Uh oh...  Here's hoping he didn't re-injure his surgically repaired knee.  If we find out it's from a hit in practice, remind me to smash my head through the monitor.

jprutherford

Erik Johnson limped off the ice this morning toward the end of practice. No update yet on his status.

andystrickland

Erik Johnson left practice early with an apparent injury...no word on severity just yet.

Now that is some wonderfully craptastic news.  Who's coming next, Cole?

I honestly don't know what to say.  However, at least it looks like EJ is staring at her ass in the picture.

"The intensity, the drive, the precision, the drama.  It's like a power play on stage."

-Erik Johnson

 St. Louis Blues Dancing Defenseman

G o B l u e s G o B l u e s G o B l u e s G o B l u e s G o B l u e s G o B l u e s G o B l u e s G o B l u e s

Want to stalk follow David Perron's tweets during the season?

Here it is, folks:

http://twitter.com/DP_57

go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go go blues go

Time to get behind the Peoria Rivermen, people!!!

http://stats.theahl.com/hm/bracket.php?view=brief&season_id=29

The series with the Houston Aeros is currently split at 2-2.

Check out the player stats:

http://rivermen.net/team/stats/

With Strachan, Bishop & Stastny returning from the Blues, it'll be a nice shot in the arm to push our boys into the second round.  Not to mention, Petro & Pulushaj are both on the ice, gaining valuable experience.

GET YOUR GAME FACES ON, IT'S AHL PLAYOFF TIME!!!!!!

Caught in the eye of the storm, the city of St. Louis lies in wait of a Vancouver assault by nightfall.

Unbeknownst to our aggressor, up from the depths of the mighty Mississippi river rides King Aragorn of Middle Earth, as he furiously charges towards the home of the once-mighty St. Louis Blues franchise. 

He smashes through the locker room door with his towering steed, and with a fluid motion leaps off his horse and brings out the legendary sword of Elendil, hovering it towards the dejected band of bearded warriors.

Oshie, Berglund & Perron look up from their I-phones just in time to see a flash of silver barely graze their necks.

Keep your eyes on the task at hand, young warriors!  The rest of you, hear my call!

And with that being said, the radio is silenced, Janssen looks up from his foil taping session, and the rest of the boys hastily take their seats.

Seeing that he finally has everyone's attention, Aragorn kneels to the ground, with his weight resting on the Sword of Elendil.  He looks down for a moment, and when his gaze rises back towards his brothers, his expression takes a fierce turn...

Hold your ground, hold your ground!  Sons of St. Louis, my brothers!  I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.

Colaiacovo, Woywitka & Weaver look at each other, silently nodding their heads in agreement.

A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day.

An hour of woes and shattered hearts, when the age of the St. Louis Blues comes crashing down!

But it is not this day!

This day we fight!

By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, men of the Midwest!

The room rises in unison, raising their fists into the air.

We will not bow down to the likes of the Sedin Twins!

Aye!

We will take what is rightfully ours, and bring Roberto Luongo to his knees!

Aye!

We will force this arrogant group of Western Canadians to respect the Blue Note, and everything that it stands for!  We will not lose this battle!

AYE!

And with that being said, Aragorn pulls out his battle horn and lets out a bellowing cry, as our men rush onto the ice with a new iron clad resolve, one that will not be broken on this day...

Down on the corner of 14th and Clark, an unusual scene unfolds in front of the Scottrade Center...

GRIM REAPER:

Bring out your dead!

[clang]

Bring out your dead!

[clang]

ROBERTO LUONGO:

Here’s one.

GRIM REAPER:

Nine pence.

KEITH TKACHUK:

I’m not dead!

GRIM REAPER:

What?

Continue reading this post »

Well, that sucked.

Any time you have 7 powerplays in a game, including one long two-man advantage, and only come up with 1 goal, you’re going to be in trouble.  I can’t fault the guys for effort, because the effort was certainly there;  I think Vancouver got the clutch goaltending from Luongo, and played with just a little bit more intensity than our journeymen bearded warriors.

Andy McDonald did his best to get the Italian Meatball netminder off his game with a playful little snow shower in the first period, but I guess it didn’t work.  Luongo later robbed Mcdonald on a cross-ice feed during a powerplay, a similar goal scored by little Happy Meal in their last regular season meeting.

*****

Here’s what I feel has to happen for us to be competitive in the next game, and considering that I am not even remotely close to being an expert, take it all with a grain of salt (and some tequilla, of course):

-The Flow must go

Talk about ridiculous.  17 penalties in one game?  That is over HALF the hockey game on special teams play.  The only benefit of this is that I was able to rack up the posts on the SLGT game thread.  Of course, If our powerplay was clicking, I wouldn't be complaining about this right now.  But seriously, the boys have to get a rhythm going to be successful.  The refs should know by now that you only stop play if someone is literally bleeding to death.

-Hello, powerplay? 

Did they forget to shoot the puck last night?  I don’t know what else to say about this, other than we’ve got to generate some rebound-inducing shots into the pads of Luongo, and pick up the rebounds.  With an elite goaltender, it’s going to be tough to beat him on a clean shot, so you’ve gotta shovel in the garbage.  Time to get your hands dirty, fellas.

-Defense must remain strong

We kept most of the Canuckleheads shots in the low percentage areas (except for the Sedin goal), and have to maintain that level of diligence in the next game.

-Offense has to get more shots, hit them on net, and generate some rebounds

Bradley Boyes missed the net on numerous occasions, even though he bagged the only goal of the game for the Blues.  We’ve been plagued with this problem all season, so I’m not surprised we’re still seeing it right now.  It’s almost like Jamal Mayers & Ryan Johnson put a hex on the current team before they left.  If we can put the puck into Luongo’s pads, we might have a shot at some nice rebound goals, like the one we saw last night.  Either that, or just dress Janssen and have him “accidentally fall” on his head.  Oops!

-Mason must outwork the Italian guy

Yeah, I’m talking about Miss Bobby Lou.  Mason has to step up his game, and steal the show away from Mr. Roberto.  There were a couple times when I thought the dude was show-boating a little with those glove saves…  That was not cool.  Well, to be honest, it was pretty damn impressive, considering that it was during a playoff  game.  The guy can flat out play him some goaltender.

-The kids, the kids, the kids must play their game

Perron was his usual pesky self, but got into penalty trouble a couple times.  Oshie & Berglund really didn’t do much, although Bergie had a nice chance early in the game.  I give these dudes a free pass, especially since this is the first time they have tasted anything from the playoff bottle.

-Let’s get physical

Hell, even the swedes were getting into it last night, and that just can’t happen.  We’re a bigger team, so I expect us to make them suffer a little.  Other than David Backes, who else was throwing their weight around?  I think the momentum (sorry Andy Murray, I know you hate that word) can be swung in our favor with a debilitating hit from one of our guys.  I’m looking at you Hinote, Mckee, Oshie, Crombeen, Winchester, Tkachuk.  Get out there and crack some skulls!

-Colaiacovo must stop diving into goal posts

I know he picked up the nickname “Splodeybones” over in Toronto with all his freakish injuries, but we’ve all moved on from that.  I’m just hoping he didn’t hurt himself when he layed the face plant on the pipe last night.

*****

The equalizer is tomorrow night at 9pm CST.  Blues fans, go get your six pack of Guinness, and Vancouver fans, time to pick up your Zima.  As Conan O’Brien once said, “Vroom vroom party startah!!!”

Here are some of the things rolling around in my head as we wait for the puck to drop in Vancouver…

**************************************************

-Even though people are calling St. Louis the "Cinderella Story" of the NHL, we’d rather be called the "Muts that really don’t belong here, but will probably punch you and the face and take your cake" story of the year.  Yeah, we’re gritty like that.

-Roberto Luongo’s cartoonish mug was a practical joke created by God himself.

-The Sedin Twins mother must of had a really tough time during pregnancy, considering the size of their massive domes.

-Mats Sundin rocks the bobblehead melon as well, but has a bobblehead wallet to back it up.

-Chris Mason looks like an awake version of Rip Van Winkle.  That is an epic playoff beard.

-David Perron, TJ Oshie & Patrick Berglund have less facial hair than a 12 year old girl, combined.  Of course, Mike ‘Wolfman’ Weaver completely offsets that problem.

-TJ Oshie, aka "Furnace Face", is actually on the ballot for Mayor of St. Louis.

-Cam Janssen, believe it or not, is still a St. Louis Blue.  Wait, is that name Swedish?  Weird…

-Patrick Berglund always brings TJ Oshie with him to interviews as his interpreter, and then takes pleasure out of making fun of Oshie during the interview.  Way to dig on your helper, Bergie.

-Pavol Demitra isn’t getting a whole lot of media attention, even though he’s going up against his old team.  Yep, I guess that is actually pretty boring news.

-It’s rumored that former blue Lee Stempniak will be in attendance for Game #3 in St. Louis.  Hopefully he’ll say hi to Mr. "High and Wide" Jamal Mayers for me when he gets back in Toronto.

-Bobby Lou has to be one of the worst nickname in the history of all nicknames.

-David Perron gets no love from the media, yet has quietly outscored all the youngsters on the Kid Line.  By the way, the kid is only 20.  Yes, TWENTY years old.  Wow.

-Andy Mcdonald scored a hat-trick against Luongo the last time he faced Vancouver in the playoffs, and was the leading scorer for Anaheim on their Stanley Cup run.  Watch out, Bobby Lou!

-Paul Kariya is back and running on all cylinders…….in Colorado.  We might see him at the end of the week.

-The Canucks are the favorite, and all their fans all believe they’re poised for a serious run at the Stanley Cup.  Yadda yadda yadda.

-The Blues are the underdogs, and their fans are still wondering how they’re actually still watching meaningful hockey in April.

-I like beer.  I like it a-lot.

**************************************************

Ok, that’s all I got for now…  GO BLUES!!!

Since it seems like Blues fans from all over the world end up here at SLGT to cope with their "addiction", I thought it would be interesting to see how the fanbase plays out on a world map.

Simply click the "Add" button in the upper right corner of the map, listing only your CITY & STATE.  For the people outside the United States, use the same naming convention in relation to your country.  Most importantly, make sure to use your SLGT username in place of the "Title".

Alright, time to watch this thing grow.

Oh, here is a direct link.

GO BLUES!

     Maybe you guys have seen this blog before on Kukla's Korner, the oh-so-eloquently (gag) named "Abel To Yzerman".  It seems that they've taken a rather heavy disliking of our very own St. Louis Game Time website, as detailed in this recent post.

And just when you think Detroit fans couldn't get any more dense.  I mean, really?  Really?  Do they have absolutely no ability to sense the satire in our daily rants?  Normally I would give them the benefit of the doubt, but we're not just talking about anyone, here.  We're talking about the scum of the earth, the ultimate band-wagon fans, the shit-maggot infested city of Detroit...  Fuck 'em all.

The truth is, we're all pretty fucking proud of this team.  This is OUR team.  Homegrown kids, castaways, veterans in the twilight of their career...  We have fought our way back into contention this year, defied all odds, each player taking a turn to carry the team on their back.  The passion for this hockey club has built up rapidly over the last three years, and the team is now growing up right in front of our very eyes. 

Do we have a right to be excited and scream like a bloody savage from Braveheart when we've got the door to the NHL Playoffs standing right in front of us?  Damn right, we do.  Can Matt Foley strap on a Blues sweater for a day, and work the fan base into a violent frenzy?  Hell yes, he can.  It's what we fucking do here at SLGT, so if you have a problem with unrelenting passion combined with witty humor, get the fuck out.

It seems to me that Red Wing fans have simply lost their hunger for the game, plain and simple.  They don't remember what it's like to be in the thrill of a playoff race, or even in a #1 draft pick race, for that matter.  They're consumed with laughing at all the illities of the day-to-day battles that other NHL franchises have to deal with, while they sit on their rotten, dilapidated pedestal and act like their shit don't stink.  Their team's locker room smells of potpourri & tea-leaves, while our team's locker room smells of blood & sweat...  Fuck that.  You have a problem with inspiration, Detroit?? 

Well I've got news for you...  You've got much bigger things to worry about than what we're doing over here.  Your goaltending has been absolutely awful, you've lost 3 games in a row, and you've got three teams chomping at the bit to play against you in the playoffs...

You had better hope to God that it isn't the St. Louis Blues.

I know you guys already covered this back a few weeks ago, but I never got a chance to tell my story here at the game time...  So here it is.

I was probably about 13 or 14 years old, and the Blues were in vintage form...  The Blues / Blackhawks rivalry was at it's peak, the likes of Kelly Chase, Basil McRae and the Sutter brothers were patrolling the ice, and of course, the Shanahan / Janney / Hull line was alive and well.

I was just getting into junior high I guess, and the only things I really cared about was sports, sega, and trying to look cool (I failed miserably).

So, how did I finally learn about the Blues?  Well, aside from my dad's casual watching of the games on television, I really came to know my Blues through good old fashion video games, mainly the sega genesis.  NHL '94, like many of you, was probably my first real introduction to my future obsession.  Being a teenager, the first thing that drew me into the game was the violence of the sport...  I mean, I could actually make Federov's head bleed?  How many times can I take out Jeremy Roenick in a season?  How many times can I hit the guy after the whistle?  Of course, my fondness for the edge of hockey drew me to other parts of the game...  Those sweet, sweet one timers.  The slapshots from the slot, Brett Hull style.  The superb goaltending of Cujo.  The forehead smashing antics of Kelly Chase, Basil McRae, and later on, Tony Twist.  Murray Baron, for God's sake!!!  Good, solid, hard working hockey.  Oh, and trying to score 20 goals in a single game using all one-timers.

Of course, as time went on, my passion for the game grew stronger.  I started to follow the Blues on television more closely.  I started to make use of the device known as the "VCR", and often ran out of tape before the end of the game, which would lead to violent shoe throwing fits of rage.  I played street hockey every day, and eventually, roller hockey.  I was able to go to several hockey games at the arena & the Kiel Center.  I was absolutely thrilled when we got Al MacInnis, even though I didn't know much about the guy.  Man, that was a good move.  I was FURIOUS when Brendan Shanahan was traded (he was one of my favorite players, due to his scoring ability AND fighting with passion), and had no clue about this dumb kid they brought in by the name of Chris Pronger.  Of course, in hindsight, that was a pretty good move in my opinion, but those were my direct thoughts at the time.  I hated Keenan with all my might, as he piece by piece, tore down our beloved Blues team and replaced them with the St. Louis Rangers.  Stupid, stupid Keenan.

There was a small point during high school where I was pretty much Tony Twist.'s biggest fan..  He was an absolute legend in my eyes.  The dude could do no wrong, and I had all the fight tapes to prove it.  I actually put together a fight collaboration using two VCRs and a Karaoke machine, and I believe I still have that video to this day.  What soundtrack did I use to go along with the video?  The Rocky IV soundtrack, of course!!

Anyways, you can pretty much see where this is going.  Fast forward 10 years, and things are pretty much the same.  The glorious Center Ice package has reignited all the passion for hockey that I built up as a teenager.  I have a much greater appreciation for the game now, but I still play all the NHL video games.  I still try to make Roenick's head bleed.  I still always create myself in the create-a-player mode, as a hulking 6'11" 350lb. defenseman by the name of "Robzilla", and try to take out the entire Detroit roster.  The only difference is that I'm 500 miles away now.  I'm still throwing stuff around the room, but it's evolved into beer bottles instead of shoes.

The best part, though, is that I've actually found some other crazy mother fuckers that share the same passion for these lunchbox warriors we like to call the St. Louis Blues.  Yes, I'm looking at you, St. Louis Game Time.

GO BLUES!!!

I don't believe this, but a friggin' Blackhawk actually gave us a compliment!

“They’re good because they play so tough,” Chicago’s Adam Burish told Sporting News. “They have six, seven, eight knuckleheads who want to run you through the wall and yell at you the entire game. That’s hard to play against, too. They have a bunch of guys who are maniacs.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=youngbluesarerisingdespi&prov=tsn&type=lgns

I must admit, Burish definitely has a nice twitter.  Or was that the ice girls?  Meh, they all look the same to me.

G O B L U E S G O B L U E S G O B L U E S G O B L U E S
G O B L U E S G O B L U E S G O B L U E S G O B L U E S

It's being reported by the Post Dispatch's Jeremy Rutherford that we have locked up the Happy Meal for four more years.  Strickland follows up with the details...  $18.8 million dollar deal, and a 'no trade' clause included.

Great Success!!!

Blues Ink McDonald to 4-Year Extension

*****

Andy McDonald talks about the deal

*****

One-on-One with John Davidson

*****

g o b l u e s g o b l u e s g o b l u e s g o b l u e s g o b l u e s g o b l u e s g o b l u e s

Hey fellas,

So I'll be in St. Louis this weekend to take in the Oilers and Avalanche games, and was wondering the best spot to pre-game and post-game, along with other random acts of douchebaggery.

Any suggestions?  Also, where can I find you guys to buy a copy of the paper?

FUCK DETROIT FUCK DETROIT FUCK DETROIT FUCK DETROIT FUCK DETROIT FUCK DETROIT FUCK DETROIT FUCK DETROIT FUCK DETROIT FUCK DETROIT

(Had to add that to meet the word quota, but still, honestly....  FUCK DETROIT)

I admit, I stole this from a poster at Hockeybuzz.com, but I found it pretty freaking hilarious.

i'm amazed that more people around here haven't picked up on "the scheme" that the blues have been running since murray got here. we picked up on that name - "the scheme" - because murray's mantra when he got here was that everyone has the same scheme. it was amusing. but now, the scheme has become something else.

the blues will play hard, hard enough to suck you in and make you think they can win. then, they will find a way to lose a little more than half of their games. they will hover high enough to make you think that maybe they can squeak into a playoff position, but also low enough to plummet to the bottom at any moment.

there can be only one explanation for this - it is by design. murray's secret job has been to get the blues a top-4 pick every year. this year his target is tavares. but he also has the tough job of making the blues appear competitive enough to hold a fan base, and to give JD a leg to stand on when he talks up the team (plausible deniability). this also explains making a 50% defenseman captain. this explains scolding polak when he scores a goal. this explains last season's limiting of perron. it explains everything that's going on with this team. the veterans are "in on it", as evidenced by legace's sporadic play, KT's sometimes hard/sometimes coasting play, brewer's ridiculous passes to the other team, etc. the vets have found a way to make the scheme happen. even in games where it seemed like there was no way we could lose, they have found a way.

our discovery of "the scheme" led to the abandoning of the "the code" commercials. it was too close.

the scheme hates winning cultures.

the scheme hates creative players and benches them for embarrassing the vets.

the scheme is the enemy of points.

however...

the scheme will pay off in a couple years. murray will have done his job, and we will have a team loaded with high picks and talent. two decades from now, we will all look back on the scheme era with amusing and appreciative hindsight, and the understanding that murray's scheme was truly brilliant.

now that i have exposed the scheme in public, please make note - if anything should happen to me, you know why.

According to Jeremy Rutherford over at stltoday.com, Jonus Junland has finally been called up from Peoria.

Jay McKee has a fractured finger and will be out indefinitely.

The Blues have called up Jonas Junland from Peoria. Junland has six goals and seven assists and is a plus-3 in 21 games in Peoria. His six goals rank third among all defensemen in the American Hockey League.


JR

Great beard of Zeus, it's about time.