But I can't help falling in love with these Blues.

That little voice in the back of my brain tells me that I'm just setting myself up for a heartbreak. "Remember last season?" the voice whispers. "The Blues came into 2011 on a roll, and crapped the bed in January? Do you remember how that felt?"

Well, to be perfectly honest, I do and I don't give a damn. Such is love. Love is blind, and stupid, and completely impervious to logic. I LOVE THESE GUYS (well, most of them--more in a minute). They're not at all like last year--THEY'VE CHANGED. This time, I know it's for real. 

Oh, boy, if a fall comes it's going to be hard. But in the great human tradition/survival mechanism, I will now rationalize my irrational love, so that the logic side of my brain will shut up for at least a few minutes.

Last year's squad petered out mostly because they ran out of bodies. Perron, Oshie, Polak, Jackman, McDonald...for long stretches of the season, a third of the Blues' roster was filled with AHL players and fringe NHLers. Only two players--David Backes and Matt D'Agostini--played all 82 games, with two others--Patrick Berglund and BJ Crombeen--playing 80 apiece. And, let's face it, Crombeen doesn't exactly soak up minutes. On the other hand, Tyson Strachan, Chris Porter and Adam Cracknell all got to get away from Peoria for significant stretches.

"Hold on a goddamn minute!" Logic says. "McDonald is out AGAIN. Alex Steen (maybe the most important player on the team) is concussed for who knows how long. Kris Russell is hurt. Jackman can't keep getting hit in the head every other game without consequences. HOW MANY GAMES ARE CHRIS PORTER AND EVGENY GRACHEV GOING TO PLAY IN?! HMMM? HMMMMMMMMM?

"And please don't tell me how Chris Porter is a young kid who is developing into a solid NHL player. He's 27, and playing 9 minutes a game. He's a warm body that won't screw up too much. NEXT POINT."

You just don't get it, Logic. You can't get it, and I feel sorry for you. You don't know what it's like to see Kevin Shattenkirk's eyes light up as he dances around a forward and unleashes a shot. You can't feel your heartbeat quicken when Alex Pietrangelo plays effortless, amazing positional defense, and then perfectly times jumping up into the play. I swear to God, if he cocked his slap shot back to the rafters he would be Al MacInnis. Have you even watched Perron stickhandle? It makes me feel funny in special places.

I'll grant that they're not ALL lovable. Jamie Langenbrunner could retire this afternoon and I'd be happy for (admittedly replacement-level) Porter to get more ice time. Berglund is, once again, the most invisible 6'4" 220-lb guy on the planet. And, as a father, I think Andy McDonald should never play hockey again, so that he can actually reminisce about his career with his kids some day.

But if you've watched Blues games this season, you should have seen that on most nights, Backes and/or TJ Oshie are the best players on the ice for either team. Jason Arnott still has something left in the proverbial tank. Chris Stewart is showing signs of (finally) going on a hot streak. The power play, thank God, is showing a pulse. Let's be honest: fluttery feelings aside, these guys are GOOD. Maybe not Chicago good, or Boston good, but a legitimate playoff team that other teams don't like to play. When's the last time you could say that about the Blues? (Hint: We still had a Number 44.)

So let go, Logic, just for a bit. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Stay, it won't be a sin. Like the Mississippi River flows to the, uh, Gulf, so it goes. Some things are meant to be.

LeNoceur used to have his own hockey blog, until the pressure of all the fame and fortune forced him to retreat from the public eye. Now, he is grateful to Thrashing the Blues for the opportunity to occasionally blog about his favorite team.

Ok, ok, I realize that public awareness of suspicious individuals is something that the government pretty much has to promote. Granted, most of these PSAs are about as ethnically diverse as an ADT Security ad, so maybe it is good for the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign to make it into the NHL. Whatever the ads look like (and God knows I got to see enough of them on the hotel menu channel in Nashville - I now know to be aware and suspicious of people leaning into trunks of taxi cabs while talking on a Bluetooth headset), it was just a matter of time before they trickled into sports arenas. They'll premiere this year at the Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers.



While I do think it's unfortunate that we need a PSA on being suspicious - or a PSA on how to pay attention to your surroundings and do the right thing, depending on how you look at it - I do welcome the "If You See Something, Say Something" push. The ads on billboards make me chuckle on the way home from work. See something suspicious in traffic? "Hi, 911? I saw an abandoned tarp and mattress on the side of 75 North around the South Loop. Also, some ass just cut me off." The chances for exploiting the term "suspicious" are just so many it's absurd. Traffic, airport, you name it - someone cuts in line in front of you? Suspicious? Nah. Did that person just tick you off? Find the nearest cop.

Can you imagine the opportunities for this in a sports venue, especially at an NHL game? You're at a Flyers/Penguins game, and a Flyers fan says something to you that you dislike. Just report him for wanting to recreate the Van Damme movie "Sudden Death." Someone call Marian Hossa "Maid Marian" at a Red Wings/Blackhawks game? Report them for making violent misogynist slurs. A duck gets thrown on the ice at a Anahiem/San Jose game? Report the dude for cruelty to animals (wait - ok, that one's legit). The opportunities for fun are endless! 

I do find it disappointing that this campaign isn't co-sponsored by the Canadian government as well. They're missing a primo chance, especially with Montreal already hopping on the bandwagon for saying something. Their response last time they "saw something" was outstanding. 

I can't take advantage of this deal since I'm obviously not in St. Louis, but TiqIQ and their partner ScoreBig.com have a pretty killer ticket deal for Friday, December 30th. 

Through TiqIQ's partner Score Big, fans can "make an offer" on special "5 Star" tickets that usually sell for $155 each. An offer of around $117 a ticket for this game, and you're in! The deal expires on Wednesday, so fans need to act fast. Make an offer here: http://tiqiq.us/69f

I've personally used Score Big several times for ticket purchases, most recently for last Saturday's Blues/Predators game in Nashville. I wound up with $125 seats for $82 or so. Also, with Score Big, there aren't any fees or whatnot, so what you see is what you pay... and this is what I saw last Saturday night from my seats.


 

*I mean, not counting the Blues. Obviouusly I love them, but dislike the Blackhawks, Red Wings, and Blue Jackets on matter of principle.

It's funny. I'd never been to Nashville to catch a Predators game before this season, despite hearing nothing but good stuff. This year? So far I've been twice, and will probably be going back. Part of that's because Nashville's the closest place to watch a NHL game live for me, and part of it is that it's fun. I detailed my opinions of it after a pre-season game against the Winnipeg Jets, and I just want to reiterate what I said before - this is what hockey is in the South. An identity, tie in to the city's culture, solid owners and management - all this lures a huge and passionate fanbase to Smashville.

There were an absolute ton of Blues fans at the game, and the competing "LET'S GO PREDATORS" chants and "LET'S GO BLUES" chants reminded me a lot of when the Pens or Flyers came to Philips Arena; it just wound up sounding like "LET'S GO *garbled drunken sound*." It wasn't the usual hostile environment between large amounts of visiting fans and the home crowd, though. Everyone tolerated everyone else. There were a few instances of chirping, but really, the Preds fans were awesome. The girls I sat next to discussed just about everything about their team with me, and vice versa; she even listened to my whining of how these were the same seats I had in Atlanta and how depressing it was for me (and it was - being back in that exact same spot about made me cry). Totally tolerant of me cheering for the Blues' token goal, totally ok with me disagreeing on penalties - and totally confused with me agreeing that the Blues got away with a few.

Super nice concessions employees, polite fans - KNOWLEDGEABLE fans - and a fun culture. If someone in the NHL could please ensure that in the re-alignment the Predators aren't in the same division as the Blues, that'd be great. I'd love to be able to go to a game and cheer for the Preds, but since they're divisional rivals with the Blues that isn't going to happen any time soon. They're not *hated* divisional rivals, though. There was no smack talk at dinner between our group of fans and the Preds fans, they didn't heckle the team, and I didn't hear anyone complain about "how dirty the Blues are" (Columbus fans who're still pissed off about a soccer match, I'm looking at you). Heck, even after the game at the Beer Sellars, when someone decided to play Journey's "Don't Stop Beliving" four freaking times, this happened:

Yup. Blues and Preds fans, coming together in total harmony against a common foe. Sure, Detroit probably doesn't consider either team to be their rivals since the Red Wings are on some plateau by themselves or something, but it's still fun to meet fans of another team that share something in common with fans of your team.

Finally, I want one of these for the Blues to skate out of. It'd probably wind up being a giant Louie head, but just once:

Rawr!

Anywho, Nashville, I'll be back. Not sure when, but the Blues're back in February, so pencil me in for that one.

Oh, look. It's the ghost of hockey past. What he's doing, I'm not really sure - there's not a glove back there, is there?

Ok, I'm not a hockey polygamist anymore. I'm fine with that - focusing on the Blues alone is easier, and it's something I did until 1999. I'm having a blast watching St. Louis steamrolling opponents and scooting up the standings, well on their way to a playoff berth. It still hurts that the Thrashers are gone, though. I miss them terribly, and that point was driven home yesterday when I plunked down $62 on a ticket and $100 for a hotel room to Saturday night's Blues/Predators game - and that's not including the super awesome mileage that my Jeep gets. I'm glad that the people of Winnipeg are supporting the team, and I wish them all of the best, even though I still would like to have my 30 minute drive to Philips Arena back.

But then things like the whitewashing of the 2008 All Star Game mural in the CNN Center happen, and it just re-opens old wounds. Or, well, the AJC runs a "checking to see if fans are still pissed off" piece. You read the quotes, you get the whole smug, arrogant answers from Atlanta Spirit (“I don’t deem the subject you inquired about to be newsworthy and therefore don’t feel the need to comment on it.” - Thanks, Bob Williams!), and it all just pisses you off again. 

Just read the quotes from fans here, and it should let fans of other teams know that we were the same as they are, but now many people here are disenfranchised and frankly discouraged. I've always been a Blues fan, so this's been easier on me than it has some others, but there are some people here with genuine hurt, there are little kids here without their favorite players, and there's a city here without a team.

Just when I thought everything was better, this gets brought up again. Oh, Thrashers. I wish I could quit you.

Bonjour!

I don't do things like this too often, mainly because I don't want to hit people up for freebies. However, when a company such as The Fan Zoo offers to give me a hand with something like this, who am I to say no? Especially when it gives a chance for some lucky Blues' fan to get some swag. 

They've been nice enough to offer the winner of this surprisingly easy deal $50 "Zoo Dollars" towards any autographed merchandise on their site. What's the contest, you ask? Be the first person to e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. the answer to the following question:  

How many games did David Perron play against the Chicago Blackhawks last season, how many goals did he pot, and what was his shooting percentage? 

When you look up "places I wouldn't be caught dead inside" in the dictionary, there's a photo of this next to it.

Just a li'l Friday Morning palate cleanser/chance for former Thrasher fans to point and laugh. According to Business Insider, Philips is the 7th most valuable arena in North America, but that was tabulated before the Thrashers relocated and the NBA lockout ate half their season. I'm also suprised that it doesn't mention two other venues nearby that've been leeching concert acts out of Philips for a few years: the Gwinnett Arena and the Cobb Energy Center. These two out of the perimiter venues are both easier to get to for a good many people than Philips, which sets right in the middle of crowded streets and a sketchy area about two blocks down Marietta St.

Philips has seven more years left on their twenty year, $182 million naming rights deal. The company's already all but pulled out of North America. I'm sure they can't wait to get rid of this albatross, which is gradually being run into the ground by the least-competent ownership group in sports, Atlanta Spirit, LLC.

Thrashers fans are still sad about not having a hockey team to go see, obviously, but generally we've come to terms with the bad luck and incompetence that marred our beloved franchise. We understand (at least I do) that the sale and the move is strictly on Atlanta Spirit LLC, and that the folks in Winnipeg and True North weren't purposfully trying to break our hearts. It was a business deal, and people in a city that I've always believed that the NHL shouldn't've left got a team back. 

What does bother me, and what bothers so many fans, is that the media is trying to expunge the Thrashers' history from the Winnipeg Jets' books, making some weird mish-mash of two franchises that only share Keith Tkachuk in common. The Jets' original history followed the team to Phoenix, and the Thrashers' history followed the team to Winnipeg. Announcers on US broadcasts have goofed numerous times and called them the Thrashers. That's who they were. They did, in fact, exist, and aren't too awful far removed from the team that's in Winnipeg now. Hearing Bruins announcers say "The Jets haven't been in Winnipeg for fifteen years!" drove me nuts on Saturday, because while a team that is named the Jets haven't been in Boston in that long, this team was there twice last year and pretty much played the same then as they did on Saturday. There is no Teemu Selanne. Only Evander Kane.

I've called it a whitewash, one that both the ASG and the media have participated in. While it makes perfect sense for any and all Thrashers related things to disappear from Philips Arena, as ASG owns the copyright on the logo, etc., it was still tough to see. And now, the last reminder in the CNN Center that a team existed has been literally whitewashed.

Before (from @JoeYeardonPHT):



After (from @FINISHDAMISSION): 

 

Oh well. At least we still have the hockey mask signs in the CNN parking deck to tell us where we parked our cars. Wait... no. I at least won't probably ever see those again, because I'll be damned if I set foot in Philips Arena while ASG is even remotely affiliated with it.

Hockey's not dead in Atlanta, but apparently no one wants to remember the teams that went too soon. As a history teacher, stuff like this depresses me. To the victor goes the spoils, certainly, but you learn more about a situation by looking at both sides of the story. It'd be nice to have a side to look at around here.  

This photo of Bruce Boudreau before he was fired has nothing to do with this post. I'm just trolling for hits.

Apologies on lack of postings, those of you who notice that I write stuff. Work has been killer, and then a holiday hit in which I foolishly brought work home with me, and meh. That, and the Blues've been so totally awesome that I haven't been worked up enough to write anything. You know, with that 7-1-2 record under the new coach and all, they're rolling right along.

Right?

Not according to some guy at some website. As posted today in the link dump at St. Louis Game Time, apparently a blogger at Gather.com (whatever that is - is it like Patch but not owned by AOHell? Who knows) thinks that the Blues are playing awful hockey and that Jason Arnott is going to be their sacrificial lamb to help them rebuild. I honestly wonder if he's watched the team this season, or if he just trolled Bleacher Report a while back and then piggybacked off of one of their usual inane, unsubstantiated rumors. Oh! Wait:

The latest from Bleacher Report has the San Jose Sharks looking to add some veteran leadership and another scorer on their third line, and Jason Arnott of the St Louis Blues is a player that fits the teams needs.

Ok, then. A team whose youngest member is Logan Couture at 22, and who has vets like Michal Handzus (34), Martin Havlat (30), Patrick Marleau (32), Joe Thornton (32), Andrew Murray (30), and Dan freaking Boyle (35) need veteran leadership. Is Arnott going to get all of those young whipper-snappers in line? Add playoff experience that no one but 4/5ths of the roster has? God, research sources first. Bleacher Report IS NOT A SOURCE. They're barely a website.

The funniest part is when he discusses the Blues, though, stating that the Blues'd love to move Arnott's salary. His $2,500,000 contract isn't breaking the bank; it's keeping the Blues above cap floor. Also, the Blues' rebuild's done - they're trying to get those kids going in the right direction, and they added Arnott (and Langenbrunner) to SPECIFICALLY DO SO.

Buddy, blog posts like this is what gives sports bloggers a bad name. Some of us like to research facts or let events happen before we write on them; we don't just write stuff for blog hits. If I did, don't you think that the title of this post'd be "CAPITALS FIRE BRUCE BOUDREAU/HAGAN DAAS GROCERY STORE STOCK PLUMMETS IN DC?" Yes, yes it would be.

Since Wednesday's debacle of a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the hockey world has come down on the Bolts and their coach Guy Boucher. In case you missed it, here's what happened when the Lightning continued to play the 1-3-1 trap that got them to the Eastern Conference Finals:



Needless to say, this is completely the Lightning's fault. How dare Guy Boucher rely on a system that got the Bolts farther in the playoffs than they've been since they won the Stanley Cup? No team should be allowed to stop the natural flow of a hockey game just so they can win! How SELFISH.

Oh, for shit's sake, general managers. Do you know how stupid it is for you to have even have discussed Boucher's trap today at the GM's meeting? Furthermore, was discussion on Philadelphia's strategy necessary too? They failed to play the puck, the play was called dead, and their point was made. To waste agenda time on something like that is inane. It's over, it's done with, and their point was proven.

The funniest thing about the whole situation is, frankly, the point that the Flyers made - that Tampa's trap slows the game and makes it tough to play - was promptly negated in the Lightning's next two games. St. Louis, despite all the worry that this game'd be stagnated too, demolished the Lightning's trap and gameplan to the tune of a 3-0 shutout. They never let them get set up. The forecheckpressured them constantly and overwhelmed their tendency to fall back into their trap. If you can't set something up, you can't use it.Coach Ken Hitchcock's plan was perfect:

"They play with structure, so how do you counteract the structure? To me, it's like any team. If you allow a team to set up in their structure, they're going to beat you, doesn't matter if it's 1-3-1, 1-2-2 or 2-1-2.

"You have to attack the structure before they set up. ... It's the same as an offensive zone forechecking system. You have to find a way to get by it before it sets its course. So for us it's about not allowing them to control the tempo of the game."

That's it: control the tempo. The Blues did so perfectly, and the Winnipeg Jets - who had lost twelve games straight to the Bolts - managed to do so as well. When you can't break the trap, you deflect attention away from the fact that you can't break it via a "statement" like the Flyers made. Perhaps next time the Bolts face Philadelphia, former Blues captain and current Flyers captain ChrisPronger should look back at what his old team did and encourage Flyers coach Peter Laviolette to follow Hitchcock's lead: just out play them. Then the GMs could spend more time one pertinant issues then, like suspending players for concussing goalies who try to come out of the crease to make an ill advised "impressive" play. That's far more important.