SB Nation User Blog: Marcus E Pettersson

King Jackman Photo

Marcus E Pettersson — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:30:07 -0000

By way of St Louis Game Time commenter ingmarWbergman, here's scans of the picture of Barrett Jackman being a tough-ass against Detroit farmhands Tomas Holmström and Johan Franzén some of you seemed to like.

Link to bigger picture.

Link to bigger and unedited picture.

Enjoy!

A Wrap-Up From Sweden

Marcus E Pettersson — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:20:28 -0000

I'm not going to report much from the Swedish games. Gerard and DanGNR is doing such a great job at bringing you all that went down, plus with everything being written in the PD and on the Blues site etc, what's the use? I will say however that I had a blast seeing NHL-hockey in Stockholm, and it was absolutely fantastic meeting DanGNR (and wife), Gerard and ingmarWbergman. You guys make me want to go over to St Louis to experience the real deal. I'm saving up and coming over soon. Promise.

So what's on my mind? Well, as you might recall, a few weeks back I wrote about how the Blues were viewed as big underdogs by the Swedish media. And especially how Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet pictured the Globe Arena with a big Red Wing on it, and so on. Well, just to follow up, here's what the papers pages looked after the games.

After Friday's game:

"Here he ruins the party". Pauly Walnuts, party pooper.

After Saturday's game:

"The Swede Fiasco". Jackman is king in that photo.

Well, we sure showed those asshats.

Off To Stockholm

Marcus E Pettersson — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:29:09 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

Tonight's the night big guy. Give 'em hell.

Browse more photos »

It must have been in the 93-94 or 94-95 season. I was 14 or 15, up in the middle of the night watching NHL hockey live for the very first time. The Blues were playing and Brett Hull scored a hat-trick.

Brett Hull. He's the one who started it for me. I'd watched plenty of hockey already, or at least I thought I had. Tre Kronor, the Swedish National team, was successful during this time, a player called Peter Forsberg was just getting started, Mats Sundin was already a household name. I'd been to quite a few hockey games live, too. But I'd never seen anyone like Brett Hull. The speed in which he played the game, the precision and power of the shot, the killer instinct. From that day on, whenever someone would ask me what team I rooted for I'd answer with Brett's team -- the St. Louis Blues.

I admit, I didn't follow the Blues, or the NHL for that matter, all that much during my teenage years. North American hockey was cool, I saw a game now and then, sure, but c'mon, I was a teenager. Girls, rock music and getting drunk was my main interests. But hockey was always there, and it grew.

Now I'm as much a Blues fanatic as you can be. I check all the websites for updates several times a day. I constantly tell my fiancée about the team, whether she wants to hear about it or not. I sit up watching all fucking night on a Tuesday when the Blues are playing an away game in Nashville. I'm easily irritated days after a loss, I'm happy and on my game after wins. I taught my goddaughter to (almost) say "David Perron, Blues de St Louis" this summer. This team is everywhere for me.

And now they're even here, playing in the capital of my home country, against the arch rival's, the bastards, the FUCK Detroit Red Wings, with those stupid-looking farmer boys Franzén and Holmström and their equally stupid-looking fans. It's been said over and over how much red jerseys there will be in the stands in the Globe Arena tonight and tomorrow. I don't think that will be the case. The Red Wings is a popular team over here, but their fans will never be as passionate and as engaged as the Blues' fans. I'd say the audience will mostly be made out of normal Swedes. They will think that it's cool that the Red Wings and Blues is coming over, they'll be there to watch an NHL game, not a specific team. We'll see tonight if I'm right.

I'll be there, rooting the good guys on, the players I follow everyday. The awesomeness-on-skates that is David Backes, Mr Cool David Perron, Oshie with his furnace face and beautiful checks, Cam Smash Cam Bang Janssen, old man Walt, sneaky little Andy Mac and of course Pretty-boy TechnoViking Patrik Berglund and the rest.

It's Friday morning, I'm getting on the train to Stockholm in 30 minutes. For me this truly is a dream come true. And damn, this is going to be great!

Blues Videos From Sweden

Marcus E Pettersson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:29:40 -0000

Hey gang.

Found some videos that SVT (Swedish national television) made. No translations for the ones in which they speak Swedish (I'm lazy, plus it's basically just the usual blahblahblah's), but I thought it might be fun for you to see anyway. Lot's of stuff going on in the background, too.

Video 1: About Murray and Berglund. Love when the Goblin's yelling at the guys in the start of the video. "Are you guys stupid, or what?!" (In Swedish.)

Video 2: Interview w/ the coach. (In English.)

Video 3: Interview w/ Keith Tkachuk. (In English.)

Video 4: Interview w/ Alexander Steen. About three minutes in, DJ King Kong comes in view, looks stupid, then leaves. There's just something hysterically funny about those 5 seconds. (In Swedish.)

Image FanShot

Marcus E Pettersson — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:04:22 -0000

No Big Surprise: Blues Seen As Underdogs In Sweden

Marcus E Pettersson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:33:00 -0000

Oh, you're gonna l-o-v-e this.

Today, on my way home from work, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up some ~~toilet paper~~ food etc. As usual, I came home with lots of unnessesary items, among them a newly released hockey magazine focusing on the upcoming Swedish Elite League start, with quite a few pages on the 09-10 NHL season.

The magazine, humbly named The Hockey Bible, is released by Aftonbladet, Swedens biggest and most successful newspaper, and is a guide to everything hockey (or so they claim). I personally bought it just to have something to read on the shitter.

Anyhow, after having glanced through the Elite League pages of the magazine, I came to the good stuff: the NHL Premiere games in Stockholm between the Blues and the fuckoffs of Detroit. Well, let's just say I was not happy about how the paper's editors chose to illustrate the premiere matchup.

Notice the Blues content on this page? A whole square inch in the bottom right corner! Looks like an equal fight, doesn't it? Iceberg all alone against a gang of Red Wings players and a winged Globe Arena.

Again, small column to the far right. The rest is all Red Wings. Fuckers.

Not that I expected anything else, especially not from the Swedish main stream media. This is just one of many examples of how the media over here feels about the upcoming Stockholm games. According to most Swedish reporters, facing off against the Red Wings is like facing off against the second coming of the Big Red Machine (you know, the Soviet line of Fetisov, Kasatonov, Krutov, Larionov and Makarov who embarrassed opposing players on a nightly basis) or something. Never mind that Detroit's lost some very good players, never mind that they have one of the leagues most overrated goalies, never mind that they are one year older, slower, uglier. No no, it's the Red Wings, they are just great.

Assholes.

Oh, it's not like the magazine hates the Blues or anything. They do see them finishing as high as 8th in the Western Conference this upcoming season. Who they think will win it? Take a wild guess.

Some Stuff To Pass The Time

Marcus E Pettersson — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:21:55 -0000

Not much hockey news coming out of St. Louis (or anywhere else, really), so I thought I'd contribute a bit with a some translated stuff. Swedish sports site svenskafans.com recently published short interviews with Blues prospects Jonas Junland and Lars Eller. Both hoping to make the team out of camp. We'll see how they do in just a few weeks. In the meantime, here's something to read for us poor hockey-starved people.

Jonas Junland during his days as a Swedish Elite League player.

First, here's Jonas Junland:

Link to original article (in Swedish).

You have lived in the U.S. for a year now. What kind of city i St. Louis, and how do you spend your time when you're not playing hockey?
--I think St. Louis is a great city, maybe a little too big but there's always something to do. I've also spent a lot of time in Peoria which isn't as fun. When I'm not training I play golf and go shopping, I find it relaxing.

You just bought a Chevrolet Tahoe. What's it like to cruise around in one of those?
--I'm very pleased with my new car. Maybe it's a little too big, but I need it since I have a big dog that needs room. It's a Chihuahua [laughs].

Your first season in the AHL and you got to play in the All Star Game. Compare the AHL to the Swedish Elite League.
--There are some differences, definitely. I think skill-wise that the SEL is better, at least individually. But the tempo is definitely higher in the AHL. Plus, you have to learn the North American style to be a good player over here, and the AHL is perfect for that.

Which other players in Peoria have been impressive and could get call-ups to the Blues?
--There's a whole bunch of players who has a shot at making the Blues, but it's really hard. I think Ben Bishop and Cam Paddock are among those with a good shot.

What are your thoughts on getting a spot on the Blues line-up, and how will you approach playing in Peoria another season?
--I think as little as possible about that, but of course I'll give it everything to get a spot with the Blues. If it's back to Peoria for me, I'll deal with that then.

Eric Brewer is the Blues captain, but often Keith Tkachuk is mentioned as the big leader on the team. How is it, and what is Tkachuk like?
--I don't really know about who's the leader of the team, but Keith is a wonderful hockey player and from what I've heard he takes care of the young guys on the team in a good way.

From what I've heard, you've become quite the baseball fan while living in St. Louis. Albert Pujols is my favourite player. Yours?
--Baseball is a fun sport, I don't know all the rules yet, but Albert is definitely the best.

Lars Eller while playing for Boras HC in the Swedish 2nd league.

Moving on. Here's Lars Eller:

Link to original article (in Swedish).

How was it to be drafted by the Blues and what did you know about the club before that?
--It was great! The Blues were the team that showed most interest in me. I have a hard time picturing a better place to end up, everyone in the organization is great. I didn't really know all that much, to be honest, just that they had had a rough time the previous couple of years, but that they were in the middle of rebuilding the team from within.

How are you preparing for the upcoming camp?
--We are doing four work-out sessions and four on-ice sessions every week. On the ice we're mostly focusing on skating and conditioning. Basically all the players are here, except some who are attending Olympic camps.

How's the shoulder?
--It's getting better. I don't feel anything in the weight room or on the ice. It's almost like getting a completely new shoulder. Now it's about getting it gradually ready for contact. Chances are very good that I'll be able to compete at the camp and play some exhibition games in September.

David Perron had a great camp a few years back and got a spot with the Blues. What do you feel about your chances to grab a spot in the NHL and getting to play the opening games in Stockholm?
--The only thing on my mind is grabbing a spot on the team going over to Sweden. I'm not going to speculate on my chances. I know that for me to get a spot I have to be better than at least one other forward. That all comes down to how well I do in camp.

Who amongst the Danish players, besides yourself, do you think have the brightest future in the NHL?
--If I have to pick one player I have to say Philip Larsen (Dallas prospect, played with Eller in Frolunda and Boras here in Sweden). He's got it all. I also like Peter Regin (played a few games with Ottawa, nothing fancy) alot. He's a very smart player who I think will be an NHL player for many years.

How do you like St. Louis and how do you spend your spare time?
--The more I see of St. Louis the more I like it. It is a little too hot for me during the summer, though. But it's a great sports city. A big city, but mostly people seem very calm and down to earth. Me and my roomie Aaron Palushaj play golf almost every day, and if not I usually spend my time by the pool or going to the movies.

There you go.

TechnoViking VS The Teeej tonight

Marcus E Pettersson — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:50:02 -0000

Just a note for whomever might be interested.

In about an hour, Blues rookies and former roomies T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund will square off as Team USA take on Team Sweden in the IIHF World Championships in Switzerland. Both players have apparently been trash talking, all smirks and smiles.

Some quotes:

"I'm going to run you over." -- Oshie to Iceberg

"When I get the chance, I'm going right through him." -- Berglund

Iceberg claims Oshie wants more than bodychecks. ~~He also want to make sweet sweet looove!~~
"He's talking about fighting. Not the smartest thing, perhaps, but maybe something will happen after I check him."

A journalist asked him if he should'nt go after David Backes, too, while he's at it. Berglund:
"No. Backes is tough as hell, I'm staying as far away from him as possible."

Funny stuff. I know I'll be watching.

Found this in an article actually saluting old guys in hockey -- still, the picture is...

Marcus E Pettersson — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 10:24:27 -0000

Found this in an article actually saluting old guys in hockey -- still, the picture is kinda fun.

Iceberg To Hit The World Championships

Marcus E Pettersson — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:33:10 -0000

More photos » by Terry Gilliam - AP

Vroom Vroom Pahtee Stahtah!!!

Browse more photos »

You heard it here first, folks. Our very own, incredibly handsome, newly cropped, rookie stud Patrik Berglund has gotten a ticket to Switzerland, and will suit up for the Swedish National Team in this year's World Championships. He crosses the Atlantic on a flight that left Lambert Int. at 8 a.m. this morning.
-- We have a good shot at going far, Berglund said to Swedish newspaper Expressen.

When Berglund woke up on Wednesday morning, a text-message had been sent to his cellphone.
-- It was Bengan (Team Sweden coach Bengt-Åke Gustafsson) asking me to call him as soon as possible. Then when I spoke to him he said he wanted me to come over. I had a short discussion with our GM, Larry Pleau, and he told me to go for it.

Gustafsson had this to say about TechoViking:
-- What's most impressing about his stats is his plus/minus. On a team where two thirds of all the players have a minus record, he is plus 19. That's very strong. We´'ll have to wait and see where and with whom we'll play him. I usually have lots of centermen on my teams, so that's no big deal.

Bengt-Åke Gustafsson also tried to bring in the Blues' other Swedish forward, Alex Steen, but Steen turned the offer down, referring to "family issues".
-- Bengt-Åke was very understanding. I'm hoping to take part the next time I get asked, Steen said. He also had some nice things to say about Mr IceBerg:
-- Patrik will bring lots to the World Champinships Team. He has a very hard and fast shot and is a good two-way centerman. He'll be a great reinforcement.

When asked about what he brings to the table, Berglund told the paper:
-- I'm very excited about playing in the World Championships. How many goals I can contribute with, I have no idea, I'll just go in there and play my best.
Are you familiar with the team?
-- I looked it up online.
Who do you think you'll line up with?
-- No idea. I just want to go, play and do a good job for Sweden.

Also, as pointed out by the Prof, David Backes and T.J. Oshie will play for team USA in Switzerland. Every opposing player should be well advised to keep their heads up.

Finally a good reason to follow that sorry excuse of a tournament.