game time january 3, 2009 st louis - sb...

TM

Even though there weren’t major changes in the offseason, this started out being a different Blues squad this season. Patrik Berglund and TJ Oshie provided a spark on offense that hadn’t been seen in recent seasons. David Perron while an inconsistent and infrequent goal scorer, is still learning on the job and getting better. Chris Mason is the backup goaltender that could have kept the Blues in the playoff hunt a season ago. Andy McDonald and Paul Kariya were playing for their next contracts, and playing well.

And then it all went to shit.

What this season and the end of last year illustrate is a general lack of franchise depth.

They had Emmanuel Legace playing at an All-Star level last year, but when he got dinged up or when he was not available in back-to-back games, the Blues almost always lost. This season, they had no replacement for McDonald, Kariya, Oshie and others. Of course, it’s damn hard to say any team could

replace five to seven guys in their lineup at any one time.

If the Blues want to turn this thing around in 2009, they need to do a couple things. First, they need to figure out what the goaltending

situation is beyond this year. Legace is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. I doubt he will be traded at the deadline, but that doesn’t mean the Blues can’t start planning for the future. Is Chris Mason the man next season, his last under his current contract? How far away is gigantic youngster Ben Bishop, currently in Peoria? Any good team starts with goaltending.

Then the Blues will have to decide what to do with their veteran (Continued on page 26)

By Brad Lee

The new year started exactly like the old one ended with the Blues losing a fairly close game to a team that may only be marginally better but got ahead early and controlled the action for much of the contest. Whoopee!

The 2-1 loss at Carolina Friday night gave the Blues their fourth consecutive game where they outshot the opposition but couldn’t finish the game off. Even with that loss, thank God the calendar year 2008 is over for the Blues. If you counted just games played during the year, the Blues had a horrible 12 months.

So far this season the Blues are 14-20-3. That’s the worst record in the Western Conference. From Jan.1, 2008 until the season ended, the Blues had an eerily similar record of 14-22-9. You add those together and over the 84 games (two more than a regular season schedule), the Blues have a combined record of 28-44-12. That totals 78 points. Say the Blues have two less overtime losses (to equal the right number of games played), that would equal 76 points, only five more points than Tampa Bay earned last year – the lowest point total of last season.

Now I didn’t need to count up all the wins and losses to convince you, dear reader, that the Blues have played like shit this season. The standings are enough proof of that. What that record over 12 months shows is that the collapse of this season – blamed mostly on injuries – isn’t a new thing. Of course the lengthy injured list hasn’t helped things.

Four Dollars Of New Year Cheer The Game Day Guide To St. Louis Blues Hockey Established in 2005

Today’s Records, Injuries & News Today’s Team Records: Blues: Blue Jackets: 14-21-3 (31 points) 18-16-4 (40 points) 5th in Central 3rd in Central 15th in Western 8th in Western

Last Ten Games: Blues: Blue Jackets: 2-8-0 6-3-1

Season Series: All-Time Series: 0-0-0 25-15-4-1

Today’s Injuries:

Blues: C Andy McDonald (fractured ankle), LW Paul Kariya (lower body), D Fragile Jay McKee (broken finger) and D Eric Brewer (back surgery) are out.

Blue Jackets: C Derick Brassard (shoulder surgery), LW Jason Chimera (groin) and F Raffi Torres (knee) are out. D Ole-Kristian Toellefsen (knee) is day-to-day.

Today’s News & Notes: • Minnesota’s Marian Gaborik has hip

surgery and will miss at least 10 weeks. He has played in only six games this season, scoring three goals.

• Canucks acquire Jason Labarbera from LA for a 7th rd pick. He won his first game in net on Friday.

• Game Time staff starting to get a little pessimistic.

CAUTION: St. Louis Game Time contains extreme sarcasm and less-than-gentle language. But it is a hockey paper, so you should fucking just get over it.

Volume 4 , Issue 21 January 3 , 2009 Game Time

St Louis

From The Editor St. Louis Game Time

Established: November 6, 2005 St Louis, Missouri Phone: 402-2266

www.StLouisGameTime.com

Godfather Jeffio

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Sean Gallagher [email protected]

Advertising

[email protected] [email protected]

Distribution John Nicolay

Amy Benoist, Becky Benoist, Billy Cash, Clarence Walker

Columnists

Chris Gift, Duke, Brad Lee, Answer Man & Brian Weidler

Contributors

Jeffio, Jeff Browning, LosBri, Childhood Trauma, Dan Doke, Jeff

Fahrenkrog, Jeremy Pratte & Chris Reed

Photographer Andrew D’Angelo

Mission:

Game Time will provide prospect information, up-to-date statistics, articles

that spark discussion and humor that points out the best and worst about our

favorite team and sport. We are all fans of the Blues and our opinions will reflect

those of subjective fans. The paper is published for every home

game, excluding the pre-season, which we all know sucks.

Rights & Permissions:

All material printed herein is copyrighted and protected. Do not reprint in any format without expressed, written permission from Game Time LLC.

Logos & Photos

Team logos and pictures used herein are the property of the individual teams

and/or the NHL and are used solely for identification and editorial purposes.

Today’s Reminder: Blue Jackets is a really

stupid nickname.

Call me a believer. An apologist. A Kool-Aid drinker, even. No, I’m not about to try to convince you that the Blues are about to make their run for the playoffs; I’m about to admit that one of Gary Bettman’s gimmicks worked on me.

And while I was never someone who came out wailing and crying about the destruction of the game and the tearing of the very fiber of the historic tapestry that is hockey history, but I wasn’t exactly excited about the introduction of the shootout, either.

Coming out of the lockout, the NHL decided to introduce the tie-breaker format of 4-on-4 sudden death followed by the shootout. A lot of hockey fans, not to mention the coaches and players, were against it from the start. To me, it was obvious that the NHL was making yet another decision aimed at non-hockey fans. The more-exciting finish was a way to avoid teams playing for the shared point and to avoid the soccer-style no-payoff tie was intended to bring in a wider (read: Ameri-can) audience.

I have a friend that always says that Americans don’t like ties. I have come to believe that he’s right. We all want to see one team win and one team lose. The shootout addresses that need for a winner.

Not too long ago I was talking to a buddy about the NHL in general and he told me a story about his son. The father had to leave for a meeting, but as he was getting ready to go, his kid asked him if any hockey games were going to go to shootout that night. Being a Center Ice subscriber, he grabbed the remote and started skipping through all of the games that were in progress. He wound up finding only one game that was tied in the third period, so he told his kid, “This is the only one that has a chance. Watch this one.” He then made a mistake when he said, “Send me a text to let me know how it goes.”

About 20 minutes later he had received his 100th text about the game, overtime and shootout.

“I had to put my phone on Silent mode,” he told me, “He was disrupting my meeting.”

And the funny thing about it? The two teams playing that the kid was so excited about were two random teams that he couldn’t care less about.

But the shootout has that effect on people. Even me. As I was working on the paper last

night I found myself doing the exact same thing as my buddy’s eight-year-old; flipping channels looking for a tie game late in the third period. I found the Thrashers/Canucks game all tied at three. I put the remote down and ended up seeing a wide-open overtime and an extra-frames shootout. It was pretty exciting and was exactly what I was looking to find.

And while I’ll tell people, when trying to explain my hockey mania, that I will watch a random NHL

game between two teams that I don’t really care about, I really don’t mean any two random teams. Because I have zero

interest in watching Atlanta’s team (they seem really boring to me, Ilya Kovalchuk seems to always be ‘in a funk’ and their jerseys give me seizures) and just about the same amount of interest in watching the Canucks (those twins give me the creeps, just like the twins from ‘The Shining.’ Just wait until they’re joined by the big-headed Frankenstein that is Mats Sundin. Yikes.).

But last night I watched them. The gimmick has worked.

There are still fans that say they hate the shootout and that it’s a stupid way to end a hockey game. They say that it turns a great team effort into an individual skills competition. That a sub-par team can win a game just by having a trick-shot shooter in their lineup. Some of that is true, I guess. But much like what Kelly Chase says after a hockey fight, I feel about the shootout: no one leaves when it’s going on.

The game against the Blackhawks back in October the teams went to a shootout. I had Son of GT with me that night and with a packed house and a shootout on the ice, not only was every-one standing, I had to hold my son up so he could see the action. When TJ Oshie beat Nikolai Khabibulin for the game winner, the place came unglued. Not only was everyone jumping up and down and high-fiving complete strangers, but I may have actually suffered some hearing loss on the left side from my kid.

It might have started off as a gimmick, but this one works.

-Sean “technically, playing a game on ice is a gimmick” Gallagher

Volume 4 , Issue 21 January 3 , 2009

Top 11 Oddest Jerseys You’ll See Tonight

11. That No. 44 third Blues jersey with the name Bertuzzi. Yes, it’s real.

10. The number 40 with the name Ounces. Awesome.

9. Hall of Famer Beerman, No. 69. 8. There’s a woman who walks around wearing

No. 34 with the name Manny on the back. We’re not judging, I swear.

7. Anyone who wears a Red Berenson throwback who doesn’t wear a cowboy hat with it.

6. The Shanahan No. 94 from Hartford is a little odd to still be wearing in 2009.

5. We will never forget Gretzky played here. 4. Smokebones. There’s a woman who walks

around with Smokebones on her back. 3. That Guerin No. 13 Blues jersey I’m sure seemed

like a good idea at the time. 2. Any asshole wearing a red menace Wings

jersey…when Columbus is in town. 1. No. 12 in your program, number one in your

heart, Dutchie.

From the Empty Beer Cup of Brad Lee

Tonight’s Trivia By Childhood Trauma

G AME T IME

• Game Time would like to apologize for teaching your kids all those bad words. But really, you bought the paper, so we’re gonna have to share this one.

• Sorry we drank your beer. We didn’t think you were coming back.

• [This apology was demoted to the minors.]

• Game Time printed the wrong picture of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ coach Ken Hitchcock in the last issue. The correct picture is shown here.

Corrections & Clarifications

First Period (true or false):

1. Last season, Christian Backman scored twice as many goals for the Rangers than for the Blues.

2. No Hall of Famer has ever played for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

First Intermission (T/F):

3. The ‘Green Jacket’ is traditionally given to the winner of the U.S. Open golf championship.

Second Period (multiple choice):

4. Rostislav Klesla is now the only remaining Blue Jacket to have played during their inaugural 2001 season. Which player was NOT on that same team: Espen Knutsen, Ray Whitney, Ron Tugnutt, or Alexander Khavanov?

5. Which coach had the fewest wins last season: Ken Hitchcock, Andy Murray, Marc Crawford or Denis Savard?

Second Intermission:

6. Manny Malhotra’s brother in law is the most recent NBA player to win consecutive MVP awards. Who is he: Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, or David Robinson?

Third Period:

7. Rick Nash was promoted to team captain this season with the departure of which Blue Jacket player?

8. Rick Nash is the Blue Jackets all-time goal scorer and needs less than ten points to become its all-time leading scorer. Who currently has the most points in team history?

9. Michael Peca is one of a handful of active players to have captained two different teams. Name the two teams.

Overtime!

10. Who is the only current NHL team captain that has been a captain of a different team earlier in his career?

1. True. He had two goals in in new York and one St. Louis. 2. True. 3. False. The Green Jacket, and its corresponding membership at Augusta, is given to the winner of the Masters Tournament. 4. Alexander Khavanov was never a Blue Jacket and played the 2001 season (and far too many other ones) in the ‘Note. 5. Marc Crawford had the fewest with 32 wins. Hitch and Murray were at 34 and 33 wins respectively. 6. Manny is married to Joann Nash. 7. Last season’s captain, Adam Foote, returned to Colorado this year. 8. David Vyborny has 317 career points, all as a Blue Jacket. 9. Peca captained the Sabres and the Islanders. 10. Current Ranger captain Chris Drury was also a Sabres captain. The other active players with multiple captaincies are Chris Pronger, Chris Chelios, and Jason Smith.

www.stlouisgametime.com

Unafraid. Uncensored.

Volume 4, Issue 21 January 3 , 2009

G AME T IME

The Five Hole With Chris Gift

It always seems that right before Kelly Chase is about to speak his mind about how things are going with the team, he leads with “Folks…” I’m going to borrow a line from Chaser here, or at least a word.

Folks, as a Blues fan, this past month was a very long season. Fifteen games, four wins, nine points. Forty-three Blues goals, 61 goals against the Blues. Happy New Year! With six of 11 on the road this month, including at Detroit, at Chicago and at Boston, don’t expect much improvement.

There are times when churning out a column isn’t that difficult. Hell, I wrote two last Friday night in about 90 minutes. There are times when formulating a coherent, sober-sounding, prufred (sic) column is a hell of a challenge.

I emailed Gallagher about halfway through the third period saying something along the lines of “I sure as hell hope something happens during what’s left of this game, because I have no idea what to write about.”

Last year, the Blues played a piss poor game in Phoenix on a Sunday night to wind up an 0-2-1 road trip just before the trade deadline. I didn’t get a chance to watch the game. I just saw the score in the internet and temporary apathy set in. I came home, cranked out a column that said, in part, “I’ve tried to be optimistic about the team all season, and when the Blues went west last week, I was fully expecting a 1-1-1 road trip (beating LA, losing to Anaheim, and OTLing to Phoenix), but…well…shit, can you blame me for being Debbie Downer?”

The Blues just went 4-9-1 over the course of a month (4-10-1 if you count last night), they played nine games at home and managed to earn a whopping nine points in those games. Doesn’t exactly make you want to whistle Zippity-Doo-Dah out of your butt cheeks, does it?

So we all know that the Blues are in a funk. We don’t have to be told that the Blues have been inundated with injury upon injury upon injury.

Without getting all motivational on you here, there is no sense dwelling on what has happened. The Blues have a very, very long, uphill battle in front of them.

I know that nobody that reads this paper will give up on them. I know that John Davidson, Andy Murray and the rest of the management and coaching staffs aren’t giving up either.

Call me nuts, but when I look at team records, I bunch the overtime loss category with the regulation loss category. I look at it this way, especially after home games, “did I leave pissed off or not?”

The Blues have played 20 games at home. Nine times they’ve won. Eleven times they’ve lost, twice I had to stick around a little longer to get pissed off and leave after a loss.

Anyway, the team is 9-11 at Scottrade Center, and 5-13 on

the road. I’m not sure that making the playoffs is doable this season. OK, I’ll go out on a limb here; making the playoffs isn’t doable this season.

The trade deadline is two months from tomorrow. We’d be nuts to think the Blues aren’t going to, once again, auction off parts to the highest bidders.

I was going to use this paragraph talking about Bryce Salvador’s return and how we can look forward to current Blues returning to Scottrade Center as former Blues like Sal did on Tuesday night, but I’m not ready to tackle that just yet.

Somehow, somewhere, or maybe even somewho, something positive has to be taken from this season.

I don’t like the terms “moral victory” and “quality loss.” You hear the latter term a bunch around Selection Sunday for the NCAA basketball tournament.

“Well, Phil, the Northwest Montana State Shitknuckles did have quality losses at Duke and at a neutral site against the University of Luxembourg. I like them to be a three seed.”

Sure, Tuesday was a good game, and so was the game on Sunday against Anaheim, but the Blues have nothing to show from either of those.

And I’ll even applaud them for losing last night to Carolina when Cam Ward reminded us all why he won the Conn Smythe Trophy a few years ago. Barret Jackman, Jeff Woywitka, Mike Weaver and Roman Polak played all eight of their balls off for most of the game once the team was down to

(Continued on page 22)

The Jeffio Joke of the Day

Bob Plager was in a restaurant where he noticed a gorgeous woman sitting alone at another table. He called the waiter over and asked him to send her the most expensive bottle of champagne they had. If she accepted it, Plager knew she was his.

The waiter brought the woman the champagne and then sent Plager a note. It read, “For me to accept this bottle, you need to have a Mercedes in your garage, $1 million in liquid assets, and seven inches in your pants.”

After reading the note, Plager sent back one of his own. It read, “Just so you know, I happen to have two Mercedes’ in my garage, I have well over $2 million in assets, but not even for you, would I cut off two inches!”

Blues All-Time LeadersGames Played Bernie Federko 927Goals Brett Hull 527Points Bernie Federko 1,073PIM Brian Sutter 1,873Goalie GP Mike Liut 347Wins Mike Liut 151GAA Jacques Plante 2.07Shutouts Glenn Hall 16

St. Louis Blues Statistics


*Statistics reflect time with St. Louis only. For full season totals, see Pg 14.

Ever Felt Like You’re On Double-Secret Probation? St. Louis Game Time

Blues LeadersGoals Brad Boyes 18Assists David Perron 20Points Brad Boyes 33Plus/Minus Patrik Berglund 13PP Goals Brad Boyes 10Wins Manny Legace 10GAA Chris Mason 3.15Save PCT Chris Mason 90.1%

PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM ATOI PPG PPA SHG SHA SOG SPCTBrad Boyes, RW 38 18 15 33 -20 14 19:32 10 7 0 0 103 17.5Keith Tkachuk, C 38 13 13 26 -11 37 18:08 9 3 0 0 98 13.3Patrik Berglund, C 33 12 13 25 13 8 15:53 4 6 0 0 64 18.8David Perron, LW 37 4 20 24 2 22 15:33 0 7 0 0 83 4.8David Backes, RW 38 12 7 19 -5 93 17:18 2 2 0 0 76 15.8Andy McDonald, C 16 6 12 18 -12 12 19:55 2 9 1 0 46 13Paul Kariya, LW 11 2 13 15 1 2 18:06 0 9 0 0 31 6.5Barret Jackman, D 38 2 9 11 -6 50 22:34 0 1 0 0 45 4.4Jay McClement, C 38 3 8 11 -9 19 16:29 0 0 1 0 61 4.9Alexander Steen, LW * 19 2 6 8 E 4 17:32 1 3 0 0 40 5Roman Polak, D 38 1 7 8 -4 29 21:04 0 2 0 0 40 2.5B.J. Crombeen, RW * 22 6 2 8 -3 40 12:41 0 1 0 0 39 15.4Jeff Woywitka, D 24 0 7 7 -3 32 17:36 0 4 0 0 23 0Eric Brewer, D 28 1 5 6 -14 24 25:07 1 2 0 0 49 2Carlo Colaiacovo, D * 19 1 5 6 -4 17 17:46 0 5 0 0 23 4.3Brad Winchester, LW 20 5 1 6 -5 38 12:04 3 1 0 0 23 21.7T.J. Oshie, C 14 2 4 6 3 2 15:22 1 0 0 0 21 9.5Yan Stastny, C 31 2 2 4 -14 20 12:48 0 0 0 0 27 7.4Mike Weaver, D 20 0 3 3 -3 2 13:51 0 0 0 1 10 0Cam Janssen, RW 29 0 3 3 -5 70 5:50 0 0 0 0 12 0Jay McKee, D 30 1 1 2 -5 12 16:32 0 0 0 0 19 5.3D.J. King, LW 1 0 1 1 E 0 8:20 0 0 0 0 0 0Tyson Strachan, D 8 0 1 1 E 19 13:32 0 0 0 0 3 0Dan Hinote, RW 21 0 0 0 -7 21 10:45 0 0 0 0 10 0

PLAYER GP W L GAA SV SV% SHO TGA TSA PIM ENGManny Legace 22 10 8 3.29 479 88.7% 0 61 540 0 1Chris Mason 18 3 12 3.15 446 90.1% 1 49 495 0 5

Skater Statistics

Goalie Statistics

Columbus BJ Statistics

Blow Off Work: We’re Always Online. www.StLouisGameTime.com

G AME T IME

*Statistics reflect time with current team only.

Blue Jackets All-Time LeadersGames Played David Vyborny 543Goals Rick Nash 170Points David Vyborny 317PIM Jody Shelley 1,025Goalie GP Marc Denis 266Wins Marc Denis 84GAA Ron Tugnutt 2.62Shutouts Marc Denis 12

Blue Jackets LeadersGoals Rick Nash 17Assists Rick Nash 20Points Rick Nash 37Plus/Minus Jan Hejda 13PP Goals 4 tied 3Wins Steve Mason 12GAA Steve Mason 1.66Save PCT Steve Mason 93.9%

PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM ATOI PPG PPA SHG SHA SOG SPCTRick Nash, LW 38 17 20 37 8 32 21:13 3 5 1 1 125 13.6Kristian Huselius, LW 37 12 13 25 -5 16 19:26 3 2 0 0 116 10.3Derick Brassard, C 31 10 15 25 12 17 14:25 3 4 0 0 59 16.9R.J. Umberger, C 38 11 9 20 -1 18 18:23 3 1 0 0 108 10.2Jason Chimera, LW 31 7 11 18 9 31 17:20 1 1 0 0 78 9Mike Commodore, D 38 2 15 17 10 51 22:48 0 0 0 0 46 4.3Fredrik Modin, LW 32 7 9 16 -7 18 16:52 2 4 0 0 80 8.8Fedor Tyutin, D 38 3 13 16 -4 28 23:41 0 7 1 0 83 3.6Jakub Voracek, RW 37 5 11 16 10 24 12:01 0 3 0 0 50 10Manny Malhotra, C 33 4 5 9 8 12 15:38 0 0 0 0 52 7.7Michael Peca, C 33 3 6 9 -6 46 14:08 0 1 0 1 30 10Marc Methot, D 28 3 5 8 8 20 18:27 0 0 0 0 37 8.1Kris Russell, D 22 2 6 8 -6 0 16:26 1 3 0 0 24 8.3Andrew Murray, C 32 5 2 7 -6 4 12:21 1 0 0 1 40 12.5Jan Hejda, D 38 2 5 7 13 12 21:57 0 0 0 0 33 6.1Rostislav Klesla, D 18 1 4 5 2 19 21:19 0 1 0 0 20 5Raffi Torres, LW 14 1 3 4 -1 8 12:34 0 0 0 0 23 4.3Christian Backman, D 35 1 3 4 E 16 15:39 1 1 0 0 41 2.4Jiri Novotny, C 25 1 3 4 6 4 14:00 0 0 1 0 30 3.3Jared Boll, RW 32 0 3 3 -5 99 8:11 0 0 0 0 28 0Derek Dorsett, RW 20 1 1 2 -3 63 8:10 0 0 0 0 16 6.3Craig MacDonald, C 2 1 0 1 1 0 8:58 0 0 0 0 1 100O. Tollefsen, D 12 0 1 1 -1 31 10:12 0 0 0 0 9 0Nikita Filatov, LW 4 1 0 1 1 0 6:23 0 0 0 0 2 50Alexandre Picard, LW 10 0 0 0 -1 24 6:25 0 0 0 0 7 0

PLAYER GP W L GAA SV SV% SHO TGA TSA PIM ENGSteve Mason 21 13 7 1.66 537 93.9% 5 35 572 0 3Pascal Leclaire 12 4 6 3.83 281 86.7% 0 43 324 0 1

Skater Statistics

Goalie Statistics

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Great Rates! Perfect for autographs!

Great gifts for your favorite fan! View the shots online.

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Hey Buckeyes, you wanna know how big my Johnson is?

My Johnson is so big, I have to cook it breakfast in the morning.

My Johnson is so big, Stephen Hawking has a theory about it.

My Johnson is so big, Michael Jackson wants to build an

amusement park on it.

The Big Johnson Joke of the Day

Roman Polak’s grandfather and his unit were entrenched opposite the Germans during one of the battles of WWII. The

Germans couldn’t hit any of them because they kept low in the ditches.

Finally one of the Germans hit upon an idea. “Hey Krachevski, is that you?”

he yelled at the other trench. Krachevski stood up in his trench and said, “Yeah, it’s me!” and was immediately shot by the Germans.

Polak’s grandfather pondered this over and decided that it was a good idea.

“Is that you, Wilhelm?” he yelled to the German trench.

“Yeah, it’s me,” replied one of the German soldiers. “Why don’t you come over here?”

“OK, I’m coming...”

The Roman Polak Joke of the Day

A woman was engaged to get married and she had never had any sexual experience whatsoever. So she asked a couple of

her friends what she could do to her husband on their wedding night to really impress him.

One of her friends suggested that she give him a BJ. She asked what a BJ was, but they were all too embarrassed to tell her. Finally one friend told her to just go home and practice on a ketchup bottle. So she practiced for months.

Finally the big night came. They got married, went to the hotel room and she got ready to do her thing.

She unzipped his pants, got down on her knees, grabbed him in her hand, took a deep breath.... and started smacking the top of it with the palm of her other hand.

The BJ Crombeen Joke of the Day

Wanna Be Semi-Famous (Regionally)?

Do you have a different perspective?

Passion? Knowledge? Desire? Work well under deadlines?

Ever pay kick-backs to an editor to get better space?

We’re looking for writers, graphic artists,

statisticians and comedy writers. Contact: [email protected]

G AME T IME

Advanced Hockey Statistics

This table shows the Blues roster’s Corsi Rating. The Corsi Rating was initially developed by Jim Corsi, the goaltending coach for the Buffalo Sabres.

The Corsi Rating measures a player by tallying the number of shots for his team during his shift minus the number of shots taken against his team during his shift.

Shots that miss the net and/or goaltender are not counted, just like any shots that are blocked. This gives us a new way to look at the effective-ness of a player, whether playing forward or de-fense for the team.

Additionally, we have included a statistic labeled as Team +/-. This stat shows each players’ plus/minus rating relative to the team’s overall rating.

This Team +/- gives us a picture of which players are above the average and which are below the average for the team.

We’ve been hearing on our website and from lots of fans who are at the games that it seems like David Perron is constantly getting run by opponents and that he seems to have a talent for drawing penalties.

We decided to check it out.

These stats show the total number of Penalties Drawn by each player as well as the total number of Penalties Taken by the player.

What we found is that the overall impression of Blues fans is correct, as Frenchie leads the way for all the Blues in total numbers as well as in differential between drawn and taken.

On the opposite end is David Backes, whose physical style of play has garnered him a negative-10 differential.

Player POS GP Penalties DRAWN

Penalties TAKEN

Difference

David Perron LW 34 19 5 14Jay McClement C 35 8 5 3BJ Crombeen RW 35 8 5 3Patrik Berglund C 30 7 4 3Keith Tkachuk LW 35 7 11 -4Brad Boyes RW 35 5 3 2Eric Brewer D 26 5 10 -5Alex Steen C 37 5 4 1David Backes RW 35 4 14 -10Jay McKee D 28 3 5 -2Barret Jackman D 35 3 10 -7Andy McDonald C 15 3 4 -1TJ Oshie C 13 2 1 1Carlo Colaiacovo D 27 2 6 -4Roman Polak D 35 2 10 -8Mike Weaver D 18 1 0 1Steve Wagner D 16 1 8 -7Jonas Junland D 1 0 1 -1Paul Kariya LW 11 0 1 -1Jeff Woywitka D 21 0 4 -4Tyson Strachan D 7 0 1 -1

Rk Player Pos Corsi Rating Team +/-1 Alex Pietrangelo D 9.9 2.352 Keith Tkachuk LW 5.4 -0.143 Paul Kariya LW 2.5 2.694 David Backes RW 2.4 0.375 David Perron LW 1.5 1.776 Brad Boyes RW 1.1 -1.477 Alex Steen C 0.9 -0.168 Barret Jackman D 0.5 0.309 Carlo Colaiacovo D -0.8 -0.43

10 Patrik Berglund C -0.8 4.6611 TJ Oshie C -2.0 1.3512 BJ Crombeen RW -2.1 -0.2513 Eric Brewer D -2.7 -0.7914 Andy McDonald C -3.4 -2.9515 Roman Polak D -3.8 1.3816 Mike Weaver D -3.9 -1.0717 Tyson Strachan D -4.9 1.0218 Jay McClement C -5.4 -0.8119 Jeff Woywitka D -7.1 0.2720 Jay McKee D -21.3 -0.7021 Cam Janssen RW -23.0 -1.9622 Yan Stastny C -25.9 -1.97

Not too many Blues have donned the Blue Jacket jacket. In fact some, like Dallas Drake, ran away when they were signed by Columbus. But they have a decent one now in Christian

Backman. He has a gold medal, you know. Backman was one of the many

‘old time’ Blues (he was drafted by St. Louis way back in 1998) who recently

departed. While he is playing some solid time with his new club, he isn’t putting up the same

stats that the other -mans we have had on defense over the years are. Dennis Wideman is leading Boston defensemen, and Kevin Dallman is leading the Astana Barys of the KHL (the professional Russian Continental Hockey League) with 37 points, more than he got in his 150-game NHL career. Wow, I think I sense a Алексея Черепанов trophy in his future.

I’m really sorry. I guess with the holidays and all, I haven’t been paying much attention to the Blues lately, so I had no idea we traded Chris Mason. He now plays for the Blue Jackets, and is doing very good with a 12-7 record and outstanding GAA and save percentage. I also missed him changing his name to Steve (if Mike Danton could change his name, anyone can). And he grew some hair, too. I have really been gone for awhile.

I also somehow missed Andrew Murray stepping down as the coach of the Blues to return to his playing days. Well, good for him. But I thought he was smarter than to play for Columbus. But it must be working out for him, because he looks in better shape now than I can ever remember.

And just to clear a few things up for the people without senses of humor: First, why are you reading this paper? But yes, I know they are both different and unrelated people.

RJ Umberger is really coming into his own lately, with 50 points for the Flyers last year, plus 10 goals in the playoffs, and he is just as hot with the Jackets this year. Manny Malhotra was a highly touted prospect who has been a bust most of his career, but he, too, has put up modest points ever since joining

Columbus. So what do these guys have to do with anything? They were both traded for Martin

Rucinsky, and have worked out pretty well. And you probably didn’t know this, but Rucinsky was also part of the infamous Wayne Gretzky to LA trade as well as the

possibly even more controversial Patrick Roy to Colorado trade. So how is this guy such good trade bait, and the Blues have had him on the team like nine times now, but we have nothing to show for it?

The Ghost of the Blues With Jeff Browning


Blues Record When… With LosBri Playing at MissingTheOldBarnCentre 9-9-2 Playing better with only 4 d-men 0-1-0Playing on the road 5-12-1 Leading after the 1st 7-3-3Rick nASH jersey still seems wrong 14-21-3 Tied after the 1st 4-5-0They score first 8-2-3 Trailing after the 1st 3-13-0The other team scores first 6-18-0 Time to plan mid April vacation 14-21-3They score fewer than 4 goals 5-20-2 Leading after the 2nd 8-1-1They score on the PP 10-10-3 Tied after the 2nd 3-4-2The other team scores on the PP 5-16-2 Trailing after the 2nd 3-16-0They score shorthanded 1-1-0 They played the day before 4-5-1The other team scores shorthanded 1-2-0 The other team played the day before 3-4-1A Blues players has multiple goals 6-2-1 No fights 8-11-2An opposing player has multiple goals 2-10-1 They are called for 7 or more penalties 5-8-2They take 30 or more shots 4-10-0 Other team called for 7 or more penalties 4-9-1They allow 30 or more shots 6-10-2 Emmanual "Wanna buy a house?" Legace starts 10-10-1Playing on Sunday 1-2-1 Chris Mason starts 3-10-1Playing on Monday 2-0-0 Ben Bishop Starts 1-1-1Playing on Tuesday 1-3-0 Game is on KPLR 4-4-0Playing on Wednesday 0-6-0 Playing the Eastern Conference 3-8-1Playing on Thursday 1-3-1 Playing the Atlantic Division 0-3-0Playing on Friday 3-2-1 Playing the Northeast Division 1-2-1Playing on Saturday 6-6-0 Playing the Southeast Division 2-3-0Playing in October 5-4-0 Playing the Western Conference 11-13-2Playing in November 5-6-2 Playing the Central Division 5-2-0Playing in December 4-10-1 Playing the Northwest Division 2-4-1Playing in January 0-1-0 Playing the Pacific Division 4-7-1"Sister" Christian Backman is missed 0-0-0 Colas' phones ringing and nobodys callin 0-1-0

Franchise Foundations

What’d McGrath Trade For These Guys? St. Louis Game Time

Year Player1999 Barret Jackman ~ Drafted 1st rd (17 overall) by STL2001 Jay McClement ~ Drafted 2nd round, 57 overall by STL2002 D.J. King ~ Drafted in 6th rd (190 overall) by STL2003 David Backes ~ Drafted in 2nd rd (62 overall) by STL2004 Roman Polak ~ Drafted in 6th rd (180 overall) by STL

T.J. Oshie ~ Drafted in 1st rd (24 overall) by STLEric Brewer ~ Acquired from EDM with Jeff Woywitka and Doug Lynch for Chris ProngerJeff Woywitka ~ Acquired from EDM with Eric Brewer and Doug Lynch for Chris ProngerErik Johnson ~ Drafted in 1st rd (1 overall) by STLPatrik Berglund ~ Drafted in 1st rd (25 overall) by STLJay McKee ~ Signed as Free Agent (BUF)Dan Hinote ~ Signed as Free Agent (COL)Manny Legace ~ Signed as Free Agent (DET)Yan Stastny ~ Acquired from BOS for 5th rd pick in 2007Brad Boyes ~ Acquired from BOS for Dennis WidemanSteve Wagner ~ Signed as Free Agent (undrafted)David Perron ~ Drafted in 1st rd (26 overall) by STLKeith Tkachuk ~ Signed as Free Agent. Originally acquired from PHX in 2001 for a 1st rd pick in 2002, Ladislav Nagy, Michal Handzus and Jeff TaffePaul Kariya ~ Signed as Free Agent (NAS)Andy McDonald ~ Acquired from ANA for Doug Weight, Michal Birner and a 7th rd pick in 2008Cam Janssen ~ Acquired from NJ for Bryce SalvadorMike Weaver ~ Signed as Free Agent (VAN)Chris Mason ~ Acquired from NAS for a 4th rd pick in 2008Brad Winchester ~ Signed as Free Agent (DAL)B.J. Crombeen ~ Claimed off waivers (DAL)Alexander Steen ~ Acquired with Carlo Colaiacovo from TOR for Lee 'Dutchie' StempniakCarlo Colaiacovo ~ Acquired with Alexander Steen from TOR for Lee 'Dutchie' Stempniak

2007

2006

St. Louis Blues

2005

2008

Year Player2000 Rostislav Klesla ~ Drafted in 1st rd (4 overall) by CLB

Pascal Leclaire ~ Drafted in 1st rd (8th overall) by CLBAndrew Murray ~ Drafted in 8th rd (242 overall) by CLBRick Nash ~ Drafted in 1st rd (1 overall) by CLBOle-Kristian Tollefsen ~ Drafted in 3rd rd (65 overall) by CLBMarc Methot ~ Drafted in 6th rd (168 overall) by CLBManny Malhotra ~ Claimed off waivers (DAL)

2004 Alexandre Picard ~ Drafted in 1st rd (8 overall) by CLBKris Russell ~ Drafted in 3rd rd (67 overall) by CLBJared Boll ~ Drafted in 4th rd (101 overall) by CLBJason Chimera ~ Acquired from PHX with Mike Rupp and Cale Hulse for Geoff Sanderson and Tim JacksonDerick Brassard ~ Drafted in 1st rd (6 overall) by CLBSteve Mason ~ Drafted in 3rd rd (69 overall) by CLBDerek Dorsett ~ Drafted in 7th rd (189 overall) by CLBFredrik Modin ~ Acquired with Fredrik Norrena from TB for Marc DenisJakub Voracek ~ Drafted in 1st rd (7 overall) by CLBJiri Novotny ~ Signed as Free Agent (WAS)Jan Hejda ~ Signed as Free Agent (EDM)Michael Peca ~ Signed as Free Agent (TOR)RJ Umberger ~ Acquired with a 2008 4th rd pick from NYR for 2008 1st and 3rd rd picksNikita Filatov ~ Drafted in 1st rd (6 overall) by CLBRaffi Torres ~ Acquired from EDM for Gilbert BruleMike Commodore ~ Signed as Free Agent (OTT)Kristian Huselius ~ Signed as Free Agent (CGY)Fedor Tyutin ~ Acquired with Christian Backman from NYR for Nikolai Zherdev and Dan FritscheChristian Backman ~ Acquired with Fedor Tyutin from NYR for Nikolai Zherdev and Dan FritscheCraig MacDonald ~ Signed as Free Agent (TB)

2007

2008

2003

2005

Columbus Blue Jackets

2001

2002

2006

NHL LeadersPoints Goals Against Average Shootout Goals1. Evgeni Malkin, PIT 60 1. Steve Mason, CLS 1.66 1. Wojtek Wolski, COL 62. Alex Ovechkin, WAS 52 2. Manny Fernandez, BOS 2.02 2. Nikolai Zherdev, NYR 53. Sidney Crosby, PIT 50 3. Tim Thomas, BOS 2.04 3. Drew Stafford, BUF 44. Marc Savard, BOS 48 4. Scott Clemmensen, NJ 2.17 4. Jonathan Toews, CHI 45. Zach Parise, NJ 46 5. Roberto Luongo, VAN 2.17 5. Milan Hejduk, COL 439. Brad Boyes, STL 33 39. Chris Mason, STL 3.15 6. Brad Boyes, STL 3

Goals Save Percentage Rookie Points1. Jeff Carter, PHI 27 1. Steve Mason, CLS 93.9% 1. Kris Versteeg, CHI 312. Alex Ovechkin, WAS 26 2. Tim Thomas, BOS 93.5% 2. Patrik Berglund, STL 253. Thomas Vanek, BUF 25 3. Craig Anderson, FLA 93.5% 3. Derrick Brassard, CLB 254. Phil Kessel, BOS 23 4. Manny Fernandez, BOS 93.0% 4. Blake Wheeler, BOS 245. Zach Parise, NJ 22 5. Jonas Hiller, ANH 92.9% 5. Mikhail Grabovski, TOR 2310. Brad Boyes, STL 18 34. Chris Mason, STL 90.1%

Plus/Minus Wins Defensemen Points1. Dennis Wideman, BOS 26 1. Miikka Kiprusoff, CGY 22 1. Mark Streit, NYI 312. Marc Savard, BOS 25 2. Evgeni Nabokov, SJ 20 2. Dan Boyle, SJ 303. Blake Wheeler, BOS 23 3. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR 19 3. Brian Rafalski, DET 304. David Krejci, BOS 22 4. Niklas Backstrom, MIN 17 4. Shea Weber, NAS 285. Evgeni Malkin, PIT 20 5. Ryan Miller, BUF 16 5. Brian Campbell,CHI 2725. Patrik Berglund, STL 13 26. Manny Legace, STL 10 79. Barret Jackman, STL 10


NHL Leaders

Around The Weight Gets To 1,000 — On Friday night in Phoenix, former Blue Doug Weight became the 72nd NHLer to get to 1,000 points in his career. The first of his two assists last night is the one that made history.

Weight, who had 75 goals, 220 assists and 295 of his now-1,001 NHL points while wearing the Bluenote, scored the big point on a set-up of a goal by Richard Park.

Despite being on the road, Weight was given a standing ovation. Luckily for him, his wife is from Phoenix, so he reached the mark in front of about 30 friends and family members.

“It was unbelievable for the team to stand up and give me a hand and the crowd, too,” Weight said. “The U.S. has a lot of U.S. hockey fans and me being an American it’s nice to do it on this soil. It was a very nice hand I got and I appreciate it.”

Not To Be Too Bleak, But... — One of the websites that we have linked from our own and that we check probably a little too much is called Sports Club Stats. The idea there is that a statistician has a complex set of formulae that determine the chances that your team will make the playoffs. It also tracks in graphic detail what kind of record the team needs to have to make the second season, as well as publishes a couple graphs that show you when your team started doing well or when, exactly, the wheels fell off.

Currently, things don’t look so good for the Blues. After last night’s loss, the site had the Blues chances at making the playoffs at 5.7%. Even worse than that? Just to have a shot at

the eighth spot they’ll probably have to go at least 27-16-1. And then they’d still require plenty of help from other teams to get in. At the other end of the spectrum, going 34-9-1 or better would virtually guarantee a playoff spot.

Since they’ve lost nine already in the last month, it’s either time for us to give up on the playoffs or time for us to stop going to that website.

Hawks and Cats Goin’ Euro — According to a report by Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers have been invited to open the 2009-2010 season in Prague, Czech Republic.

Blackhawks President John McDonough told the Tribune, “nothing has been finalized, we’ll know sometime in the near future.” The paper went on to say sources report the game or games would be played in Prague likely against the Panthers.

This season, the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning opened with two games in Prague and the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins opened the season in Stockholm, Sweden.

Rumors persist that the Blues will be one of the teams to open the season in Sweden next year, though nothing has been officially confirmed.

To which we say, please, please listen to the admittedly somewhat insane owners of Tampa Bay who, after their team returned from Europe and struggled, said that they would never, ever take their team back to Europe to start a season.

www.hockeywww.hockeywww.hockey---fights.comfights.comfights.com


Columbus Blue Jackets Probable Fighters

•Jared Boll – Boll has been the most active fighter in the NHL the last couple of seasons. Boll is currently leading the league with 13 fighting majors, and he led the league last year with 27. He’s a middleweight agitator that stands 6’2 and weighs 212 pounds.

•Derek Dorsett – Dorsett is a little agitator who won’t back down. He is listed as 5’11 and 187 pounds, and he has been involved in seven fights so far. He had 25 fighting majors in the AHL last season.

•Mike Commodore – Commodore has tremendous size and strength, and he will drop the gloves on occasion. He is listed at 6’5 and 230 pounds, and he has gotten one fighting major so far this season. Commodore had eight fighting majors last season.

St. Louis Blues Probable Fighters

•Cam Janssen – Cam has hung in there with much bigger opponents this year. He has 10 fights so far this season. His last two fights came on 12/16 against the Calgary Flames. He’s been a healthy scratch a lot lately, so who knows if he’ll be dressed tonight.

•BJ Crombeen – Crombeen is a physical player who is willing to drop the gloves when need be. He is 6’2, 212 pounds, and BJ has had 10 fights thus far. He got tagged by Boston’s Milan Lucic in his last fight on 12/21.

•Brad Winchester – Winchester is a big guy with heavy-weight size at 6’5, 230 pounds. He’s a good fighter, and he beat Calgary’s Cory Sarich in his last fight on 12/16. Winchester has had four fights so far.

Fried Chicken’sFried Chicken’sFried Chicken’s

Best bet of the night: Cam Janssen vs Jared Boll — Jason Travers, hockey-fights.com

Tonight’s Matchup: Columbus doesn’t really have a heavyweight enforcer in their lineup, but they dress a couple of agitators who drop the gloves quite often. They come into tonight’s game with 29 fighting majors on the year, and the Blues have had 34 fights so far. These teams haven’t met yet this year, but they played each other eight times last year and there were 11 fights in those games. Seven of those fights came in a late season home and home series on April 5th and 6th. Maybe a little bad blood still exists…

Date Combatants Description Decision

4/6/2008 Matt Walker vs Zenon Konopka

This was a good, long fight where both guys reared back and threw bombs at each other. Walker was winning early, controlling the fight by throwing and landing more punches. Konopka really came on at the end, though, ending the fight with a nasty uppercut to Walker's face.

Edge: Konopka

4/6/2008 Matt Walker vs

Aaron Rome

Walker skated into Rome and pinned him against the boards and basically forced Rome to fight. Walker punched away while Rome just held on.

Win: Walker

4/6/2008 DJ King vs Tom Sestito

Playing in his first NHL game, Sestito jumped King. Sestito didn't give King a chance to drop the gloves early on. Once King got his gloves off, he pounded Sestito with a flurry of lefts and then tackled him to the ice.

Win: King

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Mar 28 '72

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74232

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$6,000,0001

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CAug 25 '77

Strathroy

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71183

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1219:55

$3,333,3331

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NHL Referee Statistics

NHL Linesmen # Name # Name # Name # Name # Name17 Heyer, Shane 61 Seitz, Lyle 73 Rody, Vaughan 80 Nelson, Thor 91 Henderson, Don47 Schachte, Dan 65 Racicot, Pierre 74 Cameron, Lonnie 82 Galloway, Ryan 92 Shewchyk, Mark54 Devorski, Greg 66 Gibbs, Darren 75 Amell, Derek 84 Sericolo, Tony 93 Murphy, Brian56 Wheler, Mark 67 Champoux, Pierre 76 Cormier, Michel 86 Lazarowich, Brad 95 Murray, Jonny57 Sharrers, Jay 68 Driscoll, Scott 77 Nowak, Tim 88 Cvik, Mike 96 Brisebois, David59 Barton, Steve 70 Nansen, Derek 78 Mach, Brian 89 Miller, Steve 97 Morin, Jean60 Dapuzzo, Pat 71 Kovachik, Brad 79 Pare, Mark 90 McElman, Andy

Blues Games

Blues PP

Blues PK W L

OTL

Blues Games

Blues PP

Blues PK W L

OTL

2 Fraser, Kerry Sarnia, ON 1980 2 5 12 1 1 0 7 26 31 3 4 03 Leggo, Mike North Bay, ON 1997 3 14 10 1 2 0 10 48 41 4 6 04 McCauley, Wes Georgetown, ON 2003 2 4 7 0 2 0 5 14 18 1 3 15 Rooney, Chris Boston, MA 2000 4 13 17 1 3 0 11 48 58 3 6 26 Marouelli, Dan Edmonton, AB 1984 2 9 9 0 2 0 4 15 17 0 4 07 McCreary, Bill Guelph, ON 1984 3 16 11 1 2 0 5 26 20 2 3 08 Jackson, Dave Montreal, PQ 1990 2 4 7 0 2 0 7 23 30 4 3 010 Devorski, Paul Guelph, ON 1989 3 13 15 1 1 1 5 24 24 2 2 111 Sutherland, Kelly Richmond, BC 2000 4 19 16 1 3 0 8 30 28 1 6 112 Koharski, Don Dartmouth, NS 1981 2 9 9 0 2 0 4 21 15 1 3 013 O'Halloran, Dan Essex, ON 1995 3 21 23 1 1 1 9 42 56 5 3 114 LaRue, Dennis Savannah, GA 1991 3 11 13 1 2 0 9 35 39 2 4 315 Auger, Stephane Montreal, PQ 2000 1 7 5 0 1 0 7 41 48 4 2 116 Shick, Rob Port Alberni, BC 1986 3 10 14 2 1 0 9 28 39 2 6 018 Kimmerly, Greg Toronto, ON 1996 2 8 10 0 1 1 9 32 37 3 5 120 Peel, Tim Toronto, ON 1999 5 20 21 2 3 0 11 47 40 4 5 221 VanMassenhoven, Don Parkhill, ON 1993 3 17 15 1 2 0 10 44 47 6 3 123 Watson, Brad Regina, Sas 1996 3 16 16 1 1 1 8 35 40 3 2 325 Joannette, Marc Verdun, PQ 1999 4 18 22 1 2 1 6 25 30 1 4 126 Martell, Rob Winnipeg, MB 1996 3 11 15 1 2 0 12 51 62 8 4 027 Furlatt, Eric Trois-Rivieres, PQ 2001 3 15 12 1 2 0 6 29 28 3 2 128 Lee, Chris St John, NB 2001 2 13 13 0 1 1 6 28 31 2 2 229 Walsh, Ian Philadelphia, PA 2000 2 8 8 0 2 0 5 17 21 1 4 030 Hasenfratz, Mike Regina, SK 2000 3 9 10 1 1 132 Kowal, Tom Vernon, BC 2000 1 2 3 1 0 0 7 32 32 2 3 233 Pollock, Kevin Kincardine, ON 2000 2 5 6 1 1 0 7 27 30 3 4 034 Meier, Brad Dayton, OH 1999 1 4 2 1 0 0 8 34 30 4 3 135 Warren, Dean Toronto, ON 1999 6 34 25 1 3 236 Morton, Dean Peterborough, ON 2000 2 9 7 2 0 0 3 16 13 3 0 037 Rehman, Kyle Stettler, AB 2008 1 5 5 1 0 0 1 5 5 1 0 038 St Laurent, Francois Greenfield Park, PQ 2006 1 6 6 1 0 0 4 16 18 1 2 139 Dwyer, Gord Halifax, NS 2003 1 6 4 0 1 0 6 28 24 2 4 040 Kozari, Steve Penticton, BC 2006 6 30 26 3 3 042 O'Rourke, Dan Calgary, AB 1999 2 11 7 0 1 143 Pochmara, Brian Detroit, MI 2006 3 12 13 2 1 0 6 26 33 2 4 045 St. Pierre, Justin Dolbeau, PQ 2003 5 23 22 3 1 1

TOTALS 38 165 173 13 22 3 510 538 46 58 15

2008-2009 Since 20071st

GameBornOfficialNo.

St. Louis Game Time Scorecard St. Louis Blues vs. Columbus Blue Jackets; Saturday, January 3, 2009

Referee: ________________________ Referee: ________________________

Linesman: ______________________ Linesman: ______________________

Shots Team

Jackets

Blues

1st

2d

3rd

OT

SO

F

Score Team

Jackets

Blues

1st

2d

3rd

OT

SO

F

Blues Starting Lineup

C:

LW:

RW:

D:

D:

G:

Jackets Starting Lineup

C:

LW:

RW:

D:

D:

G:

Three Stars of the Game

1st Star:

2nd Star:

3rd Star:

Other Stars of the Game

GWG:

GW Goalie:

Hard Hat:

Per. Time Team Goalscorer 1st Assist 2nd Assist

Per. Time Team Penalized Player Penalty

Goal Scoring

Penalties Called

Game Notes:

G AME T IME

Ask Game Time’s Answer Man

Is it better to drive down to the Blues game or take Metro Link? Henry (Spanish Lake-MO)

Drive, but only if you haven’t had anything to drink (like I need to remind you right? right?!). If you drive down you can rock Sabbath Vol. 4. With the Metro, it is so packed after a game and slightly confusing. More importantly, it doesn’t go near my place in North Co. which totally sucks. I guess totally sweet areas scare off the Metro Link builders or something.

Would you rather get blown out by 8 goals or lose 4 to 3? Ian (Geneva-IL)

I’d rather be blown, duh.

Oh, wait, I got it. I still want to keep my same answer. Just ask Big Rhonda. She knows what I like and I will even pay double. Wait, Oh, OK I see now. I thought that was an odd question but I get it now.

Dude, I’d rather be blown out. I guess my answer really didn’t change. The worst way to lose is to lose by one goal. It is so close you can taste it and then it all comes crashing down and life really sucks. I’d rather have no chance that evening. Emotionally it is easier to take.

OK, Mr. Answer Man. Who is going to win the Cup this year? Jerry (St. Joseph-MO)

That is tough to call. It is like asking, “Who is skankier; Pam Anderson, Carmen Electra or that girl from Washing-ton, MO that David Spade knocked up?”

It is really a flip of the coin. Fans in Vancouver think they have it made because they just signed that Bald Swede but he is going to dick the whole vibe up there. Others pick Detroit. I say no way. They will run out of gas because they won it last year. Chicago is playing well but I’m afraid Patrick Kane will get grounded for not cleaning up his room so he’ll have to sit out a few games. Lastly, some people are picking Boston. Right now, I’d say Boston but they have a Euro as a Captain and we all know that doesn’t increase your odds. I’ll go on record and pick Boston though.

Happy New Year Answer Nation. Remember this is our last year to use the term “Aught” when discussing what year it is. It is “Aught-Nine” baby! Go Blues!

Send your questions on hockey (NHL or rec league), Busch beer or any other thing that keeps you awake at night to: [email protected] and have them answered here.

Answer Man Quick Hits:

In an effort to start off the New Year right, I am cleaning out my in-box. A clean box is a happy box (that’s what she said). I get a ton of e-mails with a variety of questions. The following is a gathering of questions that just don’t require a big response. Hopefully this will help clear my thoughts and provide my in-box with the appropriate douching it needs. Enjoy Answer Nation, I know I did.

Is it better to have big hands or small hands for fighting? I know a bigger hand might be advantageous because of

more to hit with but would a smaller mitt be easier to throw and also less hand

to hit a helmet with? Bryan (St. Louis-MO)

Just like with the ladies; thicker and bigger is always better. There’s a saying, “It may not hit the bottom of the well but it will sure as hell beat up the sides.”

You want giant man-hands to rearrange your opponents face. One of my

favorite lines is to tell my combatant before we go is, “Man, you better change your face or I’m gonna change it for you. I just really want to punch you in your stupid face.”

What would you do if your Rec. League team picked up a goalie from South County? Anthony (Creve Coeur-MO)

The world would end. Just kidding…or am I? Seriously though, I’d quit and join a rival team. I’d also tell my former teammates to keep their heads up because the freight train is comin.’

What is a better album, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath or Black Sabbath Vol. 4 and why? Frank (Olivette-MO)

Both are incredible pieces of work. No competition though, Vol. 4 has Supernaut. That song brings the noise, the funk and everything else that is right with hard rock and metal. The drum solo alone should have gotten Bill Ward in the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame.

What is the best pregame fruit to have? Gary (University City-MO)

That is easy and should be covered in my pre-game ritual column a few months ago. I guess you snoozed on that one, dude. Here goes anyway, I always eat three clementines before every winter league game. One for a goal, one for an assist and one for a really sweet fight or making someone from the other team cry.


G AME T IME

My gawd, the Jackets are uninteresting. There’s Rick Nash, who has apparently scored only 14 goals against the ‘Note in 28 career games, although it seems to me like he has a multi-point game every single time. Then there’s former rookie points leader Derick Brassard: injured. What about Mr. Nine-shutout, 2.25 GAA from last season, Pascal Leclaire? He’s been recovering from some sort of injury

stemming from his starring role as the monkey in Outbreak 2. It’s a straight-to–video release, so in the likely event that Steve Mason starts in his stead, you can get your fix on dumb looking assholes from the $4.99 DVD bin at your local retail giant.

So that’s it – it’s pretty much just

Nash who holds any combination of fantasy talent and upside, and spending such an early pick on a player on such an unproductive offense (2.50 goals per game, good for 22nd in the NHL) is always a bad idea. In terms of fantasy production, this Columbus team makes the current roster of Blues look like the 1961 Yankees – David Perron, Patrick Berglund, and the now healthy T.J. Oshie are likely t0 be available in your league, are producing very well, and have a stretch of six games in 11 days coming up on the next road trip.

It seems like the Blues have been the victim of some terrible scheduling this season, having to endure three home games in four days just before traveling halfway across the country to return for a single home game, then leaving again on a huge trip, but that’s how it goes for any team that’s not in the Northeast. If you’re in a head-to-head league and can change your rosters for each individual day, take advantage of

the clumps in the schedule. If you’ve got the ability and the space, clear a roster spot or two just to rotate players in and out in order to get as many games played by skaters as you can each week. Over the next two weeks, the Anaheim Ducks have four games during each week starting tomorrow against Phoenix. If winger Bobby Ryan is available, he makes a great plug-and-play due to his expanded role in the Ducks offense following Teemu Selanne’s injury.

The Atlanta Thrashers have four games coming up in the next seven days, and scorers like centers Todd White (12 goals, 22 assists) and Bryan Little (19 goals, 13 assists) are probably overlooked on your league’s waiver wire as well. The Blackhawks and Devils each have five games coming up in the next eight days, and both the Canucks and Penguins have three-game sets over the span of four days in that same time period. Instead of picking up a new guy each day, you’ll be able to pick up one or two for the entire week and get quite a bit of mileage out of them.

When you’re picking off of the waiver wire just to fill in for a day, make sure that your new addition isn’t playing against a lock-down defense. You’re going to want to avoid teams like Boston, San Jose, Minnesota, Montreal, Vancouver, and New Jersey; they’re all playing dominating defense and are getting great goaltending to go along with it. If you haven’t been under a rock since this summer, you’re not going to be surprised that the Blues are at the opposite end of the spectrum along with teams like Atlanta, New York’s Islanders, Toronto, Dallas, and Edmonton.

You couldn’t swing a dead cat in any of those locker rooms without hitting a defenseman or two who have no freaking business playing in the NHL, so feel free to pick on every last one of them. Keep in mind that the matchup isn’t everything, but if you’re struggling to make a decision between two similar players, the next day’s matchup usually makes for one hell of a tiebreaker.

Let’s go Blues!

The Fantasy Files By Duke

Mr. Peepers Pascal Leclaire is becoming less relevant in fantasy hockey, but more relevant to Jane Goodall.

• Definitely renaming the mascot ‘PizzaPussySanta’ because we noted that everyone loves at least one of those three things.

• Holding a raffle where the winner gets to push Towel Boy.

• Stopped doing the 1,001 Uses bullshit.

• Despite trying to stay incognito, GT Staff now constantly followed by dudes in jackets and earpieces everywhere they go.

• Angelllla seriously considering the Quad L.

• New Blues motto is now, “Hey, You Fucked Up; You Trusted Us.”

You Wanna Know How I Know… ...Management Is Paying Attention To Us?

opponents to 28.7 shots against per game from Dec. 3-26).

Then came a stunning 3-1 home loss to bottom-feeder San Antonio on Dec. 27, and all of a sudden the roof began to fall in. The next night, again at home, Peoria gave up a three-goal lead in the last 2:37 against Houston, eventually losing in the shootout, and have followed on with back-to-back 3-1 losses to Grand Rapids and division-leading Milwaukee.

There is, however, good news for Rivermen fans. Last night, Peoria broke the losing streak and turned the tables on San Antonio with a 3-1 win on Carver Arena ice. Veteran and team captain Trent Whitfield led the way for the Rivermen with a hat trick, Steve Regier assisted on each of Whitfield’s

goals, Chares Linglet added two assists as well, and Chris Holt stymied the Rampage by stopping 25 of 26 shots.

If the previous 36 games are any indication, last night’s win should start a nice three or four-game win streak for the Rivermen. In the tight AHL Midwest Division, that would be enough to keep pace with and even possibly pass the red-hot Milwaukee Admirals, who with 48 points (23-9-1-1) in 34 games currently sit six points ahead of the second-place Rivermen (20-15-1-1), who have 42 points in 37 games.

One player who has abso-lutely gone above and beyond the call of duty for Davis Payne’s squad this season is the 23-year-old Holt. Signed

as a free agent over the summer for depth purposes, Holt has made the most of his limited opportunities thus far in post-ing the best goals-against average and save percentage of any goalie in the organization. Holt is a big man at 6'3, 220, but his movement in the net is very fluid and controlled, and his mechanics are superior to the Blues’ other minor-league goaltenders at this point. He is on only a one-year deal with the Blues, but there should not be any issue with getting a longer-term deal done well in advance of his free agent eligibility date.

The only issue that might come up would be the same one that chased Holt from the Rangers’ organization in the first place. The Rangers had a lot of time and money invested in other goaltenders (Al Montoya, Miika Wiikman), and kept Holt behind those goalies on the depth chart even though he was outplaying them. The situation with the Blues is similar in that the Blues have hometown boy Ben Bishop and first-

(Continued on page 21)

Consistency.

It’s a word you hear a lot from hockey coaches and GMs. It’s something they look for in individuals and in a team, and something that causes them no end of sleepless nights when it’s lacking.

Lack of consistency, an inability to be equally good from one day to the next, kept prospect Nikolay Lemtyugov from getting a cup of coffee in the NHL, and drove the intriguing prospect (who has landed with his previous club, Severstal Cherepovets along with another ex-Blues’ prospect, Ladislav Nagy, where he has two goals and is a plus-2 in four games) back to his home country.

Lack of consistency is what’s keeping former first-round selection Marek Schwarz from nailing down a starting job in Peoria, and a spot at the top of the list of potential call-ups to St. Louis; it currently has him playing behind an undrafted rookie free agent in Alaska.

Lack of consistency, lack of a solid 60-minute effort game in and game out, is keeping the Blues from making any headway in a tough Central Division, and lack of consis-tency is what has had the Peoria Rivermen and their fans reeling in the midst of a four-game losing streak as the curtain rises on calendar year 2009.

Now, to be fair, it doesn’t help the Rivermen’s cause any when their lineup is being shuffled on an almost daily basis as injured players drop like flies in St. Louis. Nor does it do the Rivermen any favors to be, like their parent team in St. Louis, stuck in the strongest and most competitive division in their league. The ability to rise above those challenges is what separates contenders from also-rans, however, and the Rivermen have yet to put together a consis-tent string of wins and solid 60-minute games in order to achieve that separation.

Just a week ago, it looked as though the Rivermen might have turned the corner. The team had been on a hot streak, winning eight of 11 games in December, starting the month with a sweep of a home-and-home series against their arch-rivals, the Chicago Wolves. They were providing their goaltenders with offensive support (outscoring opponents 33-24 from Dec. 3-26) and defensive support (limiting

Tomorrow’s Blues By Brian Weidler

Rivermen Steering A Rocky Course In Peoria

Blues’ prospects (from L to R) Alexander Hellström, Jim Jackson, Steve Wagner, Chris Holt and Ben Bishop take a breather during a recent game at

Carver Arena.

(Game Time photo by Brian Weidler)


G AME T IME

Tomorrow’s Blues (continued)

rounder Marek Schwarz already in the organization, but Schwarz has struggled with consistency and is currently behind Holt on the organizational depth chart. Still, Schwarz’ status as a former first-round pick, and his still largely-untapped potential could keep him in the organizational picture even if Holt continues to outplay him.

Only his minutes played (598 in ten games through Jan. 2) keep Holt out of the top ten in the AHL’s goals-against average and save percentage. In his ten games with the Rivermen, Holt has put up a 6-4-0 record with a 1.80 GAA and 92.4% save percentage. The native of suburban Vancouver has allowed more than two goals against only twice this year, in a 4-3 OT win at Grand Rapids on the day after Christmas, and in a 3-1 loss to Milwaukee on New Year's Eve.

Also performing above expectations is defenseman Jonas Junland (30 GP, 8-10-18, minus-1, 6 PIM). The rookie blueliner from Linköping, Sweden has established himself as a top-pairing defenseman in Peoria this year, and is playing in all situations. Junland has shown a knack for scoring in key situations, with five goals on the power play and two short-

(Continued from page 20) handed goals; two of his goals are also the first goal of the game, always a positive where coaches are concerned.

By contrast, the other to goaltenders in Peoria, Blues’ draftees Ben Bishop and Marek Schwarz, lead the list of players who need to step it up and find their ‘A’ game on a consistent basis. Bishop’s 10-8-1 record with one shutout is respectable for a goalie in his first full pro season, but a 2.81 GAA and 89.5% save percentage won’t get the job done night in and night out. Schwarz is still six games over .500 for his AHL career, thanks to a 19-13-0 rookie season in 2006-07, but a 4-4-0 record, 3.56 GAA and 86.8% save percentage are the poorest numbers of his career to date, and have earned him a trip to Alaska o get his game straightened out.

Next time in ‘Tomorrow’s Blues,’ we'll review the perform-ances of the seven Blues’ prospects that represented their countries in the World Junior Championships, and also take a look at the performances of some players at the tournament who could end up hearing their names called by Jarmo Kekalainen on draft day this coming summer. Until then, remember... “if we do not prepare for ourselves the role of the hammer, there will be nothing left but that of the anvil.”

Auf wiedersehen.

We Dare You To Find Better Prospect Info. St. Louis Game Time

Steve Mason Catches: Left

Height: 6' 4

Weight: 212

Birthdate: May 29, 1988

Birthplace: Oakville, Ontario

It’s been eight seasons since a goaltender won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year, and the goaltender who did it that year (Evgeni Nabokov) was 25 years old, a veteran of four years of European elite league play and three years in the AHL. You had to go back to 1984 and ex-Blue Tom Barrasso to find a

‘pure’ rookie -- one who makes the NHL in his first pro season -- who made that kind of impact. That is, you had to do that before this year.

At this time last year, Columbus’ Steve Mason was leading Canada to yet another gold medal in the World Junior Championships, picking up the tournament MVP and Top Goalie awards along the way before returning to the OHL, where he won 32 games in a season split between London and Kitchener. Later, Mason went 5-0 in the OHL

playoffs, sharing duty Chicago draftee with Josh Unice as Kitchener won the OHL title and a berth in the Memorial Cup.

This year, as of Jan. 2, the 20-year-old Mason leads the NHL in goals-against average (1.69), save percentage (93.8%) and shutouts (5). He started this season in Syracuse of the AHL, but was quickly recalled to Columbus after posting a 2-1-0 record, 1.63 GAA and 93.7% save percent-age.

Drafted 69th overall by the Jackets in 2006, Mason is a quick and athletic butterfly

goaltender with a quick glove hand, first-class puckhandling ability, and an ability to recover almost immediately after making the save.

By Brian Weidler


Remember Me?

Blair Atcheynum

DOB: April 20, 1969 in Estevan, Saskatche-wan

Position: Right Wing

Played for the Blues: 73 games from 1997-1999

About ten years ago, the Blues decided to go with a youth movement. The bomb rubble that the Blues were after the departure of Mike Keenan provided a winning mix of veterans like Pierre Turgeon, Geoff Courtnall, Hall of Famers Brett Hull and Al MacInnis, plus a new generation of young players such as Pavol Demitra, Jim Campbell, and the trio of Craig Conroy, Scott Pellerin, and Blair Atcheynum.

Signed as a free agent during August of 1997, Atcheynum made Coach Joel Quenneville’s squad out of training camp and was quickly put on the team’s third line with Conroy and Pellerin.

The CPA line was formed, and the fans loved the gritty, hardworking, and successful combination. While Conroy would go on to bigger and better things with Calgary and

Los Angeles, and Pellerin had a decent career after leaving St. Louis, “Atch” had his best year in the league while here in St. Louis.

Atcheynum’s 26 points that season (in 61 games) was third on his line, three behind Pellerin, and 17 less than Conroy. He did reach double digits in goals (11), and was a valuable penalty killer that season as well.

Nashville claimed Atcheynum in the 1998 expansion draft, and he played 53 games with the Predators before being reacquired by the Blues at the 1998 trade deadline in exchange for a sixth round draft pick in the 2000 draft. He played in 12 games after his reacquisition, and was let go at the end of the season.

A stop in Chicago, where he played for both the Blackhawks and the Wolves (who played in the IHL at the time) was followed by one final professional season playing for the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals in 2000-2001.

Since retirement, Atcheynum has returned to his native Saskatchewan to be an assistant coach for the Battlefords North Stars of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League

By Brad Lee & Chris Gift

The Five Hole (continued)

just the four of them on defense. But again, nice effort, quality loss, moral victory, zero points.

Love is too strong of a word for how I feel about the Blues, but just for comedy, I’ll use Microsoft’s thesaurus to substitute words for it in the next paragraph.

I’ve rambled enough. I “be keen on” writing for Game Time, I “find irresistible” the Blues, and I “be devoted” to going to every game. Folks, I’m ready for a road trip. Burnout has set in, and 12 days without a home game, and six without a game at all will sure help.

Then again, if the Blues win tonight, I’ll probably have my column for the Colorado game finished before I go to bed tonight.

Contact: [email protected]

(Continued from page 5)

“How much can you know about yourself if you’ve never

been in a

fight?”

St. Louis Game TimeSt. Louis Game TimeSt. Louis Game Time www.stlouisgametime.com

The 2008-2009

Lucky Skate Shuffle

Tracker

Finishing Point Times Occurred

This Year / Percentage

Puck finishes in same skate as starting point.

16 / 80.0%

Puck finishes in skate one place lower than start

point. 4 / 20.0%

Puck finishes in skate one place higher than start

point. 0 / 0.0%

G AME T IME

Top 11 Things That Carlo Colaiacovo Is Thinking

Today

11. Is it ‘use your head’ and ‘hit with your hip’ or the other way around?

10. Boy, can’t wait to fly to Carolina for the game tomorrow.

9. Static. 8. Getting injured like that is embarrassing. Thank

god there’s no way footage of that will get on the internet.

7. I bet I’m the only guy on the planet who got to see fireworks yesterday.

6. Yeah, coach, I’m ready to go. Where do you want me to go?

5. Where’d I leave my car keys? And my car? And whose house is this?

4. Concussions are so much funnier in cartoons. 3. So this is what it feels like to be Jim Campbell. 2. Wow. Nineteen games before I got injured here.

New record! 1. That’s my last name? How do you pronounce it?

From the 12 Fluid Ounces of Gallagher’s Brain

Somewhere Just West of Sobriety. www.stlouisgametime.com

• You’re wearing a college football hat that appears to have a pot leaf on it.

• Used to getting your ass kicked by Michigan in everything.

• You had to stop wearing your favorite player’s jersey when he killed a little girl at a game.

• Your jersey has a patch of either a hat or a bug on it.

• You’re used to failure.

• Your team’s top goalie looks like a monkey. Your team’s top goal scorer is a little pudgy. Not really sure about anyone else.

• You aren’t ‘Oh’ on both ends, but you’re definitely high in the middle.

• Pretty sure that you’re just two defensemen and four or five forwards away from being ‘very competitive.’

You Wanna Know How I Know… ...That You’re A Blue Jackets Fan?


NHL Standings—Goin’ Uphill

Wish You Had Game Time When You Watch The Blues At Home?

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Eastern ConferenceATLANTIC GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10Philadelphia 38 21 10 7 49 131 118 26.8 83.0 12-4-3 9-6-4 6-3-1NY Rangers 39 23 13 3 49 107 107 14.2 88.2 13-7-2 10-6-1 5-4-1New Jersey 37 22 12 3 47 113 95 16.3 80.7 12-7-1 10-5-2 6-3-1Pittsburgh 38 19 15 4 42 120 114 17.5 81.2 8-8-2 11-7-2 4-6-0NY Islanders 39 12 23 4 28 102 141 18.5 81.5 7-9-2 5-14-2 2-6-2NORTHEAST GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10Boston 38 29 5 4 62 141 84 24.7 83.3 14-1-1 15-4-3 10-0-0Montreal 37 21 10 6 48 109 95 14.1 82.2 11-4-4 10-6-2 5-4-1Buffalo 38 18 15 5 41 109 109 20.3 86.5 10-9-2 8-6-3 4-4-2Toronto 38 15 17 6 36 116 137 20.4 73.2 7-7-4 8-10-2 5-5-0Ottawa 35 13 17 5 31 83 100 18.1 82.7 9-6-3 4-11-2 3-7-0SOUTHEAST GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10Washington 39 25 11 3 53 131 115 23.1 80.1 16-1-1 9-10-2 9-1-0Carolina 39 19 15 5 43 102 114 14.8 77.7 11-9-1 8-6-4 6-3-1Florida 37 16 16 5 37 93 104 14.0 82.6 8-5-3 8-11-2 4-4-2Atlanta 39 13 21 5 31 114 142 21.4 73.1 7-11-2 6-10-3 4-5-1Tampa Bay 37 10 17 10 30 89 117 14.5 81.3 4-6-7 6-11-3 4-4-2Western ConferenceCENTRAL GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10Detroit 37 25 7 5 55 138 109 27.4 79.5 13-3-2 12-4-3 6-3-1Chicago 35 20 8 7 47 127 94 23.8 83.9 11-2-4 9-6-3 8-2-0Columbus 38 18 16 4 40 102 104 10.3 82.1 11-6-1 7-10-3 6-3-1Nashville 37 17 17 3 37 91 109 13.5 82.8 10-5-1 7-12-2 3-6-1St.Louis 38 14 21 3 31 107 130 21.5 80.4 9-9-2 5-12-1 2-8-0NORTHWEST GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10Calgary 37 22 11 4 48 115 110 19.0 85.2 13-4-3 9-7-1 6-1-3Vancouver 40 21 15 4 46 115 105 17.2 82.5 11-6-1 10-9-3 5-4-1Colorado 38 19 18 1 39 104 113 16.9 79.3 11-7-0 8-11-1 5-5-0Minnesota 36 18 16 2 38 92 84 22.8 88.2 11-7-2 7-9-0 3-6-1Edmonton 36 17 16 3 37 101 111 18.8 73.6 6-6-3 11-10-0 4-5-1PACIFIC GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10San Jose 37 28 4 5 61 128 87 22.4 85.7 18-0-2 10-4-3 6-1-3Phoenix 39 19 15 5 43 102 110 13.9 80.5 13-5-2 6-10-3 5-2-3Anaheim 39 19 15 5 43 111 112 19.7 81.6 10-8-3 9-7-2 3-5-2Dallas 36 16 15 5 37 107 123 15.0 76.6 9-6-3 7-9-2 6-3-1Los Angeles 37 15 16 6 36 95 102 18.6 83.9 10-8-6 5-8-0 4-4-2

St. Louis Blues Schedule and Results

G AME T IME

October January (continued)

DATE OPPONENT SCORE RECORD WINNING/LOSING GOALIE


Oct 10 Fri Predators 5-2 1-0-0 Legace/Ellis Jan 17 Sat Blackhaw ksOct 11 Sat @Islanders 2-5 1-1-0 MacDonald/Mason Jan 19 Mon @BruinsOct 13 Mon @Maple Leafs 5-4 SO 2-1-0 Legace/Toskala Jan 21 Wed @Blackhaw ksOct 16 Thu Stars 6-1 3-1-0 Legace/Turco Jan 24 Sat All-Star Skills/Young Stars GameOct 18 Sat Blackhaw ks 4-3 SO 4-1-0 Legace/Khabibulin Jan 25 Sun All-Star GameOct 22 Wed Red Wings 3-4 4-2-0 Conklin/Legace Jan 29 Thu SenatorsOct 24 Fri Kings 0-4 4-3-0 LaBarbera/Legace Jan 31 Sat FlyersOct 25 Sat Panthers 4-0 5-3-0 Bishop/AndersonOct 30 Thu Hurricanes 0-1 5-4-0 Ward/Mason

November February



Nov 1 Sat Penguins 3-6 5-5-0 Fleury/Mason Feb 2 Mon @Red WingsNov 5 Wed @Ducks 2-5 5-6-0 Giguere/Mason Feb 3 Tue @Blue JacketsNov 6 Thu @Sharks 4-5 SO 5-6-1 Nabokov/Bishop Feb 5 Thu OilersNov 8 Sat @Kings 3-5 5-7-1 Ersberg/Legace Feb 7 Sat AvalancheNov 12 Wed @Sabres 3-4 5-8-1 Miller/Mason Feb 10 Tue CanucksNov 14 Fri @Blackhaw ks 4-3 OT 6-8-1 Legace/Khabibulin Feb 12 Thu @PredatorsNov 16 Sun Canadiens 2-3 SO 6-8-2 Price/Legace Feb 13 Fri Blackhaw ksNov 21 Fri Ducks 3-2 OT 7-8-2 Legace/Giguere Feb 16 Mon RangersNov 22 Sat @Wild 2-1 8-8-2 Mason/Backstrom Feb 18 Wed @Blue JacketsNov 25 Tue @Predators 1-0 SO 9-8-2 Mason/Ellis Feb 19 Thu @PredatorsNov 26 Wed @Avalanche 1-3 9-9-2 Budaj/Legace Feb 21 Sat PredatorsNov 29 Sat Oilers 2-4 9-10-2 Roloson/Legace Feb 24 Tue CoyotesNov 30 Sun @Thrashers 4-2 10-10-2 Mason/Pavelec Feb 26 Thu @Stars

Feb 28 Sat @Coyotes

December March



Dec 3 Wed @Wild 0-4 10-11-2 Backstrom/Legace Mar 3 Tue Red WingsDec 5 Fri Flames 3-4 OT 10-11-3 Kipprusoff/Mason Mar 6 Fri @LightningDec 6 Sat Coyotes 4-3 11-11-3 Legace/Bryzgalov Mar 7 Sat @PanthersDec 8 Mon Predators 6-3 12-11-3 Legace/Rinne Mar 10 Tue StarsDec 10 Wed @Ducks 2-4 12-12-3 Giguere/Mason Mar 12 Thu SharksDec 11 Thu @Kings 2-6 12-13-3 Ersberg/Mason Mar 14 Sat Red WingsDec 13 Sat @Sharks 4-5 12-14-3 Nabokov/Mason Mar 15 Sun WildDec 16 Tue Flames 3-6 12-15-3 Kipprusoff/Mason Mar 17 Tue @OilersDec 18 Thu @Capitals 2-4 12-16-3 Varlamov/Bishop Mar 19 Thu @CanucksDec 20 Sat Wild 4-2 13-16-3 Legace/Backstrom Mar 20 Fri @FlamesDec 21 Sun Bruins 3-6 13-17-3 Fernandez/Legace Mar 24 Tue KingsDec 23 Tue @Red Wings 1-4 13-18-3 Conklin/Legace Mar 26 Thu CanucksDec 27 Sat Sharks 3-2 SO 14-18-3 Legace/Nabokov Mar 28 Sat Blue JacketsDec 28 Sun Ducks 3-4 14-19-3 Hiller/Mason Mar 29 Sun @Blue JacketsDec 30 Tue Devils 3-4 14-20-3 Clemmensen/Legace

January April



Jan 2 Fri @Hurricanes 2-3 14-21-3 Ward/Mason Apr 1 Wed @Blackhaw ksJan 3 Sat Blue Jackets Apr 2 Thu @Red WingsJan 9 Fri @Canucks Apr 4 Sat @StarsJan 11 Sun @Oilers Apr 7 Tue @CoyotesJan 13 Tue @Flames Apr 10 Fri Blue JacketsJan 15 Thu Avalanche Apr 12 Sun @Avalanche

forwards, namely Keith Tkachuk (unrestricted free agent after this season), McDonald (also in a contract year) and Kariya (his contract is up after next season). While the fans who have helped sell out 15 of the Blues’ 20 home games so far this season probably don’t want to hear it, every decision the Blues make now should be geared to making a playoff run next year and becoming a contender the seasons that come after that. Sure, more than half the season is still yet to be played, the prospects for this year are bleak at best.

Third, the Blues need to sort out the tangled mess on defense. Jay McKee has been a bust, Eric Brewer has been good in spurts but not consistent and always in the limelight with fans when he makes a mistake. Barret Jackman is a steady defensive defenseman, but he’s below average with the puck and shouldn’t ever get power play time. Jeff Woywitka is just a guy skating back-wards right now looking for an identity. Roman Polak is one of the fastest skaters on the team, but he doesn’t always know where to go and when to be there. Then you’ve got Alex Pietrangelo in juniors and Erik Johnson recovering from knee reconstruction. Of course there’s Steve Wagner trying to earn a spot and prospect Ian Cole learning at Notre Dame. Out of that jumble of players, all who could be under contract next year no problem, the Blues need to find a well-rounded group of six or seven defensemen who complement each other and give the Blues a chance to move the puck up the ice while also giving the team hell up and down the ice.

Finally, the Blues need to see a consistent job from Andy Murray. After this season will be written off to bad luck and bad breaks, Murray will be under the gun to perform next season. If on Jan. 2, 2010 the Blues are in last place in the conference, there will be hell to pay.

(Continued from page 1) Listening to The Morning After on Friday morning on Team 1380, lots of people called up saying they thought the Blues would be the next St. Louis team to make the playoffs. Everyone can see the potential. While New Jersey was kicking their ass on Tuesday night,

broadcasters on Versus were saying the league is watching out for the Blues and expecting them to be dangerous in the near future. The pressure is mounting with another playoff-less run. The next 12 months are going to be very interest-ing for this hockey team.

To not forget the here and now, the Columbus Blue Jackets come to town tonight on a four-game winning steak which they extended Friday night with a 6-1 win at Colorado. It was the first game in four that 20-year-old rookie goaltender Steve Mason had allowed a goal. A late first period score by Darcy Tucker ended 199 minutes and 19 sec-onds of shutout hockey for Mason. Hopefully the dude is tired and won’t be in net tonight. On offense for Colum-bus, Kristian Huselius scored two goals and Rick Nash had a goal and three assists (all on the first four Columbus scores, putting the game out of reach for the shorthanded Avalanches). This is the exact wrong time for the Blues to be seeing Columbus.

Even if the Blues get the Blue

Jackets’ other goaltender, monkey-faced Pascal Leclaire, that’s not exactly a good thing. He is 6-4-2 against the Blues in his career. After going 24-17-6 last season, he’s fallen off to 4-6-1, opening the door to Mason to strut his stuff. His 3.83 goals-against average is abysmal. His 86.7 save percentage is horrendous. What I’m saying is, after playing lights out last year with nine shutouts, Leclaire at some point realized he actually sucks.

Video game cover boy Nash leads the Jackets in goals with 17 and assists with 20. He’s helped carry the offense during Columbus’ win streak with eight points in the last four games. After setting a career high with 69 points last season, Nash is on pace to top that with 37 through his first 38 games this year.

Huselius was a guy I always thought was never used properly in Calgary, even when he scored 34 goals a season ago. Yet the 30-year-old isn’t exactly an up-and-coming player anymore. Maybe he’s just a 50-60 point performer. He’s tied for second on the team with 25 points with 12 goals.

Defenseman Mike Commodore is a big, goofy player with a fan following in Calgary and Carolina where he helped win a Stanley Cup. He no longer has a huge orange afro. He’s been known for wearing a white robe around. He made waves on the Internets this summer when a picture of him laying on a bed rolling in money got out. He has two goals and 15 assists on the season, probably the highest scoring, ginger-colored defenseman in the league.

Look, I don’t know what this Blues team is going to do from one night to the next. It sucks. But as Gallagher has said, paying your dues can be difficult. I just wish the price wasn’t so fucking high. Now where did that beer vendor go?

Let’s Go Blues!

St. Louis Welcomes BJs

(continued)


Blue Jackets defenseman Mike Commodore became the first human to ever ‘make it rain’

on himself.

G AME T IME

Get five in a row in any direction and you win!

Game Time Bingo! Hear people in the

wrong jersey getting booed on the concourses.

Dancing Kid seems like he’s not just

about the dancing anymore.

Fight!

Fight!

Fight!

Someone takes out an official.

Red Berenson Cowboy’s

table-posse is growing.

You love Boyes. Not that there’s anything wrong

with that.

Cam Janssen shows us his tits.

Spot the guy wearing the jersey for a team

that isn’t playing here tonight.

A goal is scored in the first two

minutes of any period.

Spot someone else filling out the GT

Bingo card.

Air Horn Guy kinda fucking it

up.

Someone gets their copy of GT on the

Jumbotron.

Sec. 307 really wants to see

Towel Boy jump.

Mite game ends in a tie.

Keith Tkachuk plays as well as he

did in October.

We Want Blizzards still not as good as We Want Tacos.

Christine Backman should really, really

take off Bobby Plager’s number.

Patrik Berglund gets another point.

Angelllla totally reading someone else’s copy of GT.

Come on, Manny!

Another $200 stick breaks at the

worst possible time.

Barret Jackman gives someone the

‘you’re an idiot’ look.

Cotton Eyed Joe guy wearing his jersey with Jay McKee’s

name and TJ Oshie’s number.

OSHIE! Someone in your

section never stops playing with their

phone.

Tales From The

Crease

By Jeremy Pratte

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