St Louis Blues Blogs

Vancouver is the heavy favorite heading into the 2011 NHL playoffs to win the Stanley Cup.  Their Northwest Division foes can vouch for that.

 The Vancouver Canucks, who won the President’s Trophy by a landslide-ten points over the East’s Washington Capitals, posted an impressive 54-19-9 record for a league-leading 117 points in the regular season.  Obviously, the Canucks head into the Quarterfinal Series as the top seed in the Western Conference where they will meet the eighth-seeded Chicago Blackhawks.  But how much did Vancouver playing in the Northwest Division help bloat their point total?

Continue reading "Weak Northwest Division Could Benefit Blackhawks"

     Are Big Daddy’s readers loving road-trips to Florida yet? The Saints continued their Sunshine State dominance Sunday afternoon, turning Big Daddy’s memorable birthday weekend into an unforgettable one by pummeling Tampa Bay. Big Daddy’s co-workers were all smiles at the rock on Monday after the Black ’n’ Gold served notice to the pro football world that they are ready to defend last February’s Lombardi trophy. The resounding win ignited the spirit of the Who Dat Nation as they celebrated Big Easy style deep into the night, reveling in the fact that the Saints appeared to get their swagger back and are now well-positioned in the wacky NFC standings. In this edition of the

Continue reading "Big Daddy Welcomes Chris Ivory to the Party"

     Does anyone have fingernails after last weekend? If there are any Saints fans who haven’t been contending with chest pains watching these close-to-the-vest games, they don’t have a pulse. The 2010 Saints remind Big Daddy of the Jim Mora era. Unlike now, those Saints owned the league’s best defense and Morten Andersen drilling clutch 3-pointers. Even though the battles usually came down to the wire, the “Dome Patrol” and the “Great Dane” gave Saints fans a sense of security. Injuries in both the offensive and defensive backfields have the Saints fans hoping Capts. Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce and John “Trapper John” McIntyre would bring their M*A*S*H* unit down to Saints Headquarters to patch up our beloved Black ’n’ Gold troops. Since Hawkeye and Trapper John aren’t coming, Big Daddy will just need to find that magical Leprechaun with a pot full of Valium until the Saints get back to full strength. In this edition of the

Continue reading "Big Daddy Prefers Touchdowns"

The Blues got their leading scorer back.

Steen had a semi-breakout year in 2009-10, sharing the Blues lead with a career-high 24 goals, and ranking first on the team with seven power-play goals.  His shot from the point was the driving force behind the man-advantage this season, as he truly developed into a quarterback for his team.

Continue reading "Blues Re-Sign Alex Steen to a 4-year, ..."

In Scout Jarmo Kekalainen and General Manager Larry Pleau's last acts as members of the Blues organization, the team made some noise in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. 

Blues draft forward Jaden Schwartz with the 14th overall pick

Continue reading "Blues Draft Day 1 Recap"

When Jarmo Kekalainen and his St. Louis scouting crew found T.J. Oshie with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL, they knew that they had something special under their watchful eye. They had Blues management draft him with their 24th pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, and talks of the future immediately began in St. Louis. Up until his first game in October of 2008, Blues President John Davidson kept promising that Oshie would be one of the future Blues that would rock the NHL. Two seasons into his NHL career, Oshie has found himself a permanent spot in the Blues lineup. But what does he bring to this lineup that has ensured him that spot on the team?

Continue reading "Is Oshie Truly 'Untouchable'?"

Its hard to find a bright spot on a team that is currently ranked 21st in goals scored.  Alex Steen is the exception.

The St. Louis forward was not expected to be an offensive force when he was acquired from Toronto on November 24 with Carlo Colaiacovo for Lee Stempniak. Spanning over his two final seasons with the Maple Leafs, Steen played in 86 games and scored just 17 goals, including a minuscule two goals in his final twenty games.  It was even reported that Toronto head coach Ron Wilson was the only member of the Maple Leafs management team to not even say goodbye to Steen the day of the trade.  Steen came to St. Louis looking like another disappointing forward, since his 24th overall selection in 2002 built him up as the gun the Maple Leafs were looking for.  He may have faltered with his former team, but he seemed to fit in with the Blues after just a few weeks.

Continue reading "Steen Should be Top-Priority"

Montreal landed a top prospect for their gritty winger.

Matt D'Agostini, the Canadiens' sixth round choice in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, has just 14 goals and 11 assists in 94 NHL games played.  The winger is more associated with his feisty style of play, striking fear into opponents when they enter the corners of their defensive zone.  The winger does have an offensive upside though; with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, D'Agostini scored 128 points in 162 games played. 

Continue reading "Montreal Trades Matt D'Agostini to ..."

Is it just me, or is it that Canucks media is making it seem that David Backes will ultimately end up in Vancouver?

Canucks GM Mike Gillis attempted to sign Blues forward and restricted free-agent David Backes to an offer sheet worth $7.5 million over three years.  With Backes as a fan-favorite and a valuable asset to the Blues' rebuilding phase, St. Louis GM Larry Pleau had no choice but to match the offer and reclaim his player. 

Continue reading "Weighing in on Blues – Canucks Rumors"

I guess Blues management frequents NHL Hockey Online.

Blues President John Davidson announced that the club has relieved Head Coach Andy Murray of his coaching duties (something I eluded to just three days ago).  The team has in turn named Davis Payne the interim head coach. 

Continue reading "Murray Out; Payne In"

A “winning streak” is not a concept that the St. Louis Blues seem to entirely grasp in 2009-10.

The Blues, who did not see their first three-game winning streak until a 2-1 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on December 23, are currently posting a 17-17-5 record, placing them twelfth in the Western Conference and eight points out of a playoff spot.  The record itself is not the biggest problem; it is the lack of production from the core of the lineup.  Before being injured Sunday against the Sabres, left-wing Paul Kariya, who also happens to be drawing $6 million in the final season of his contract, has racked up just eight goals and 19 points in 38 games.  For a former six-time 30 goal scorer, the numbers can speak volumes for the lack of effort the team is seeing from Kariya.

Continue reading "Wrong Coach or Wrong Team?"

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.

Continue reading "Bring on the Rivermen!"

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.

Continue reading "Blues Early Season News and Notes"

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.

Continue reading "The Official 2009-10 NHL Hockey Online ..."

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. 

Continue reading "The Official 2009-10 NHL Hockey Online ..."

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.

Continue reading "Inter-League Game Could Spell Bad News for NHL"

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.”

Continue reading "Misprint Still has St. Louis Buzzing"

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?

Continue reading "Oh Those Summer Blues"

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.

Continue reading "All-Star Preview Among Other Topics"

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.

Continue reading "The Blues fill a big need, look to sure up roster"

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.

Continue reading "Blues Sign Ty Conklin to 2-Year, ..."

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.

Continue reading "Tkachuk Signs One-Year Contract and ..."

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."

Continue reading "Brewer Prepared for Return"

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.

Continue reading "Barret Jackman: A Bust in St. Louis"

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.

Continue reading "Western Conference Rolls Along!"

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?

Continue reading "Blues-Canucks Series Preview"

 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.

Continue reading "PFA Player Of The Year Nominees Anounced"

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.

Continue reading "Blues Have Been Strong Without Brewer, Legace"

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.

Continue reading "Blues are Surging in Wild, Wild West"

Blues

Last night, I got one of those feelings watching the Blues game. Sometimes I get the sinking sensation in my stomach when I know my team is doomed (I got it two batters before this moment in 2005, so it must have been more about Game 6). Other times, I get a tingle when I know something special is going to happen. I got the latter last night. The Blues were extremely lucky to get out of the first period scoreless. They were outshot 10-4 and completely outplayed. They picked it up after that, but they all needed to give Chris Mason a big thank you for keeping them in it until they could get the offense going in the third.

Continue reading "Blues, Cards, and the Sweet 16"

The Blues

The Blues responded nicely last Thursday with a 2-1 overtime win to follow up an ugly performance in Columbus. They finished up the home-and-home with Nashville on Saturday by losing 1-0 in overtime. It was a great job by Chris Mason to reel in one point, but St. Louis can't afford to leave points out there at this stage, especially at home. Even though the Blues got a point in that game, they still fell a point further behind Nashville since the Predators picked up a pair of points with the win. Tuesday's game against Phoenix was crucial since the Blues' next eight games include four road games in addition to home meetings with the Sharks, Stars, and Red Wings(twice) who are three of the strongest/hottest teams in the league. Points will not be easy to come by over that stretch, so they needed two against the Coyotes. The fact that it came in regulation was a huge boost, as was the gift goal that David Perron collected on a center-ice chip-in. I'd feel bad about that, but the Blues have been killed by fluky goals all year. It's about time went our way.

Continue reading "A look at NCAA basketball and the Blues"

The St. Louis Blues have made a recent push to make the playoffs, climbing out of the cellar of the Western Conference to six points out of the 8th and final seed.  As of late, Blues media and fans are talking about a possible playoff run, putting the team in the big dance for the first time since 2004.  Are these dreams necessary?  Should Blues fans even want a playoff try this season?

Continue reading "Playoff Hopes are Unnecessary"

The Blues have made a few changes in the past week.  Let’s take a look at how the Blues are making headlines:

Manny Legace placed on waivers; clears and heads to Peoria in the AHL

Continue reading "Weighing in on Recent Blues News"

On February 25th 2007, the Atlanta Thrashers made a move that they thought could land them a Stanley Cup in their fair city.  After acquiring Keith Tkachuk for three draft picks and Glen Metropolit, Atlanta General Manager Don Waddell saw his team fall in the playoffs after a 4-0 sweep to the New York Rangers.  Keith Tkachuk then re-signed with the St. Louis Blues, rejoining the rebuilding franchise that following summer.  Well it is February 2009, and we are hearing Tkachuk trade talks yet again.

Continue reading "Tkachuk Trade Talk... Again"

With injuries to NHL-regular forwards Paul Kariya, Andy McDonald, T.J. Oshie and Dan Hinote, the St. Louis Blues have had to mix and match players throughout the entire season.  Blues fans have seen the likes of Rivermen Cam Paddock, Brad Winchester, Steve Regier and Chris Porter so far in 2008, not to mention the waiver wire going directly through the Blues, as tough guys David Koci and B.J. Crombeen were picked up at different points (Koci has since been dropped).  With all of these players bouncing around between Peoria and St. Louis, why have there not been any Lemtyugov sightings for Blues fans?

Continue reading "Let's See Lemtyugov!"

The end of the Stempniak era is over in St. Louis.  Being dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, Stempniak will join his new team Tuesday night in Atlanta.  What does this mean for both teams though?

Continue reading "Stempniak Trade Analysis"

Before I get to baseball, I'd like to start out with hockey as I haven't touched on it since the Blues were doing well in mid-October. Since then, the Blues have fallen into the Central Division basement and have had really bad luck play a part in it. Since Sarah Palin(should anyone looking that confused ever be allowed to hold a gun?) dropped the puck, the Blues have only won twice in 10 games with two overtime losses. They have also suffered injuries to Manny Legcae, T.J. Oshie, Dan Hinote, Paul Kariya, and Andy McDonald. Other than Hinote, all of those are impact players. That being said, the Blues are still giving an effort every night and Legace's back, so perhaps they will turn it around soon. The Blues could still go on a run and make the playoffs, as it's still very early, but they need to pick it up soon. The curse of Sarah Palin should be about over now that Obama won, Erik Johnson had successful knee surgery,  and perhaps debuting the new third jerseys on Friday against Anaheim will be the last part in getting this team going again.

Continue reading "Baseball Awards 2008"

If you have ever seen the movie “Slap Shot,” you probably know that player/coach Reg Dunlop got pretty annoyed by people telling him how to run his team.  In a bar, a man approached Dunlop and simply stated, “Get the power-play going, eh?” Reg’s response:  “Yea, we’re working on it,” while looking away and paying attention to something else going on in the distance.  To me, I feel like head coach Andy Murray has the same response to media and the St. Louis Blues fans.  It doesn’t seem to me that Murray is putting an honest effort to improve the Blues’ power-play. 

Continue reading "New Power-Play Strategy Needed"

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

Continue reading "Inbound link contest winner announced!"

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

Continue reading "Inbound link contest - Win $100!"

And buyer beware! 'Tis the season of sports camps- football, soccer, softball, baseball, you name the sport, you can find the camp. How do parents know whether forking over a $200 registration is fee is worth the investment?

Continue reading "Summer Camp season in full swing..."

http://wizbangsports.com/2008/04/whats_your_ultimate_sports_get.

If you could attend any sporting even in the world, which one would it be and why?

The Super Bowl? Game 7 of the World Series? The opening ceremonies of The Olympic Games? Camel racing in the United Arab Emirates?

Continue reading "What's Your Ultimate Sports Getaway?"