So the Blues are down 3-0 in the series against the Kings. That does not make any of us happy, I understand. Like I promised the Game Time crew and you, my fellow-readers, I was gonna post Part 2 of my recent trip to St. Louis on the site as well. And why today?? Well, maybe these pics and vids of my recent trip to St. Louis and the Blues can give us all a bit of a confidence boost.

They sure let you and me relive that Game 1 and 2 atmosphere in the 1st round against the Sharks. Man, it still gives me goosebumps. So let's get inspired by that.

And mind you: do not lose hope. Stranger things happened than turning around a series. Let's just keep faith in the Blues winning at least the game in LA, so that you all can get at least one more tast of a Blues game in the Drinkscotch this year. The video down below will surely make you feel a little bit better. I hope.

So, here you go. Pics and vids. And two noteworthy conversations. Or should I say: suprising conversations. Enjoy! After the break!!

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Well, Blues friends, I hope you all are well awake again after probably much celebrating of the Blues win. I mean: Blues CLINCH. There I was, Saturday night – or better: Sunday morning - at 1.30am watching the Blues rewrite recent history by clinching a series for the first time since 2002. It was nice. But also weird. Because, as some of you will recall, just a week earlier I myself was in St. Louis. In the Scottrade. Watching the Blues versus Sharks in game 1 and 2 of the play-offs.

Like I promised I would write something about my adventures in St. Louis. I hope you enjoy, giving you an insight on how this Blues visit was from a European point of view.

To cut the reading time in half, I will put it up in two parts. I sure didn’t regret my slightly impulsive decision to fly to the Lou and watch play-off hockey... I mean, I saw the Blues play again... I saw them score... I saw them win a play-off game... I relived the hockey craziness of all you people and the St. Louisans... I met Game Timers, saw others for the first time since 2009 and had a blast...

I cannot emphasize it enough: you people are so hospitable, nice, passionate, friendly and welcoming. So, I can honestly say: I had a great week.

More after the break. Part One – here we go!.

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Buckle up: You Have A European Fan Coming Your Way!

Yes, you are reading it correctly!

I HAVE BOOKED.This Blues fan from The Netherlands is coming over from Europe!

Next Tuesday I will be flying from Amsterdam, via Chicago to St.Louis. And I will be staying for a week!

I found cheap airline tickets and why not do something spontaneous?? I love a good adventure. And I don't want to miss this chance on play off hockey. Hell, I even wrote a poem to the Fox Sports Midwest Girls to win a ticket, LOL...

I wanna say THANK YOU to all of you (DanGNR, TLMotorsports and all you other nice Blues fans overhere). All you Game Time people are so enthousiatic, it helped convince me to fly overthere! You're a kind and welcoming bunch!

I'll be in town from April 10 to 16!

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Goedenavond, it's Gerard, from The Netherlands. UPDATE on my participation in the Fox Sports Midwest Girls' contest for play-off tickets! I thought: let's participate. A European fan might probably have a chance too, right??

Just be creative, right??

So I wrote that poem many of you have seen in a FanPost of earlier this week.

Many of you have read it and thanks for all the nice responses!

And yes, I got an answer via Facebook...

THE WINNER IS...????

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Hi all, it's one of your European ambassadors here. And I have something newsworthy and/or funny to share with you all. Especially for those who weren't in the Blues vs Preds Gameday Thread.

About me and the Fox Sports Midwest Girls...and how they might just help me getting overthere in STL to come see a play-off game... At least I hope.

Curious? Read on please...

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And then it hit me: FanPost-material!

The column was ofcourse written in Dutch (original file: Friesch Dagblad) but I translated it in English for you guys.

Hope you enjoy it. Feel free to comment!

Gerard, from The Netherlands (yes, next to Germany, and known for capital Amsterdam).

By the way: Maybe, just maybe, I'll fly to St.Louis for the play-offs. Long, expensive flight, but worth it! Would be nice to make that 2nd visit after my first in 2009... HOW ABOUT THAT!? Yeah!

COLUMN AFTER THE BREAK! READ ON!

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Greetings North Americans!! Greetings St. Louisans!! Greetings fellow Blues fans!! Europa, back in da house. And a blue house it is, my North American friends!

Gerard from Amsterdam, some (many?) of you know me. Goedenavond! Anyway, I would like to honor the start of the Blues season with a nice video I once made about a very succesfull home opener... A video some of you might remember, but it's worthwile watching.

Take a trip with me down memory lane. Or even better: back to the future, 'cause many of the stars that will lead the Blues to glory this season, were still a young bunch back then... The vids after the jump...Read on...

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Reporting from Sweden.... I'm still here in Stockholm! LAST LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES.

(and wow, it was great to laugh at all the Wings fans out here....)

Will keep it short this time, just getting the last pictures and movies from Game 2 against the Red Wings out there on Game Time....

It was a pleasure to meet DanGNR, BlueMonday, Marcus and even Pierre (I forgot your Game Time username, I'm sorry)....And it was also a pleasure to report from Sweden to you guys out there in the USA...

Later this week I will provide one last roundup, including a nice videoclip....!


Here are some last pictures and vids...and let me also tell you my own personal good news: I got my shirt signed in the locker room by McDonald and Tkachuk.... (you  me lucky bastard lol) YEY!  :) (it was a once in a lifetime chance being from Amsterdam ofcourse...)

Hope you all enjoyed our coverage from overhere in Stockholm!

More after the jump...!! ENJOY.

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Okay, Detroit won the battle of which team had the most fans in the building. But who gives a s***? I know I don't. The Blues won the battle for two points. That's what matters.And to make the night complete: all Game Timers present in Stockholm had a succesful and good meet up.

You've probably read all the reports about last nights game, heard the interviews, saw the game, or at least the goals. So let me just skip that stuff and get to the point: because what you didn't see was how the Game Timers overhere followed the game and what happened to them.... So here's a list of 16 things you didn't know from last night's Blues game!

Why 16, you ask? No idea!!

Once again, read on, my fellow fans of the joyful #1 team in the Central Division standings...! Pics and vids at the bottom... Enjoy.

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Here it is.... Like I promised, PART 2 of the 'Behind the scenes at Gameday'... Featuring John Davidson. Featuring Chris Kerber. And featuring Andy McDonald. Talking about lots of things, including... *drums please* St. Louis Game Time.

Yep.

It was a nice combination for me: interviewing them for my own articles and at the same time use it to give you some info about what's going on here. So read on and see for yourself what 'JD', 'Kerbs' (as you Americans seem to call them) and McDonald have to say... Enjoy part 2 of this behind the scenes at game day!!

Quotes, pics and a video from near the locker room.... Have fun!.. Read on, hope you like it.

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Good afternoon from Sweden!

I’ll split it up, so you have two nice things to read in the coming hours, leading up to the game tonight. 

Part 1: about the morning skate

Part 2: Interview with John Davidson (he's on crutches btw!), Chris Kerber and Andy McDonald about the Blues in Sweden and… also about YOU (yes, you are reading it correctly, I asked them about the fans and Game Time).

So, here we go!…Part 1: the morning skate (and some pics and a video to give you a behind the scenes look)

Read on, my friends.

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Hello there, my American friends!
Just like you I ofcourse saw the postcard from DanGNR. Great! But there's more: not only he will be a correspondent for you overthere in the States, there will also be Marcus, our local hero ofcourse!

And there's Gerard, from Amsterdam. Now, that would be me!

Thanks to the GT staff, those Blues fans who are here, can report to you.
Now I will help out too (it's the least I can do since being subject of a story in Game Time during my visit overthere in STL)... Being a sportsjournalist from The Netherlands, I will do so by making by writing stories for my newspaper.... BUT also for GameTime....

Thanks to the NHL though, who were willing to give me credential to visit this NHL Premier as journalist.

At least for saturday. Coz Friday I'm in the stands as a fan. And ofcourse there's going to be a European equivalent of a GameTime Meetup.

So here I am, in Stockholm giving you the latest news. Right?

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Well, hello again Blues fans...!!

STOP right there!!

Here's one of your European comrades. I come in peace, ofcourse. And in need of some answers!

Because this fan wants to know who else is in Sweden coming Octobre, and also if my help is wanted in return :)....... So please, read on, amigo's.  And help out this European comrade. If you like!

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Now, while you people are all asleep now (at least I hope for you), it’s seven hours later here. So as we speak, it’s 9.20 AM in The Netherlands. And I just woke up to see our (yes, OUR) second loss of the series…. AND I didn’t couldn't stay up for the game…. just like I didn’t couldn’t stay up for the first game. BUT HERE'S A MESSAGE FROM EUROPE... Buckle up and read!

What’s my point???? Well, don’t think this European fan is gonna bail out on this Blues Team. I agree with that point of “This team isn’t supposed to be here and they’re playing in one of the most contentious series in the playoffs”….

So screw my best friend overhere in Netherlands, who went last year on a trip to Canada and fell in love with the Canucks (he has his faults too, yes)… Screw him and his text message of this morning saying we (yes, WE) are ‘dead and buried’.

Do not be mistaken, my American (and otherwise) St. Louis Blues-friends…. I will be there for Game Three… No matter what, I’ll stay up. I’m gonna show the same spirit as the players did to get in the play offs in the first place…

Whatever it takes. Even in Europe.

Let’s go Blues!! SEE YOU FOR GAME THREE!

Well hello... the header above this message surely gave you a puzzled look...?

Are we talking Berglund here?

Well, could be. But okay, I'll cut the crap. More about that header below in this post.

Some of you GameTime people coming here know me or at least my name or story by now... And just wanted to say in this post that I made it back home safely to The Netherlands in Europe, after my journey through the USA. A journey which ofcourse also took me, as a lifelong Blues-fan, to my first ever real-life game of the Blues...

Too bad they lost (21 Feb, 1-0 vs Predators) and too bad I couldn't make it to the Coyotes game afterwards because I was sick and couldn't get in touch with my good friend Chris Gift before the game.

But a home jersey (Gerard, 81), great video's and pictures, and ofcourse the article about me in the GameTime edition for that game remain as beautiful memories. And last but certainly not least: meeting some of you Blues-fans. Great, and you made me feel very welcome! Nice meeting you all.

And that header? Well, now having arrived being back home from the USA... seeing the Blues get on  a real play off-run... it struck me that they got the run going after I came to and went from St. Louis... So maybe I should come and go more often, lol... :)

On a serious (and ofcourse Blue) noth though: I'll definitely will be back. Someday, somehow.

To see my video compilation I made, or the pictures with Chris Gift, Cross Check Raise and some others, you can see the FanShots-section... or click here for the video or here for the great picture :)

So once again: thank you Blues-fans! And let's get ourselves a play off berth!!!!!

All the best from The Netherlands, Europe. And see you online!

Gerard (who thinks he - just like our Swedish friend :) - should be a propagandist of Game Time as well lol !!)

Well hello again...here's the guy from Europe! Reporting on his first ever visit to a Blues game.... Too bad it was last Saturday...when the Blues didn't only lose, but also failed to score... Imagine that... you come all the way from Amsterdam, in The Netherlands and when for the first time in your life you see a live Blues game in Scottrade Center, you don;t get to cheer for a Blues goal... It's a cruel world :)

On a serious (and Blue) note: I wanted to post something about my experience here at the Blues for my first ever visit. I hope you will enjoy reading it.

When I first let everybody know overhere that I was coming to the States and why I was a Blues fan and for how long etcetera, I got a lot of positive reactions from you, my fellow Blues fans! Again, thank you for that.

Also it was nice to see that the guys from GameTime wanted to write an article about my visit and they did. It really turned out to be a very nice and funny article by Chrifs Gift. Thank you Chris, and Sean and all the others (also the girl outside Scottrade who gave me a copy for free after she heard me saying that I was in it as the guy from Amsterdam lol).

I met up with some of the GameTime people and also some of the people who know me from the forum, the Game Day Threads or my first Fanpost overhere. Nice to meet u all! I got a picture of us as well.

I bought a jersey (home) as well, didn;t got it printed though as the guy of the printing said it would take till the end of 2nd period. As I am only here for these couple of days, I want to wear it. So, too bad. Just like the loss against the Preds, although I must say that I enjoyed my first visit very much!!

I will gonna be there agina tuesday! Because obviously I cant go on my trip (which started in NYC, is now in STL and from Wednesday to San Francisco) without having cheered for and seen a Blues goal...!!! So hopefully I can get a ticket for the Coyotes game, I already talked about that with Chris.

Well, in the end too bad that I didnt here baack from Jeremy Rutherford or Chris Kerber, who I both mailed twice. As a sportsjournalist I would have like to met with them, doing the same kind of job I do back home. They never replied... Other than that, I feel really welcome here and again thanks to Chris and all the other Blues fans. Maybe I see some of you again Tuesday!!!???

Kind regards,

Gerard from Amsterdam (The Netherlands, Europe)

Hi all, my name is Gerard. Just wanted to introduce myself to you Blues fans. I'm 27 years old and I'm from The Netherlands. That's a small country in Europe, next to Germany and famous for its capital Amsterdam! Maybe you've even been there, like many Americans have.

Since the day I got the computer game NHL 94 for my 13th birthday, I picked the Blues as the team to play with. I liked the logo, and was curious how they did in real-life in the Nationale Hockey League. Ever since that time I have followed the results and team news through the Internet. In The Netherlands (also called Holland by some) we now have a North-American sports network in our TV Cable-package. They show lots of NHL-games, sometimes even the Blues. And if they don't I sometimes look for a live stream on the internet.

So, you might think: that's a crazy Fruit Euro (as many Blues-fans would probably call me and my fellow European Blues-fans lol..). Well... I'm planning to visit the
Predators game at Scottrade as a spectator on Saturday February 21, my first visit ever to St. Louis and the Blues!!  See you there.

Kind regards from a Fan from Europe. Let's go Blues!