Blues Sign Ty Conklin to 2-Year, $2.6 Million Contract posted by Jeff Ponder

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. 

Clemmensen might have been a nice addition, but he might have been asking for too much or was yielding for more offers.  Conklin may pan out, considering he did have a strong season in Detroit.Continue reading "Blues Sign Ty Conklin to 2-Year, ..."

Tkachuk Signs One-Year Contract and other NHL Notables posted by Jeff Ponder

St. Louis Blues President John Davidson announced Friday that forward Keith Tkachuk has agreed to return to the club for one more year.  The Blues and Tkachuk have been having talks about a return since being ousted from the playoffs in April.  The deal is reportedly worth $2.15 million.

“Keith is a veteran leader who played a key role with our club’s success this past season,” Davidson added. “He and his wife Chantal are first class people and have been tremendous to the St. Louis Blues organization and the St. Louis community.”

Tkachuk tallied 25 goals and 24 assists in 79 games in 2008-09, along with 14 power-play goals that placed him second on the team just behind Brad Boyes.  He started the season red hot though, scoring 7 goals in the Blues' first 6 games of the season.  He was also the only Blue to participate in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game, which saw him score the first goal of the game.  His point totals have trailed off in his eight seasons in a Blues jersey, considering in 2001-02 Tkachuk netted 38 goals and 75 points.  Scoring is not what Tkachuk was brought back for though.

Tkachuk has come a long way from his days of scoring 40-50 goals with the Phoenix Coyotes and Winnipeg Jets franchise.  Not only is he still widely known as a hitter and a mule in front of the net, but he has added much depth to his game.  Tkachuk spent a good portion of 2009 as a third line center, usually between the likes of gritty wingers Dan Hinote and Brad Winchester.  When Tkachuk was on these checking lines, there was always a chance that a puck would cross the opposing red goal line.  But his strength came in when he would forecheck and pressure the other team's defenses.  Growing a little older, Tkachuk learned to adapt his game and still be a presence even though he cannot score 40 goals in a season anymore.
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Brewer Prepared for Return posted by Jeff Ponder

Eric Brewer has an upbeat attitude about his current situation.

"There's never been the thought that I'm never going to play again," Brewer told the media recently. "I never had one doctor or one therapist tell me anything other than you'll be playing. It's been a little bit longer than I would have liked, but that's never been an issue. I've always been told, and I continue to be told, that I'll be fine and I'll be playing hockey."

The Blues' captain and ice-time leader has been feeling a nagging back injury for quite some time, which limited him to just 28 games played in 2008-09.  It was announced shortly before December 13th to Blues fans that their captain would be sidelined indefinitely with what is said to be an undisclosed back injury.  Brewer underwent back surgery in early January, and received a second surgery in mid-April.  The 6'3” defenseman says that he still has minimal feeling in his right leg and foot.

Andy Strickland of HockeyBuzz.com recently reported that Brewer may not be ready for training camp in September, but Brewer shot those allegations down as quickly as he heard them.

“You set some goals and it's amazing how many things will work,” Brewer remarked.  “I fully plan to start in September and don't have any plans not to. If the worse case happens and I wasn't (able), then I'll deal with that then.”

Brewer has had a few rough seasons since joining the Blues in 2005.  In his four year stint with the St. Louis hockey club, Brewer has amassed a dismal -59 plus/minus, giving him a -91 in his ten-season NHL career.  But the Blues continue to look at Brewer as a leader on and off the ice.
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Barret Jackman: A Bust in St. Louis posted by Jeff Ponder

When the St. Louis Blues drafted Barret Jackman 17th overall in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, they thought that they were getting something special.  With Al MacInnis aging and Chris Pronger making All-Star caliber paychecks, the team knew that a young guy had to be brought in to step in and take charge.  Jackman had a great season with the Regina Pats of the WHL in 2000-01, and continued that strong play in St. Louis the following season.  After winning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year that season, the future was looking bright for the tough defenseman.  But things can go sour as quickly as they get sweet.

All through 2003 and 2004, Jackman kept facing a nagging shoulder injury.  In early 2004, it got so bad that Jackman had to sit the rest of that season.  He has had multiple surgeries on his left shoulder, but it remains to be a problem.  Over the last few seasons, Jackman has continued to play through the pain, although it is obvious he is not the player that he once was.

His stats have been near-embarrassing for a top-two defenseman in recent years.  In his first two seasons, Barret registered a plus-22 in 98 games played.  But since that time, his plus/minus has plummeted.

Since the lockout, Jackman has posted a -15 in four seasons.  His -17 last season was the worst ranking for all Blues defensemen, and placed him 297th out of 303 NHL defenseman who saw any playing time.  A few factors that added to this equation is that up-and-coming defenseman Erik Johnson missed all of last season with a torn ACL and captain Eric Brewer missed 54 games with a herniated disc-injury in early 2009, leaving Jackman with the most of the workload.  Jackman was forced to play 23:26 on average per game throughout the season, placing him second on the team just behind Brewer.  In the playoffs, Jackman saw 25:18 average time played, which currently places him 11th in the league.
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Western Conference Rolls Along! posted by Joshua Tarkoff

I have a confession to make. I love the Canucks. I really have loved them ever since the worst trade in NHL history when my beloved Panthers gave Luongo away for nothing. I know he is great and that team has a ton of fast guys with a lot of talent. For some reason, I really want them to win. What a job they did last night finishing off the Blues. Hey some big time people picked the Blues to win, since they were so hot coming down the stretch. So,no prediction is even needed for Vancouver. All I know is, I do not know of any team that wants to face the Canucks in the 2nd round.

Onto the series that are still going on...Sharks/Ducks. What a series this is. I think this is the best one we have going (no disrespect to NJ/CAR). It is a bit tough in Florida to be able to watch all of this series, but every second that I have seen has been awesome. Huge hits, I mean huge and every goal has been hard fought. I think this series will come down to who makes the least number of mistakes. That was especially true last night. Both teams are solid and the difference is going to be very small. I have to go with SJ here, they did not win President's trophy for nothing. 7 games, but this will take its toll on whoever ends up winning here.

Detroit is quietly doing its championship thing as usual. They really are an amazing organization. For years I know I have thought they were too old, but somehow they keep on doing it. Hossa this year has been a huge add on and he continues to shine in the playoffs. The series with the Bluejackets will not last much longer, although I must give them a hand for making it into the playoffs this year. It is just unfortunate that they ran into Detroit. 

Blues-Canucks Series Preview posted by Jeff Ponder

After a 27-11-7 run spanning through the 2009 calendar year, the Blues did the unthinkable and snuck into the NHL playoffs.  They will take on the third-seeded Vancouver Canucks when they open the series in Vancouver on Wednesday.  After a 2-2-0 record against the Canucks this season, how will the Blues fair in this 2003 Quarterfinal rematch?

The last time that these two teams met in the playoffs, St. Louis jumped on a 3-1 series lead, led by veteran defenseman Al MacInnis and Calder Trophy winner Barret Jackman.  But the Blues saw their playoff hopes end in a horrible downward spiral, when they lost three straight to Canucks captain Markus Naslund (who recorded 14 points in 14 playoff games that post-season) and the rest of the Vancouver crew.  The only player that truly showed up for St. Louis was veteran center Doug Weight, who scored thirteen points in the seven game series.  

But six years later, the Blues are hoping for a better end result.  

The Blues’ astonishing end to the season drew a lot of attention their way:  “Nobody wants to play them,” stated Doug Stolhand of PuckPodcast.com during his weekly podcast.  Andy Strickland of HockeyBuzz.com also feels confident about this team: “Offensively this team can score. All four lines can play in the offensive end. They forecheck and apply pressure on the puck.”

The real story in St. Louis has been the play of Chris Mason, who took over the number one job when Manny Legace was sent to Peoria in early February.  Since that time, the Blues have gone an uncanny 20-7-4, all the while with Mason starting every single game.  
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PFA Player Of The Year Nominees Anounced posted by Paul Milousis

 The six finalists were announced for the Premier League's footballer of they year. Suspiciously, of the six finalists a whopping five! Yeah, that's right, five! Were Manchester United players.The players nominated are GK Edwin Van Der Saar, Defenders Rio Ferdinaand and Nemanja Vidic, the fine-aging Ryan Giggs and of-course, reigning player of the year, every-one's favorite villain, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Pardon my language but WTF!!!!! Seriously? Who was on the selection committee? Sir Alex, Bobby Charlton, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona. I mean, gimme a break, there are 19 other clubs plying their trade in the Premiership, surely those clubs have players worthy of being finalists for this award. 

What about Everton's Tim Cahill? He was forced to play out of position at striker to compensate for the injury to Yakubu and has scored goals by the bundles, spearheading the Toffies second-half resurgence.

How about Frank Lampard? Who year after year goes about his business of being not only one of the top midfielders in England but in the world.  Lamps has been one of the few constants in a turbulent season of change and injuries at the Bridge, yet the Blues are still in the hunt for PL glory and CL gory to boot.

In the end though the winner should go to whoever wins the title. If that should be Liverpool, then Stevie G has to get the award. Should United however hold on and once again raise the trophy, then one of their five nominees should be crowned POY. Of the five, for me, even if they don't win the Premiership, I give it to Gerrard. He is the heart and soul of Liverpool. He along with Torres take them to another level. Man U however are a collective force who aren't too reliant on one player.

Blues Have Been Strong Without Brewer, Legace posted by Jeff Ponder

The Blues were on the outside looking in on the NHL playoff picture on December 13th, 2008 when they received even worse news; captain and leading minute-man Eric Brewer went down with a herniated disc in his lower back.  Things seemed dreary for the Blues hockey club.  Fans already started calling for the first-round draft choice in 2009 and pretty much gave up hope on any playoff dreams.

Something changed with the young team though.  Looking back, fans cannot even seem to recall these unexciting times.  The play picked up and now, with two games remaining in the season, the Blues are tied for the seventh seed in the standings and just four back from the sixth seed.  What caused this drastic change on the ice?

Blues play-by-play man John Kelly was recently interviewed on PuckPodcast.com and says that the turn-around is owed to the Blues miraculous 5-4 shootout win against the Boston Bruins on January 19th.  With just eight-tenths of a second remaining in the hockey game, David Backes knotted the game up at four goals apiece, and T.J. Oshie and Brad Boyes both scored in the shootout to seal the deal.  Kelly says the win sparked the club, and the team has only lost eight games in regulation since the big win.

Looking at the statistics though, something else rather unusual could be the spark that ignited the Blues that John Kelly speaks of.

The first ten games after the Brewer injury, the Blues went in one of the biggest slumps in recent history.  Going just 2-8-0 in the span, Blues President John Davidson even tried calling up rookie Tyson Strachan to help the defensive corps.  After the 2-8-0 stretch though, the Blues went on an absolute tear.
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Blues are Surging in Wild, Wild West posted by Jeff Ponder

Just a few weeks ago, the St. Louis Blues could not find a way to win when it was needed, and were considered to be out of the playoff picture by almost everyone.  But a recent rush by this young team has proven otherwise.  After wins against Los Angeles, Vancouver and two huge wins against Columbus in a home-and-home series, this team looks serious about a playoff push.  They are now clinging to the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference.

There are many factors as to why this team has been rejuvenated as of late.  “The Kid Line,” consisting of youngsters David Perron, T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund, has terrified opposing goaltenders night in and night out, the defense has stepped up their play and Chris Mason has been stellar between the pipes.  The most important reason for the success of this team has been the damaging team play.  Every line is finally clicking and every player is contributing in their own way.

The Kid Line has been the offensive force driving the Blues right now.  This line has been broken up many different times this season due to poor fore-checking and the inability to connect on passes.  But they seem to have brought it all together, scoring nineteen points in their last four games between all three players.  T.J. Oshie provided possibly the goal of the year against Vancouver last Thursday, when he beat many defenders singlehandedly, then roofed it over a sprawled Roberto Luongo.  Perron scored on the game-clinching fourth shootout round against Columbus Saturday night in St. Louis.  Berglund provided the Blues’ big fourth goal against Columbus on Sunday, slamming a backhand against standout rookie goalie Steve Mason. All three players have been spectacular, and are expected to stay that way in the Blues’ last six games of the regular season.
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