Division: Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, and St. Louis. If the Blues do not win the division, they will more than likely face one of these rivals in the first round.

Of course, that is assuming the Blues make the playoffs. They have ten games remaining against the Central, four on the road and six at home. The fact that a majority of these games are at home gives some hope to a better record. Those twenty points are crucial to the Blues position in the playoffs. Obviously it has become apparent that home ice advantage would be a huge advantage for the note, and a goal they will strive for as they charge towards the playoffs.

The Blues were 12-8-4 against the Central last season, including 5-5-2 on the road. They are 1-4-1 on the road this season. That lone win was a 2-1 tilt against the Blue Jackets. The Note is 0-3 in Detroit and 0-1-1 in Nashville. They have three games left in Chicago. The club needs to perform better in their division and on the road.

"We've got to play 60 minutes on the road," Jamie Langenbrunner said. "For whatever reason, we haven't been doing that. We've had breaks in our game where we've allowed the team to take control. We can't do that."

Here We Go Again With Berglund...

2012-02-12T11:12:00.000-06:00

It's that time when fans get excited about the big Swede down the stretch.

Like clockwork, Patrik Berglund is playing like he should. At 6'4" and 210 pounds, Berglund rarely uses his size to his advantage until the latter stages of the NHL season. Last year he came on about this time and infused belief back into many Blues fans with most of his 22 goals and 30 assists coming down the stretch. His powerhouse performance continued in the 2011 World Championships, where he received MVP consideration.

But also like clockwork, he began the current NHL season flat again. He was nonexistent for the first 50 games. His defensive play was average at best, and he showed little enthusiasm on the ice.

Last year, assistant coach Scott Mellanby allegedly lit a fire under Berglund with his own unique-style of heart-to-heart with the young Blues forward (think of the language that was used). It worked well, but if you are an NHL player, do you constantly need a coach questioning your manhood to get you going? Do the Blues want that kind of player on the roster?

Cup contenders have self-motivated players, and THAT is what it's all about. This fan is not interested in a good season, MVP awards, breakout players, attendance, entertainment value of games, etc. He's interested in a big shinny silver trophy making its way down Market. And I only want players that are interested in that path as well (i.e. David Backes and Perron).

So for the Blues, the big question this season is: Will Berglund's fire keep burning in the playoffs? If it does, I will take the slow start. Cup contenders always have a hot goal scorer in the playoffs. But notoriously, skill players such as Berglund do not fair well in the post season. Time and space, something that Berglund should create with his size but often does not, will be limited to "nowhere to be found" in the postseason. His play in last year's World Championships was encouraging, but that was when he was playing for Sweden, not St. Louis.