Game Time - SB Nation

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Game Time - SB Nation
Game Time
St Louis
Four Dollars Of Newfound Optimism
The Game Day Guide To St. Louis Blues Hockey
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Established in 2005
Headline
healed enough to play tonight.
By Brad Lee
Backes started the game, but couldn’t finish. That was more
than TJ Oshie could accomplish. He was nursing his own lower
body malady. Against Columbus, Oshie wasn’t terribly missed as
Brad Boyes and Jay McClement each scored two goals. A few
observations before I totally change the subject.
The Oilers are in town, the Blues are red hot and two of their
best players missed time during their last win Tuesday night in
Columbus due to injury. It looks like I picked the wrong hockey
season to give up sniffing glue.
A 4-2 win at Columbus gave the Blues their fourth win in
six games. Since we turned the calendar in January,
the Blues are 7-4-2. It’s not quite the miracle
turnaround that will get the Blues back in
playoff contention, but it’s certainly not
playing like complete shit!
Here’s an interesting fact you can
impress your friends with. The Blues have
lost six games in regulation since losing 4-1
to Detroit on Dec. 23. That was the last time
the Blues lost by more than two goals. And
while a two-goal game doesn’t necessarily
mean both teams were in contention of
winning the game, it goes to show that the team
has played with some consistency for several weeks
now. Hopefully the players’ wives and girlfriends are
celebrating with several BJ Crombeens if you know what I mean.
Going into the game against the Blue Jackets, Columbus was
gunning for David Backes saying he had played too physical
against them or some shit. This isn’t ice dancing, so I’m not sure
what the problem was. But Backes definitely had a target on his
back. And Jan Hejda found him with an awkward hip check that
sent Backs flying during the second period. He didn’t return with
his lower body broken. Miraculously his lower body might be
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Boyes misses the net
(especially in instances where the goaltender is out of
position and he has a lot to shoot at) more than any
40-goal scorer in league history. I don’t know if
he’s trying to rush it and is off or is over thinking
it and overcompensates or what. It’s undeniable. That may be a part of his streaky nature.
Or it may just be the fact that there are times
when Boyes gets the puck and you expect him
to score more often than say…McClement.
Speaking of McClement, it was nice to see
him step up when the team needed him. When
he’s been thrown into situations where they’ve
needed his offense, say centering Backes and
Dutchie Stempniak or playing with Keith
TM Tkachuk when the injuries began mounting in
November, he’s struggled. McClement appears
strong on the puck and is a talented skater. He’s fast enough, agile
enough and has the right body type to be a dangerous offensive
player. He’s simply just not good enough as a playmaker or
finisher to do either. During the course of a season, any team
needs the role players to step up and score. McClement’s turn was
Tuesday.
(Continued on page 26)
Today’s Records, Injuries & News
Today’s Team Records:
Blues:
Oilers:
21-24-5 (47 points)
25-22-3 (53 points)
5th in Central
4th in Northwest
15th in Western
9th in Western
Last Ten Games:
Blues:
5-3-2
Oilers:
6-4-0
Season Series:
0-2-0
All-Time Series:
45-43-14-0
Today’s Injuries:
Today’s News & Notes:
Blues: C Andy McDonald (fractured
ankle), LW Paul Kariya (hip), LW Yan
Stastny (thumb), D Roman Polak
(foot) and D Eric Brewer (back surgery)
are out. F TJ Oshie (ankle) and RW
David Backes (lower body) are ‘hopeful.’
• Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan named rookie
Oilers: F Fernando Pisani (broken
ankle) is out indefinitely.
of the month for January with 11 goals
and 5 assists. Ryan edged others
including TJ Oshie and his 9 points in
11 games.
• NHLPA recommends players keep
their helmets on during fights.
• Game Time staff pretty sure the
NHLPA is out of their minds.
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.
From The Editor
I’m not overly superstitious. I’m not the guy
who wears shorts to a game in December
because the Blues won when I wore shorts to
the last game. I’m not the guy who freaks out
when he can’t find his lucky hat before going
to play a rec league game. I’m not the guy
who has to have a giant beer every period to
ensure that the Blues have a good 20
minutes. I drink the beer to ensure that I
have a good 20 minutes.
But I do indulge in the odd moments of
magical thinking. The fifteen of you
who were reading this paper back in
2005 have heard this before, but
magical thinking is a phrase I
picked up from my wife, who uses
it to describe people who engage in
certain activities even though they know that
some sort of weird correlation does not
indicate any causation.
And while that last phrase pulled a muscle
in my brain just writing it, I think I know
what she means. Before one of my rec league
games, after I’m done making fun of the
goalie and the Asian guy (he started it) and
before I snap on the helmet and commence
trying to fuck up the captain’s pre-game
speech with smartassy comments, I always
try to take a minute or two to focus on the
game we’re about to play.
I’ll stare at nothing particular and try to
visualize how I’m going to make an impact
on the game. I know that doing that won’t
actually make me do those things and I know
that my new-agey focus minute isn’t making
me have a good game, but I also know that
on games when I forget to do it, I tend to play
worse. It’s not a superstition like if I put my
right sock on before my left sock then I’ll
have a good game, but I’ll grant that it’s
close.
Likewise, it’s not too lightly that I take the
position each year that the Blues are out of
the playoff race. For us as a paper, a chance
to do playoff issues would be really exciting.
Due to our incredible business acumen, we
started the paper just in time for the Blues to
miss the playoffs for the first time in 25
years. We have never done a playoff issue.
Writing off the possibility is really hard for
me to do.
So when I wrote in our last issue that the
dream was dead for the year, I did it knowing
that really, truly, the team was out of it.
Depending on which stats you decide to
trust, the Blues need to go somewhere
between 23-9-0 and 19-12-1 and get a
shitload of help from collapsing teams to
make the playoffs. That’s a pretty tough
task for a team that, while tough to play
most nights, might have a hard time
going 16-16 the rest of the way.
But, after I wrote that they’d have no
chance at the playoffs and should start
looking at which players will get traded
at the deadline in one month’s time, the
Blues have beaten the Flyers and Blue
Jackets and taken a point from
Detroit in a game they should have
won. Tonight they go against the
Oilers, a paper tiger of a team
that has issues with their
coach. Saturday brings us the
fading Avalanche. Next week
the Blues play Vancouver and their new
anchor Mats Sundin, the beatable
Nashville Predators and the hated
Blackhawks. The rest of the month
features seven contests that the Blues
have a legitimate chance of winning each
night. Do I think they’ll win ‘em all? Of
course not.
But….
The team has an advantage in that
virtually every media report you read
about them calls them the ‘lowly’ or
‘basement dwelling’ or ‘hapless’ Blues.
I’m sure the opposing teams’ coaches try
to downplay that, but they do still tend to
start their backup goalies against
St. Louis. They are all susceptible to
being beaten by a team that plays hard
every night and seldom gets blown out.
If a couple guys like Backes and Oshie
can stay in the lineup and a couple guys
like McDonald and Brewer can re-join
the team, there will be more opportunities. Throw in a goalie who shall go
unnamed who may or may not be on a
bit of a hot streak and maybe something
surprising can happen.
But me, I won’t be talking about that.
I’m not superstitious, you see, but I
might subscribe to the theory of magical
thinking. And just on the offhand chance
that my thinking can magically affect
events that are beyond my actual control,
well, then there’s just no way the Blues
can make the playoffs at this point.
Absolutely no way.
Sean “it’s not magic if it works”
Gallagher
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
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
gallagher@StLouisGameTime.com
Advertising
gallagher@StLouisGameTime.com
gift@StLouisGameTime.com
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: You’re like the only
person who reads this blurb.
G AME T IME
Page 3
Top 11 More Signs You’re
Tonight’s Trivia
Drunk At A Hockey Game
By Childhood Trauma
First Period (true or false):
11.
1. The Oilers’Andrew Cogliano won the NHL’s fastest skater
competition this year.
10.
2. Dwayne Roloson has over four times as many NHL playoff
victories as Manny Legace.
9.
First Intermission (T/F):
8.
3. A Baywatch babe married one of the current Oilers.
Second Period (multiple choice):
7.
4. Earlier this season Craig MacTavish benched a player for a
second straight game saying, “I can’t watch it, certainly not
for another 2½ years.” Who was he talking about: Dustin
Penner, Robert Nilsson, Dwayne Roloson, or Jason
Strudwick?
6.
5. Which ex-Blue owns the Oiler’s record for most career
power play goals: Doug Weight, Wayne Gretzky, Glenn
Anderson or Shane Corson.
Second Intermission:
6. On the big screen Marlo Brando, Charles Laughton, and
Burt Lancaster all portrayed which of the following: King
Lear, Dr. Moreau, a Stanley Cup goaltender, or the father of a
superhero?
Third Period:
7. Who is the only person to play in every NHL outdoor
game?
8. Curtis Joseph record the most victories for which team?
9. Of the current Blues’ defensemen, which, if any, have
played in the NHL all-star game during their career and for
which teams?
Overtime!
10. Which current Oiler defensemen have played in the
all-star game and which teams did they represent?
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
You love Louie the blue bear…and then try to
make out with him.
You paid for a $9 beer with a $20 bill…and said
“give me one back.”
You thank the cops for doing such a wonderful
job…carrying you by your hair through the
concourse.
You buy a shirt at the Bluenote Authentics
store…with Legace on the back.
You love Bob Plager…and then you try to make
out with him.
You buy a copy of Game Time every game…and
read the cartoon first.
You love Towel Boy…and you have made out
with him.
You try starting a chant…and it’s “Bring Back
Dan-Ton!”
You forgot to zip up after using the restroom…as
well as to wear your underwear.
You sell Game Time.
You are wearing a Red Wings jersey…when
Edmonton is in town.
From the Empty Beer Cup of Brad Lee
Do Not Fuck
With Us.
www.stlouisgametime.com
Corrections & Clarifications
• Game Time would like to apologize for nothing. It is
what it is. That’s it. Go pout like Manny.
• [This apology was
just signed to a
try-out contract
with another team.]
• Game Time printed
the wrong picture of
Manny Legace
after the Detroit
game in the last
issue. The correct
picture is shown
here.
1. True. His 14.31 beat Jeff Carter by about a tenth of a second.
2. True. Manny is 4-10 in three playoff seasons with the Wings.
Dwayne won 18 playoff with three teams.
3. True. Angelica Bridges (Lt. Taylor Walsh) married Sheldon Souray.
4. Dustin Penner, who actually has 3 ½ years left on his contract.
5. Glenn Anderson holds the team record for power play goals at 126.
6. They all portrayed screen versions of the titular character from H.
G. Wells’ “Island of Dr. Moreau.”
7. Ty Conklin lost during the “Heritage Classic” as an Oiler and won
for the Penguins and the Red Wings in the two Winter Classics.
8. Cujo had 137 for the Blues; four more than he had for the Leafs.
9. Eric Brewer played in the 2002 all-star game as an Oiler.
10. Sheldon Souray (MTL) and Lubomir Visnovsky (LA) both played
in 2007.
Page 4
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 5
G AME T IME
The Five Hole
With Chris Gift
I remember last season about this time, the Blues were
making a run.
for losing in overtime will make the Blues uphill climb a tad
easier.
I reverted to some good old fashioned grade school
humor and brought up the books we always used to say we
were reading…
Look at it as a golf tournament and the Blues are trying to
make the cut. If the Blues keep eagling holes while other
teams par them, fine. But if the Blues’ eagles are being
countered with a few teams’ birdies, than the Blues won’t
make the cut.
And yes, if you’re the parents of one of the kids I went to
grade school with that I know read the paper, Matt did these
too. Matter of fact he taught them to me…yep, that’s it, he
taught them to me.
Rusty Bed Springs, by I.P. Nightly
Spots on the Wall, by Who Flung Poo
But the one I concentrated on, or that I at least put a
Blues spin on, was the classic Five Miles to the Bathroom,
which was written by Willie Makit, and illustrated by Betty
Wont.
So as we sit here 28 days from the trade deadline, seven
spots from the playoffs, and realistically, optimistically and
theoretically (damn, I sound like Don King all of the
sudden) the Blues can do it, right?
We’ve seen stranger things happen.
But what will it take? No, not “whatever it takes,” but
what will it take to make the playoffs?
In five words: A whole lot of luck.
In more than five words:
As much as it pains me to say it, teams that we don’t like
have to keep winning. Detroit, Chicago, Calgary and San
Jose are out of reach for the Blues. Next Friday night isn’t a
“four point game” when the Blackhawks visit. Beating a
team that is that far ahead in the standings is nice, beating
Chicago is always nice, but it isn’t going to do a damn thing
at the end of the year for the Blues any more than last
Saturday’s win over Philadelphia did.
Not only do these teams have to win, but winning in
regulation helps tremendously.
Tuesday night, Chicago did the Blues a huge favor by
winning in Edmonton 3-1. Edmonton is only six points
ahead of the Blues, tied for eighth place. A win tonight puts
the Blues within four of Edmonton. With regulation help
from Washington (at LA) and Anaheim (at Nashville) and
Dallas (at Colorado) tonight, it could be even tighter by the
time we all go to sleep.
But that is assuming a win. We all assumed a win last
week against Ottawa, and we all saw what happened there.
That might have even saved Craig Hartsburg his job…oh…
never mind.
Like any competition with lots of entrants, it isn’t all
about how far back an entrant is, but it is also about how
many others are in the way. Teams not getting extra points
Not that it has been a long season, but it is 22 degrees
outside and I just used a golf analogy.
We’ve been bitching about injuries since August, and
hopefully TJ Oshie is in the lineup tonight. I don’t know about
you, but dressing seven defensemen doesn’t give me a
shitload of confidence on a night by night basis.
The good news is that Steve Wagner was returned to
Peoria, but the bad news keeps trickling in.
Although it seems minor, we’re not sure exactly what is
wrong with David Backes. Andy McDonald still isn’t back. Lee
Stempniak has still played more games as a Blue this year
than Paul Kariya (13 to 11). Somebody was either wearing
Manny Legace’s uniform last season and played out of his ass,
or somebody is wearing Manny Legace’s uniform this year
and is playing like ass.
It looks like Chris Mason is the number one goaltender
now. The same Chris Mason who took until January 31 to win
his first game at home, and the same Chris Mason who looks
(Continued on page 22)
The Jeffio Joke of the Day
Bob Plager went to his doctor’s office. The
receptionist asked, “What is your problem, sir?”
Plager looked around the crowded waiting room
and responded, “Well, it’s a bit embarrassing. I’d
rather not talk about it here.”
The receptionist said quietly, “Whatever it is, just
refer to it as your ‘ear.’ That way, no one will know
what you’re talking about.”
Then she asked again, “What is your problem, sir?”
Plager answered, “It’s my ear.”
“And what is wrong with your ear?” the nurse asked.
Plager replied, “It hurts like hell when I piss out of
it.”
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 6
St. Louis Blues Statistics
Skater Statistics
PLAYER
Brad Boyes, RW
Keith Tkachuk, C
Patrik Berglund, C
David Perron, LW
David Backes, RW
Andy McDonald, C
Carlo Colaiacovo, D *
Jay McClement, C
Paul Kariya, LW
Barret Jackman, D
T.J. Oshie, C
Alexander Steen, LW *
Jeff Woywitka, D
Brad Winchester, LW
Roman Polak, D
B.J. Crombeen, RW *
Yan Stastny, C
Eric Brewer, D
Mike Weaver, D
Cam Janssen, RW
Tyson Strachan, D
Dan Hinote, RW
Jay McKee, D
Jonas Junland, D
Goalie Statistics
PLAYER
Manny Legace
Chris Mason
GP
50
48
45
49
50
16
31
50
11
50
25
30
34
32
44
34
34
28
31
40
20
31
39
1
G
22
15
16
5
17
6
2
7
2
3
6
4
1
8
1
8
3
1
0
1
0
1
1
0
A PTS +/- PIM ATOI PPG PPA SHG SHA SOG SPCT
22
44 -22
18 19:24
12
11
0
0 133 16.5
17
32 -11
37 17:42
10
3
0
0 117 12.8
16
32
14
14 16:01
6
9
0
0
91 17.6
27
32
3
30 15:48
1
10
0
0 111
4.5
11
28
-7 127 17:23
4
2
1
0 119 14.3
12
18 -12
12 19:55
2
9
1
0
46
13
15
17
1
17 17:59
0
12
0
0
37
5.4
9
16
-8
25 16:24
0
0
1
0
79
8.9
13
15
1
2 18:06
0
9
0
0
31
6.5
12
15 -12
58 22:58
1
1
0
1
58
5.2
9
15
6
6 16:03
4
2
0
1
45 13.3
10
14
-1
16 17:47
2
6
0
0
57
7
11
12
-5
40 18:23
1
6
0
0
36
2.8
3
11
-5
53 12:47
4
2
0
0
47
17
10
11
-5
29 21:30
0
4
0
0
49
2
3
11
-3
78 13:06
0
2
1
0
62 12.9
4
7 -14
20 12:45
0
0
0
1
30
10
5
6 -14
24 25:07
1
2
0
0
49
2
4
4
-4
6 16:00
0
0
0
1
18
0
3
4
-5
97 5:29
0
0
0
0
16
6.3
3
3
5
28 13:12
0
0
0
0
14
0
1
2
-5
40 11:01
0
0
0
0
14
7.1
1
2
-1
23 16:55
0
0
0
0
21
4.8
0
0
E
2 12:28
0
0
0
0
0
0
GP W L GAA
29 13 9 3.18
25 7 14 2.69
SV SV% SHO TGA TSA PIM ENG
592 88.5%
0
77 669
0
1
628 91.4%
3
59 687
0
6
*Statistics reflect time with St. Louis only. For full season totals, see Pg 14.
Blues Leaders
Goals
Brad Boyes
Assists
David Perron
Points
Brad Boyes
Plus/Minus Patrik Berglund
PP Goals
Brad Boyes
Wins
Manny Legace
GAA
Chris Mason
Save PCT
Chris Mason
22
27
44
14
12
13
2.69
91.4%
Blues All-Time
Games Played
Goals
Points
PIM
Goalie GP
Wins
GAA
Shutouts
Leaders
Bernie Federko
Brett Hull
Bernie Federko
Brian Sutter
Mike Liut
Mike Liut
Jacques Plante
Glenn Hall
927
527
1,073
1,873
347
151
2.07
16
Stats May Lie, But It Takes Words To Say The Lie.
St. Louis Game Time
G AME T IME
Page 7
Edmonton Oilers Stats
Skater Statistics
PLAYER
Ales Hemsky, RW
Shawn Horcoff, C
Sheldon Souray, D
Lubomir Visnovsky, D
Andrew Cogliano, C
Tom Gilbert, D
Denis Grebeshkov, D
Dustin Penner, LW
Erik Cole, RW
Ethan Moreau, LW
Robert Nilsson, LW
Sam Gagner, C
Marc-Antoine Pouliot, C
Kyle Brodziak, C
Steve Staios, D
Fernando Pisani, RW
Jason Strudwick, D
Liam Reddox, LW
Ladislav Smid, D
Zack Stortini, RW
Steve MacIntyre, LW
Goalie Statistics
PLAYER
Dwayne Roloson
Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers
GP
40
50
49
50
50
50
47
48
50
49
40
44
48
48
48
16
40
26
35
30
16
G
16
11
12
8
12
3
4
11
12
12
7
4
6
7
2
2
1
3
0
1
1
A PTS +/- PIM ATOI PPG PPA SHG SHA SOG SPCT
27
43
5
8 18:44
2
18
0
0 118 13.6
22
33
7
27 21:37
5
9
0
0 117
9.4
20
32
-3
62 24:23
7
9
1
0 159
7.5
23
31
6
30 23:01
5
12
0
0
86
9.3
15
27
-4
12 15:30
3
4
0
0
77 15.6
23
26
E
14 21:08
2
8
0
0
63
4.8
19
23
6
22 20:05
1
5
0
0
35 11.4
12
23
3
31 16:15
3
1
0
0
85 12.9
10
22
-4
47 17:01
4
2
0
0 121
9.9
8
20
-1
74 15:42
0
0
1
0 113 10.6
10
17
-5
14 15:02
4
5
0
0
51 13.7
13
17
E
32 16:37
2
2
0
0
83
4.8
8
14
E
17 11:32
0
2
0
0
70
8.6
5
12
-4
19 12:54
1
0
0
1
63 11.1
5
7
-5
49 18:13
0
0
0
0
39
5.1
4
6
-2
4 14:56
0
0
0
1
26
7.7
4
5
-3
35 11:12
0
0
0
0
16
6.3
2
5
-4
10 10:36
0
0
0
0
24 12.5
4
4
-2
37 14:34
0
0
0
0
16
0
2
3
-5 116 6:38
0
0
0
0
10
10
0
1
-2
31 3:27
0
0
0
0
1
100
GP W L GAA
33 16 12 2.75
7 3 2 3.48
Oilers Leaders
Goals
Ales Hemsky
Assists
Ales Hemsky
Points
Ales Hemsky
Plus/Minus
Shawn Horcoff
PP Goals
Sheldon Souray
Wins
Dwayne Roloson
GAA
Dwayne Roloson
Save PCT
Dwayne Roloson
16
27
43
7
7
16
2.75
91.3%
SV SV% SHO TGA TSA PIM ENG
874 91.3%
1
83 957
2
3
184 89.3%
0
22 206
0
0
Oilers All-Time
Games Played
Goals
Points
PIM
Goalie GP
Wins
GAA
Shutouts
Leaders
Kevin Lowe
1,037
Wayne Gretzky
583
Wayne Gretzky 1,669
Kelly Buchberger 1,747
Bill Ranford
449
Grant Fuhr
226
Tommy Salo
2.44
Tommy Salo
23
Join Project Mayhem.
www.StLouisGameTime.com
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 8
Like The Photos in GT?
The Big Johnson Joke of the Day
Now available for purchase
from our photographer
Hey there, Edmontonians, you wanna know how big my
Johnson is?
My Johnson is so big, it forced
Pronger to request a trade.
My Johnson is so big, there’s a
statue of it outside the rink.
My Johnson is so big, I have to call it
Mr. Johnson in front of company.
My Johnson is so big, it has it’s own
telethon.
The Roman Polak Joke of the Day
Great Rates!
Perfect for autographs!
Great gifts for your favorite fan!
View the shots online.
Contact: Andrew D’Angelo
mesmereyezme2@yahoo.com
After the game one night, Roman Polak saw his buddy
Keith Tkachuk walking to his car with
a case of beer under his arm.
“Hey Walt, whatcha got that case
of beer for?”
“Well, I got it for my wife,”
said Tkachuk.
“Wow,” exclaimed
“Great trade!”
Polak,
(314) 546-0369
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: gallagher@stlouisgametime.com
Little David was in his 5th grade class when the teacher asked
the kids what their fathers did for a living. All the typical
answers came up; fireman, policeman, salesman and the like.
David was being uncharacteristically
quiet and so the teacher asked him
about his father.
“My father’s an exotic dancer in a
gay bar and takes off all his clothes in
front of other men. Sometimes, if the
offer is good, he’ll go out to the alley
with some guy and give him a BJ.”
The teacher, obviously shaken by
this statement, hurriedly set the other kids to work on some
coloring, and took little David aside to ask him, “Is that really
true about your father?”
“No,” said David, “He plays for the Edmonton Oilers but I
was too embarrassed to say that in front of the other kids.”
Not Lying. Just Taking The Liberty of Bullshitting You.
St. Louis Game Time
G AME T IME
Page 9
The List
The all-encompassing list of every person who has earned the honor of wearing the ‘Note
Affleck, Robert * Anderson, Glenn * Anderson, Perry * Anderson, Ron * Angotti, Lou * Arbour, Al*Arbour, John * Atcheynum, Blair * Attwell, Ron *
Awrey, Don * Babin, Mitch * Babych, Wayne * Bacashihua, Jason * Backes, David * Backman, Christian * Bailey, Garnet * Baker, William * Baron,
Murray * Baron, Normand * Barr, David * Barrasso, Tom * Bartecko, Lubos * Bassen, Bob * Batters, Jeff * Beaudin, Norm * Beckford-Tseu, Chris *
Beers, Ed * Bekar, Derek * Belanger, Yves * Bell, Bruce * Bennett, Curt * Bennett, Harvey * Benning, Brian * Berenson, Red * Bergevin, Marc * Berglund,
Patrik * Bishop, Ben * Boguniecki, Eric * Bordeleau, Christian * Borotsik, Jack * Bothwell, Tim * Boudrias, Andre * Boulerice, Jesse * Bourbonnais, Rick
* Bourgeois, Charles * Bowness, Richard * Boyes, Brad * Bozek, Steven * Bozon, Philippe * Brackenbury, John * Brathwaite, Fred * Brewer, Carl *
Brewer, Eric * Brimanis, Aris * Brind’Amour, Rod * Brooks, Gordon * Broten, Paul * Brown, Jeff * Brownschidle, John * Bruce, David * Buchanan, Ron
* Bullard, Michael * Bure, Valeri * Butcher, Garth * Butler, Jerome * Buynak, Gordon * Cajanek, Petr * Caley, Don * Cameron, Craig * Campbell, Jim *
Campbell, Scott * Carbonneau, Guy * Cardin, Claude * Carey, Jim * Carlson, Jack * Carlson, Kent * Caron, Jacques * Carr, Gene * Casey, Jonathan *
Cavallini, Gino * Cavallini, Paul * Chapman, Blair * Chase, Kelly * Chasse, Denis * Chebaturkin, Vladimir * Chouinard, Guy * Christian, Dave * Clarke,
Dale * Collins, Bill * Collyard, Bob * Connelly, Wayne * Conroy, Craig * Corso, Daniel * Corson, Shayne * Courtnall, Geoff * Cowick, Bruce * Coxe, Craig
* Crawford, Robert * Creighton, Adam * Crisp, Terry * Crombeen, Michael * Crossman, Doug * Currie, Tony * Curtis, Paul * Cyr, Dennis * Daigneault,
Jean-Jacques * Dallman, Kevin * Danton, Michael * Dark, Michael * Davidson, John * DeMarco, Ab * Delorme, Gilbert * Demitra, Pavol * Dennis, Norm
* Dirk, Robert * Disalvatore, Jon * Divis, Reinhard * Donato, Ted * Dore, Andre * Downey, Aaron * Drake, Dallas * Dubinsky, Steve * Duchesne, Steve *
Dufour, Luc * Dufresne, Donald * Dunlop, Blake * Dupere, Denis * Dupont, Andre * Dupont, Micki * Durbano, Steve * Dvorak, Radek * Eakins, Dallas *
Eastwood, Michael * Ecclestone, Tim * Edestrand, Darryl * Edwards, Gary * Egers, Jack * Elik, Todd * Ellett, David * Eloranta, Kari * Emerson, Nelson *
Evans, Christopher * Evans, Douglas * Evans, Shawn * Ewen, Todd * Fairbairn, Bill * Featherstone, Glenn * Federko, Bernie * Felsner, Denny * Ferraro,
Ray * Finley, Jeff * Fitzpatrick, Rory * Flockhart, Ron * Forey, Connie * Fortin, Ray * Frig, Leonard * Fuhr, Grant * Gamache, Simon * Ganchar, Perry *
Gardner, David * Gassoff, Bob * Gibbs, Barry * Gilbert, Greg * Gilbertson, Stan * Giles, Curtis * Gill, Todd * Gilmour, Douglas * Gingras, Gaston *
Giroux, Larry * Glumac, Mike * Goyette, Phil * Grant, Douglas * Gratton, Gilles * Gray, Terry * Gretzky, Wayne * Guerin, Bill * Gusarov, Alexei * Hall,
Glenn * Hamel, Jean * Hamilton, Chuck * Hammarstrom, Hans * Hampson, Edward * Handy, Ronald * Handzus, Michal * Hanlon, Glen * Hansen,
Richard * Harbaruk, Nick * Harlow, Scott * Harper, Terrance * Harris, Ted * Hart, Gerald * Harvey, Doug * Hawerchuk, Dale * Hebert, Guy * Hecht,
Jochen * Hedican, Bret * Heerema, Jeff * Heinz, Rick * Helmer, Bryan * Hemingway, Colin * Henry, Camile * Hess, Robert * Hickey, Patrick * Hill, Sean
* Hinote, Dan * Hoggan, Jeff * Hollinger, Terry * Holt, Gary * Hoover, Ron * Hornung, Larry * Houlder, Bill * Housley, Philip * Hrechkosy, Dave *
Hrivnak, Jim * Hrkac, Anthony * Huck, Fran * Hucul, Fred * Huddy, Charles * Hudson, Mike * Hughes, Brent * Hughes, Patrick * Hull, Brett * Hunter,
Mark * Irons, Robbie * Irvine, Ted * Jablonski, Pat * Jackman, Barret * Janney, Craig * Janssen, Cam * Jirik, Jaroslav * Johnson, Bob * Johnson, Brent
* Johnson, Craig * Johnson, Erik * Johnson, Mark * Johnson, Mike * Johnson, Ryan * Johnson, Terry * Johnston, Eddie * Joseph, Curtis *
Kannegiesser, Gord * Karamnov, Vitali * Kariya, Paul * Kasatonov, Alexi * Kea, Adrian * Keane, Mike * Keenan, Larry * Kekalainen, Jarmo * Kelly, John
* Kenady, Christopher * Khavanov, Alexander * Khmylev, Yuri * Kimble, Darin * King, D.J. * King, Derek * Klassen, Ralph * Knipscheer, Fred * Koci,
David * Koivisto, Tom * Komadoski, Neil * Korolev, Igor * Kravchuck, Igor * Kuntz, Murray * Labatte, Neil * Lafayette, Nathan * Laflamme, Christian *
Lafreniere, Roger * Lalime, Patrick * Lalor, Michael * Lamby, Richard * Lampman, Mike
* Laperriere, Ian * Lapointe, Guy * Lapointe, Richard *
M
Larocque, Michel * Larose, Claude * Laurence, Donald * Lavallee, Kevin * Lavender, Brian * Lavoie, Dominic * Leach, Stephen * Leeman, Gary * Lefley,
Charles * Legacy, Manny * Lemiuex, Jocelyn * Levie, Craig * Lidster, Douglas * Liut, Michael * Lorentz, Jim * Low, Reed * Lowry, Dave * Lukowich,
Bernie * MacInnis, Allan * MacLean, Paul * MacMillan, Robert * MacNeil, Bernie * MacTavish, Craig * MacEachern, Shane * Mackey, David * Madigan,
Connie * Maki, Wayne * Markell, John * Marois, Mario * Marotte, Gilles * Marshall, Jason * Martin, Seth * Martins, Steve * Mason, Chris * Masters,
James * Matteau, Stephane * Maxwell, Bryan * May, Darrell * Mayers, Jamal * McAlpine, Chris * Mcammond, Dean * McClement, Jay * McCord, Bob *
McCreary, Bill * McCrimmon, Jim * McDonald, Ab * McDonald, Andy * McDuffe, Peter * McKee, Jay * McKegney, Anthony * McKenney, Don *
McLaren, Steve * McLennan, Jamie * McLeod, Jim * McRae, Basil * Mctavish, Gord * Meagher, Richard * Mellanby, Scott * Melnyk, Gerry * Merrick,
Wayne * Metropolit, Glen * Micheletti, Joseph * Miehm, Kevin * Millen, Gregory * Miller, Kevin * Moizis, Tomas * Momesso, Sergio * Monahan,
Hartland * Mongeau, Michel * Montgomery, Jim * Moore, Dickie * Morrison, George * Mullen, Joseph * Murdoch, Robert * Murphy, Joe * Murphy,
Michael * Myre, Louis * Nagy, Ladislav * Nash, Tyson * Nattress, Eric * Nedomansky, Vaclav * Nedved, Petr * Nickulas, Eric * Nieminen, Ville * Nill,
James * Noonan, Brian * Nordmark, Robert * Noris, Joe * Norton, Jeffrey * Norwich, Craig * Norwood, Lee * O’Shea, Danny * O’Shea, Kevin * Oates,
Adam * Obsut, Jaroslav * Odrowski, Gerry * Ogilvie, Brian * Olsson, Christer * Orszagh, Vladimir * Osbourne, Keith * Osgood, Chris * Oshie, T.J. *
Ouimet, Ted * Paddock, Cam * Palazarri, Douglas * Papineau, Justin * Parent, Rich * Paizeau, Michel * Paslawski, Gregory * Patey, Larry * Patrick, Craig
* Patrick, Glenn * Pavese, James * Pearson, Robert * Pellerin, Scott * Peluso, Mike * Perrault, Joe * Perron, David * Persson, Ricard * Petrovicky,
Robert * Pettersson, Jorgen * Picard, Michel * Picard, Noel * Picard, Roger * Pichette, Dave * Pietrangelo, Alex * Pilon, Richard * Plager, Barclay *
Plager, Bill * Plager, Bob * Plante, Jaques * Plante, Pierre * Plasse, Michel * Plavsic, Adrian * Poapst, Steve * Podein, Shion * Poeschek, Rudolph * Pohl,
John * Polak, Roman * Polis, Gregory * Pollock, Jame * Porter, Chris * Posavad, Mike * Prokhorov, Vitali * Pronger, Chris * Quinn, Dan * Quintal,
Stephane * Racine, Bruce * Raglan, Herb * Ramage, George * Reasoner, Marty * Redmond, Richard * Reeds, Mark * Reirden, Todd * Rheaume, Pascal *
Richardson, Kenneth * Richardson, Terrance * Richer, Stephane * Richter, Dave * Riendeau, Vincent * Rivers, Jamie * Rivers, Wayne * Roach, Andy *
Roberto, Phil * Roberts, David * Roberts, Gordon * Roberts, Jimmy * Robinson, Robert * Roloson, Dwayne * Ronning, Clifford * Root, William * Rucinsky, Martin * Rudkowsky, Cody * Ruff, Jason * Rycroft, Mark * Sabourin, Gary * Sacharuk, Lawrence * Salvadore, Bryce * Sanderson, Derek * Sanford,
Curtis * Sarjeant, Geoff * Sather, Glen * Savage, Brian * Sawyer, Kevin * Schock, Ron * Schofield, Dwight * Schwarz, Marek* Seiling, Rod * Sejna, Peter
* Selby, Brit * Shafranov, Konstantin * Shanahan, Brendan * Shaw, Brad * Shinske, Richard * Shires, Jim * Shishkanov, Timofei * Sillinger, Michael *
Simpson, Reid * Simpson, Robert * Skarda, Randy * Skidmore, Paul * Smith, Richard * Smrek, Peter * Smrke, John * Snepsts, Harold * Spring, Frank *
St. Marseille, Frank * Staniowski, Edward * Stankiewicz, Myron * Stastny, Peter * Stastny, Yan * Stempniak, Lee * Stephenson, Frederick * Stevens,
Scott * Stewart, Robert * Stewart, Ron * Stewart, William * Stillman, Cory * Stuart, Mike * Stumpf, Bob * Sutherland, Bill * Sutter, Brian * Sutter,
Richard * Sutter, Ronald * Sutton, Kenneth * Talbot, Jean-guy * Tardif, Patrice * Thomlinson, Dave * Thomson, Floyd * Tikkanen, Esa * Tilley, Tom *
Tkachuk, Keith * Toivonen, Hannu * Trader, Larry * Trebil, Daniel * Tudor, Robert * Turcotte, Darren * Turek, Roman * Turgeon, Pierre * Turnbull,
Perry * Tuttle, Steve * Twist, Anthony * Unger, Garry * Van Ryn, Mike * Varlamov, Sergei * Vasilevskii, Alexander * Veneruzzo, Gary * Vesey, Jim *
Vigneault, Alain * Vopat, Roman * Wagner, Steve * Wakely, Ernest * Walker, Matt * Wall, Bob * Walton, Mike * Wamsley, Richard * Watson, Bryan *
Watt, Jim * Weaver, Mike * Weight, Doug * Weinrich, Eric * Wells, Gordon * Wensink, John * Wheldon, Don * Whistle, Robert * Whitfield, Trent *
Wickenheiser, Douglas * Wideman, Dennis * Williams, Butch * Wilson, Bertwin * Wilson, Richard (G)* Wilson, Richard (D) * Wilson, Ronald *
Woywitka, Jeff * Wozniewski, Andy * Wright, John * Yablonski, Jeremy * Yake, Terry * Yawney, Trent * York, Harry * Young, Scott * Zabransky, Libor *
Zanussi, Joe * Zezel, Peter * Zigomanis, Michael * Zombo, Richard * Zuke, Mike
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 10
The Ghost of the Blues
With Jeff Browning
I can honestly say now that one of our best players is from the
Edmonton Oilers. That is something that the team hoped
people would be saying for many years now. It seems like just
yesterday the media was assuring us
the team was a Cup contender after
acquiring Doug Weight. Then remember
how we were told that Eric Brewer could
pick up where Chris Pronger left off? Who even
was our last good Oiler player? Grant Fuhr? Well
we finally found a great player who the Oilers gave
up on too soon. His name is Brad Winchester.
Winchester was drafted 35th overall in 2000. During the
lockout, he was tied for the lead in goals on the AHL
Roadrunners, a team that had many of the Oilers current
stars on it. He saw his first NHL action, albeit limited, in
2005-06 where he registered only one assist. But as an
emergency call up, he got the game winner in his first ever
playoff game. He’d play with Edmonton again the next year,
then Dallas the year after, and now he is with St. Louis. He
has doubled his career goals with Edmonton in his short time
here. And octupled his marks in Dallas.
Speaking of ‘W’s, Jeff Woywitka has also shown some
prominence as a Blue. Not once, not twice, but three times he
has stepped up from Peoria and has been in the top six
defensemen for the remainder of the season. He was also
drafted by Edmonton and involved in the Pronger trade. At
least we got something good out of it. Eric Brewer.
The Oilers don’t have too many former Blues, but they have a
lot of former Worcester IceCats. That was the St. Louis farm
team before they figured that maybe calling up players from a
different time zone wasn’t too smart. So they moved to Peoria
(and Alaska became our secondary farm team). Steve Staios
was drafted by St. Louis 27th overall in 1991 and spent a season
with the IceCats. His teammate then and his teammate now is
Jason Strudwick. They have combined for 1,330 NHL games
since then. Goalie Dwayne Roloson was the AHL MVP with the
IceCats in 2000, but he wasn’t technically ours. Jesse Boulerice, who played fewer games as a Blue
than he gets suspended for on a regular
basis, is also in their organization.
Craig MacTavish is still coaching the
Oilers. The longtime player who finished
his career in St. Louis as the last player
ever to not wear a helmet has done the
impossible. He has been on the chopping block with the axe in
mid-swing longer than any other coach in any other sport ever.
A loss to the worst team in the West might be just enough to
put him back on the market. And if not that, then him attacking
our mascot Louie probably will.
Blues Record When…
Playing at ItsOverUnlessWeWinToniteCentre
Playing on the road
Can't wait to play the Blue Jackets again
They score first
The other team scores first
They score 4 or more goals
They score on the PP
The other team scores on the PP
They score shorthanded
The other team scores shorthanded
A Blues players has multiple goals
An opposing player has multiple goals
They take 30 or more shots
They allow 30 or more shots
Playing on Sunday
Playing on Monday
Playing on Tuesday
Playing on Wednesday
Playing on Thursday
Playing on Friday
Playing on Saturday
Playing in October
Playing in November
Playing in December
Playing in January
Playing in February
12-10-3
9-14-2
21-24-5
12-4-3
9-19-2
15-1-1
16-10-5
8-17-3
2-1-0
1-3-0
7-2-1
3-12-2
7-10-1
8-12-2
1-3-1
3-0-1
2-4-0
1-6-0
2-4-1
4-2-1
8-6-1
5-4-0
5-6-2
4-10-1
6-4-1
1-0-1
With LosBri
Hey Osh! Drink some damn milk, son
They played the day before
The other team played the day before
Leading after the 1st
Tied after the 1st
Trailing after the 1st
Hinotes' wife's measurements are
Leading after the 2nd
Tied after the 2nd
Trailing after the 2nd
Fight! Fight! Fight!
They are called for 7 or more penalties
Other team called for 7 or more penalties
Emmanual "Loco" Legace starts
Chris Mason starts
Ben Bishop Starts
Game is on FSN
Playing the Eastern Conference
Playing the Atlantic Division
Playing the Northeast Division
Playing the Southeast Division
Playing the Western Conference
Playing the Central Division
Playing the Northwest Division
Playing the Pacific Division
Starting to save money for Sweden
21-24-5
5-5-1
5-4-2
9-3-3
7-8-1
4-13-1
34D-24-34
13-1-1
4-7-2
3-16-2
10-11-2
8-9-2
6-10-3
12-11-3
7-12-1
1-1-1
9-17-4
5-9-1
1-3-0
2-3-1
2-3-0
16-15-4
8-2-2
4-6-1
4-7-1
1-0-0
Page 11
Franchise Foundations
Edmonton Oilers
St. Louis Blues
Year
Player
1999
2001
2002
2003
2004
Barret Jackman ~ Drafted 1st rd (17 overall) by STL
Jay McClement ~ Drafted 2nd round, 57 overall by STL
D.J. King ~ Drafted in 6th rd (190 overall) by STL
David Backes ~ Drafted in 2nd rd (62 overall) by STL
Roman Polak ~ Drafted in 6th rd (180 overall) by STL
T.J. Oshie ~ Drafted in 1st rd (24 overall) by STL
Eric Brewer ~ Acquired from EDM with Jeff Woywitka
and Doug Lynch for Chris Pronger
Jeff Woywitka ~ Acquired from EDM with Eric Brewer
and Doug Lynch for Chris Pronger
Erik Johnson ~ Drafted in 1st rd (1 overall) by STL
Patrik Berglund ~ Drafted in 1st rd (25 overall) by STL
Jay 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
2007
Brad Boyes ~ Acquired from BOS for Dennis
Wideman
David Perron ~ Drafted in 1st rd (26 overall) by STL
Keith Tkachuk ~ Signed as Free Agent. Originally
acquired from PHX in 2001 for a 1st rd pick in 2002,
Ladislav Nagy, Michal Handzus and Jeff Taffe
Paul Kariya ~ Signed as Free Agent (NAS)
Andy McDonald ~ Acquired from ANA for Doug
Weight, Michal Birner and a 7th rd pick in 2008
Tyson Strachan ~ Signed as Free Agent (CAR)
Cam Janssen ~ Acquired from NJ for Bryce Salvador
Mike Weaver ~ Signed as Free Agent (VAN)
Chris Mason ~ Acquired from NAS for a 4th rd pick in
2008
Brad Winchester ~ Signed as Free Agent (DAL)
B.J. Crombeen ~ Claimed off waivers (DAL)
Alexander Steen ~ Acquired with Carlo Colaiacovo
from TOR for Lee 'Dutchie' Stempniak
Carlo Colaiacovo ~ Acquired with Alexander Steen
from TOR for Lee 'Dutchie' Stempniak
2005
2006
2007
2008
Year
1996
1998
1999
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Player
Fernando Pisani ~Drafted in 8th round, 195 overall by
EDM
Shawn Horcoff ~ Drafted in 4th round, 99 overall by EDM
Ethan Moreau ~ Acquired with Chad Kilger, Daniel Cleary
and Christian Laflamme from CHI for Boris Mironov,
Jonas Elofsson and Dean McAmmond
Ales Hemsky ~ Drafted in 1st round, 13 overall by EDM
Steve Staios ~ Signed as Free Agent (ATL)
Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers ~ Drafted in 2nd rd (31 overall) by
EDM
Marc Pouliot ~ Drafted in 1st rd (22 overall) by EDM
Zach Stortini ~ Drafted in 3rd rd (94 overall) by EDM
Kyle Brodziak ~ Drafted in 7th rd (214 overall) by EDM
Liam Reddox ~ Drafted in 4th rd (112 overall) by EDM
Tom Gilbert ~ Acquired from COL for Tommy Salo and a
6th rd pick in 2004
Andrew Cogliano ~ Drafted in 1st rd (25 overall) by EDM
Dwayne Roloson ~ Acquired from MIN for EDM 1st rd pick
and conditional 3rd rd pick in 2006
Ladislav Smid ~ Acquired with Joffrey Lupul, a 1st rd pick
in 2007, a conditional 1st rd pick in 2008 and a 2nd rd
pick in 2008 from ANA for Chris Pronger
Robert Nilsson ~ Acquired with Ryan O'Marra and a 1st
round pick in 2007 from NYI for Ryan Smyth
Denis Grebeshkov ~ Acquired from NYI for Marc-Andre
Bergeron and a 3rd round pick
Sam Gagner ~ Drafted in 1st rd (6 overall) by EDM
Sheldon Souray ~ Signed as Free Agent (MTL)
Dustin Penner ~ Signed as Restricted Free Agent (ANA)
Lubomir Visnovsky ~ Acquired from LA for Jarret Stoll and
Matt Greene
2008 Erik Cole ~ Acquired from CAR for Joni Pitkanen
Jason Strudwick ~ Signed as Free Agent (NYR)
Steve MacIntyre ~ Claimed off waivers from FLA
What’d McGrath Trade For These Guys?
St. Louis Game Time
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 12
NHL Leaders
NHL Leaders
Points
1. Evgeni Malkin, PIT
2. Sidney Crosby, PIT
3. Alex Ovechkin, WAS
4. Marc Savard, BOS
5. Pavel Datsyuk, DET
33. Brad Boy es, STL
79
69
67
61
61
44
Goals Against Average
1. Manny Fernandez, BOS
2. Tim Thomas, BOS
3. Steve Mason, CLB
4. Jonas Hiller, ANH
5. Niklas Backstrom, MIN
24. Chris Mason, STL
2.07
2.08
2.09
2.17
2.20
2.69
Goals
1. Alex Ovechkin, WAS
2. Jeff Carter, PHI
3. Thomas Vanek, BUF
4. Zach Parise, NJ
5. Marian Hossa, DET
12. Brad Boy es, STL
36
32
32
29
28
22
Save Percentage
1. Tim Thomas, BOS
2. Craig Anderson, FLA
3. Manny Fernandez, BOS
4. Niklas Backstrom, MIN
5. Nikolai Khabibulin, CHI
17. Chris Mason, STL
93.4%
92.9%
92.8%
92.7%
92.5%
91.4%
Plus/Minus
1. Dennis Wideman, BOS
2. Blake Wheeler, BOS
3. David Krejci, BOS
4. Marc Savard, BOS
5. Travis Zajac, NJ
35. Patrik Berglund, STL
32
31
29
27
26
14
Wins
1. Miikka Kiprusoff, CGY
2. Evgeni Nabokov, SJ
3. Ryan Miller, BUF
4. Niklas Backstrom, MIN
5. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR
26. Manny Legace, STL
30
27
25
25
24
13
Shootout Goals
1. Wojtek Wolski, COL
2. Brad Boy es, STL
3. Ales Kotalik, BUF
4. Mike Ribeiro, DAL
5. Nikolai Zherdev, NYR
6
5
5
5
5
Rookie Points
1. Kris Versteeg, CHI
4. Bobby Ryan, ANA
3. Patrik Berglund, STL
4. Blake Wheeler, BOS
5. Mikhail Grabovski, TOR
38
34
32
31
26
Defensemen Points
1. Mike Green, WAS
2. Andrei Markov, MTL
3. Mark Streit, NYI
4. Dan Boyle, SJ
5. Dennis Wideman, BOS
54. Carlo Colaiacov o, STL
42
40
38
38
37
18
Around The
No. 88 Leaves The NHLPA — One-time NHL star Eric
Lindros resigned as ombudsman of the NHL players’ union.
The NHL Players Association confirmed the move Tuesday
but did not say why he left.
Lindros took the job in November 2007, three days after he
retired from hockey. The position was created after the union
remade itself following the firing of former executive director
Ted Saskin. Typically, an ombudsman tries to resolve any
complaints by members or staff of the union and reports
directly to the executive board. It’s intended to be a fail-safe
to protect the members’ best interests.
Another St. Louisan Makes The NHL — Mike McKenna,
yet another goalie from St. Louis, made his NHL debut with
the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. He lost in overtime to a
motivated Penguins team that erased a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3
in overtime.
Mckenna didn’t exactly take the easiest road to the NHL
after being drafted in the 6th round of the 2002 entry draft by
Nashville. He was not offered a contract by the Predators and
wound up trying out with the Blues in the summer of 2007
after finishing his college career with St. Lawrence University.
He was not signed by St. Louis, and wound up playing in the
AHL. He was actually on the Lightning’s AHL affiliate but not
under contract to the pro team when they lost both backup
Olaf Kolzig and starter Mike Smith to injury.
McKenna was signed to a two-year deal just two days ago,
worked the bench in his first NHL game against the Islanders
on Tuesday before getting the start in Pittsburgh last night.
We have no idea what’s in the water here in St. Louis that
is breeding crazy goalies, but we’ll be rooting for the kid,
even if he isn’t wearing the Bluenote.
This Is Why We Hate Hollywood — In an effort to
continue to wreck all of the great movies from the 1970’s,
Hollywood is going to re-make the seminal hockey classic,
“Slap Shot” sometime in the near future.
Universal Studios confirmed that they have hired director
Dean Parisot (“Fun With Dick and Jane”) and that Peter
Steinfeld (“21”) will write the script.
The sequels to the original have been horrible flops, but
Hollywood, embiggened by the commercial, if not critical,
success of re-makes like “Bad News Bears” and “The Longest
Yard” means that the movie will likely get made.
If a paper could cry, this one would be quietly weeping in
your hands.
No. 9 In The Rafters — The New York Rangers retired
Adam Graves’ No. 9 on Tuesday night, putting his number
next to teammates Mark Messier’s No. 11, Mike Ricter’s No.
31, and Brian Leetch’s No. 2.
In 772 games as a Ranger, Graves tallied 280 goals (good
for third on the team’s all-time list), and 507 points (10th
all-time for the team). He was a key member of the Rangers’
1994 Stanley Cup team, a run that helped cement him as a
fan-favorite in New York.
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 13
Fried Chicken’s
www.hockey
www.hockey--fights.com
Tonight’s Matchup: The Blues have played the Oilers twice this year, and one of those games featured two fights.
These two teams met up four times last year, and one of those games erupted with three fights. Let’s hope they have
one of their feisty matchups tonight. Both teams have fought frequently this season, as the Blues have had 46 fights
and the Oilers have had 42.
St. Louis Blues Probable Fighters
Edmonton Oilers Probable Fighters
•Cam Janssen – “Bam Bam” has done an admirable job
•Zach Stortini –Stortini has good size at 6’4 and 220
filling in for DJ King as the Blues top enforcer this season. He
is 6 feet tall and weighs 210 pounds, so he often times gives up
height, reach, and weight to his opponents…but he still hangs
in there. Cam has 13 fights so far.
pounds, but he doesn’t seem to like going toe to toe. Most of
his fights are boring hug-fests. With 14 fights on the season, he
is far and away the Oilers most active fighter.
•BJ Crombeen – Crombeen is 6’2, 212 pounds, and he has
had 12 fights thus far. He’s a physical player who will drop the
gloves frequently, even if he loses a lot of his battles. He seems
to always get turned around trying to avoid his opponent’s
fists, and they are then free to pound away. This is what
happened in his last fight against the Wild’s Jared Boll.
•Dan Hinote – Hinote is not a big guy. He weighs 187
pounds, stands 6 feet tall, and he is hurt all the time. This
doesn’t stop him from fighting frequently and playing with a
lot of energy whenever he is healthy enough to be in the
lineup, however. Hinote has played in 31 games, and he has
been involved in four fights.
•Steve MacIntyre – MacIntyre is a mountain of a man,
standing at 6’6 tall and weighing in at a whopping 265 pounds.
His pugilistic skill doesn’t always match up to his brawn,
however, and MacIntyre finds himself scratched from the
lineup a lot. He has played in 16 games this season, and he has
racked up five fighting majors.
•Jason Strudwick – Strudwick has been involved in five
fights so far. He has good size at 6’3 and 225 pounds. He will
occasionally take on some of the top enforcers in the NHL, so
he’s not a spot picker.
Best bet of the night: Janssen hasn’t fought an Oiler player yet this year, so he’s due. I’ll pick Janssen vs Stortini
for the main event. Backes doesn’t seem to fight often, but he has a couple fights versus Oilers the last two seasons,
so I’ll pick Backes vs Staios for the undercard. — Jason Travers (www.hockey-fights.com)
Date
Combatants
Description
Decision
11/29/2008
David Backes vs
Shawn Horcoff
Backes was on the offensive after a small scrum in the
crease. Horcoff only managed a few very weak lefts while
trying to survive as Backes pounded away at him.
Win: Backes
11/29/2008
Jeff Woywitka vs
Steve Staios
Staios was really the only active participant here. He
peppered Woywitka with rights, though none of them
seemed to do any damage. Woywitka could never get going.
Win: Staios
1/2/2008
David Backes vs
Ladislav Smid
Smid elbowed Backes in the head behind the Oilers net, and
Backes didn't like it. He challenged Smid, and then they both
took of their visored helmets. They proceeded to have a
good, spirited fight, with each fighter landing a few.
Draw
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 14
#
4
5
7
9
10
13
15
18
19
20
21
22
25
26
28
29
42
43
46
55
57
62
74
77
#
34
50
Player
Pos
Eric Brewer
D
Barret Jackman
D
Keith Tkachuk
C
Paul Kariya
L
Andy McDonald
C
Dan Hinote
R
Brad Winchester
L
Jay McClement
C
D.J. King
L
Alexander Steen
C
Patrik Berglund
C
Brad Boyes
R
Yan Stastny
C
B.J. Crombeen
R
Carlo Colaiacovo
D
Jeff Woywitka
D
David Backes
R
Mike Weaver
D
Roman Polak
D
Cam Janssen
R
David Perron
L
Tyson Strachan
D
T.J. Oshie
C
Jay McKee
D
TOTALS
Player
Manny Legace
Chris Mason
TOTALS
S/P Ctry Ht Wt C Rk GP
ON CAN 70 200 L
29
AB CAN 72 195 L
25
City
S/P Ctry Ht Wt S Rk GP
Vernon
BC CAN 75 222 L
28
Trail
BC CAN 72 203 L
50
Melrose
MA USA 74 232 L
48
Vancouver
BC CAN 70 180 L
11
Strathroy
ON CAN 71 183 L
16
Leesburg
FL USA 72 187 R
31
Madison
WI USA 77 228 L
32
Kingston
ON CAN 73 201 L
50
Meadow Lake SK CAN 74 228 L
1
Winnipeg
MB CAN 73 205 L
50
Vesteras
SWE 76 187 L Y 45
Mississauga
ON CAN 72 195 R
50
Quebec City
QC CAN 70 191 L
34
Denver
CO USA 74 212 R Y 49
Toronto
ON CAN 73 200 L
41
Vermilion
AB CAN 74 217 L
34
Minneapolis
MN USA 75 216 R
50
Bramalea
ON CAN 69 182 R
31
Ostrava
CZE 73 227 R
44
St. Louis
MO USA 72 210 R
40
Sherbrooke
QC CAN 72 180 R
49
Melfort
SK CAN 75 205 R Y 20
Mt. Vernon
WA USA 71 170 R Y 25
Kingston
ON CAN 76 203 L
39
General Manager:
Ray Bennett
Andy Murray
Larry Pleau
Rick Wamsley
Brad Shaw
Head Coach:
Asst / Goalie Coach:
Asst Coaches:
St. Louis Blues Rosters
and Statistics
DOB
Apr 17 '79
Mar 05 '81
Mar 28 '72
Oct 16 '74
Aug 25 '77
Jan 30 '77
Mar 01 '81
Mar 02 '83
Jun 27 '84
Mar 01 '84
Jun 02 '88
Apr 17 '82
Sep 30 '82
Jul 10 '85
Jan 27 '83
Sep 01 '83
May 01 '84
May 02 '78
Apr 28 '86
Apr 15 '84
May 28 '88
Oct 30 '84
Dec 23 '86
Sep 08 '77
DOB
City
Feb 04 '73 Toronto
Apr 20 '76 Red Deer
G
A Pts +/- PIM TOI/G
Salary
1
5
6
-14
24 25:07
$4,500,000
3
12
15
-12
58 22:58
$2,500,000
15
17
32
-11
37 17:42
$4,500,000
2
13
15
1
2 18:06
$6,000,000
6
12
18
-12
12 19:55
$3,333,333
1
1
2
-5
40 11:00
$1,000,000
8
3
11
-5
53 12:47
$600,000
7
9
16
-8
25 16:23
$950,000
0
1
1
0
0
8:20
$550,000
6
12
18
-5
22 16:55
$1,700,000
16
16
32
14
14 16:00
$850,000
22
22
44
-22
18 19:24
$2,500,000
3
4
7
-14
20 12:44
$500,000
9
7
16
-4 104 11:50
$550,000
2
16
18
-1
23 17:42
$1,400,000
1
11
12
-5
40 18:22
$725,000
17
11
28
-7 127 17:23
$2,500,000
0
4
4
-4
6 15:58
$700,000
1
10
11
-5
29 21:30
$475,000
1
3
4
-5
97
5:29
$550,000
5
27
32
3
30 15:48
$875,000
0
3
3
5
28 13:11
$575,000
6
9
15
6
6 16:03
$850,000
1
1
2
-1
23 16:53
$4,000,000
133 229 362 -111 838
$42,683,333
W
L OT
SO GAA Sv%
Salary
13
9
2
0 3.18 88.5%
$2,500,000
7
14
2
3 2.69 91.4%
$3,000,000
20 23
4
3
$5,500,000
$48,183,333
City
Frydlant
Trail
Calgary
Toronto
Huntsville
Hamilton
Oswego
Winkler
Brock
Edmonton
Yaroslavl
Edmonton
Elk Point
Elliot Lake
St. Paul
Topolcany
Minneapolis
Quebec
Pardubice
Whitby
London
S/P
BC
AB
ON
ON
ON
NY
MB
SK
AB
AB
AB
ON
AB
MN
QC
ON
ON
Ctry
CZE
CAN
CAN
CAN
CAN
CAN
USA
CAN
CAN
CAN
RUS
CAN
CAN
CAN
CAN
SVK
USA
CAN
CZE
CAN
CAN
Ht
75
73
71
70
74
73
74
76
77
73
72
76
76
75
74
70
75
73
72
70
71
Wt
226
208
185
184
220
200
205
245
250
205
209
225
233
228
209
188
206
195
192
180
191
Head Coach:
General Manager:
Craig MacTavish
Steve Tambellini
Pete Peeters
Assistant Coaches:
S Rk GP
L
35
L
50
L
40
L
50
L
49
R
48
L
50
L
48
L
16
L
16
L
47
L
40
L
49
R
30
R
48
L
50
R
50
R
48
R
40
L Y 26
R
44
G
A Pts +/- PIM TOI/G
0
4
4
-2
37 14:34
11
22
33
7
27 21:36
7
10
17
-5
14 15:01
12
15
27
-4
12 15:30
12
8
20
-1
74 15:41
2
5
7
-5
49 18:13
12
10
22
-4
47 17:00
11
12
23
3
31 16:15
1
0
1
-2
31
3:27
2
4
6
-2
4 14:56
4
19
23
6
22 20:05
1
4
5
-3
35 11:11
12
20
32
-3
62 24:23
1
2
3
-5 116
6:38
7
5
12
-4
19 12:53
8
23
31
6
30 23:00
3
23
26
0
14 21:07
6
8
14
0
17 11:31
16
27
43
5
8 18:44
3
2
5
-4
10 10:35
4
13
17
0
32 16:37
135 236 371 -17 691
W
L OT SO GAA Sv%
16
12
3
1 2.75 91.3%
3
2
0
0 3.47 89.3%
19 14
3
1
Goaltending Coach:
Charlie Huddy / Bill Moores /
Kelly Buchberger
Edmonton Oilers Rosters
and Statistics
DOB
Feb 01 '86
Sep 17 '78
Jan 10 '85
Jun 14 '87
Sep 22 '75
Jul 28 '73
Nov 06 '78
Sep 28 '82
Aug 08 '80
Dec 27 '76
Oct 11 '83
Jul 17 '75
Jul 13 '76
Sep 11 '85
May 25 '84
Aug 11 '76
Jan 10 '83
May 22 '85
Aug 13 '83
Jan 27 '86
Aug 10 '89
DOB
City
S/P Ctry Ht Wt C Rk GP
Oct 12 '69 Simcoe
ON CAN 73 180 L
33
May 15 '84 St-Jean-Richelieu QC CAN 76 200 R Y
7
Salary
$952,381
$3,600,000
$1,500,000
$850,000
$1,750,000
$2,900,000
$4,000,000
$4,250,000
$525,000
$2,500,000
$1,500,000
$650,000
$6,250,000
$600,000
$500,000
$7,000,000
$3,500,000
$725,000
$3,600,000
$515,000
$875,000
$48,542,381
Salary
$3,000,000
$550,000
$3,550,000
$52,092,381
Legend: S:Shoots; C: Catches; Rk: Rookie (any player who has played fewer than 25 games in the previous season or fewer than 26 in the previous two years
and has not reached age 26); GP: Games Played; G: Goals; A: Assists; Pts: Points; PIM: Penalties in Minutes; TOI/Game: average Time On Ice per Game.
# Player
Pos
5 Ladislav Smid
D
10 Shawn Horcoff
C
12 Robert Nilsson
C
13 Andrew Cogliano
C
18 Ethan Moreau
L
24 Steve Staios
D
26 Erik Cole
L
27 Dustin Penner
R
33 Steve MacIntyre
L
34 Fernando Pisani
R
37 Denis Grebeshkov
D
43 Jason Strudwick
D
44 Sheldon Souray
D
46 Zachery Stortini
R
51 Kyle Brodziak
C
71 Lubomir Visnovsky
D
77 Tom Gilbert
D
78 Marc-Antoine Pouliot
C
83 Ales Hemsky
R
85 Liam Reddox
L
89 Sam Gagner
C
TOTALS
# Player
35 Dwayne Roloson
38 Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers
TOTALS
Page 15
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 16
NHL Referee Statistics
2008-2009
Since 2007
1st
O
Blues Blues Blues
No. Official
Born
Blues Blues Blues
Game
W L T
Games PP
PK
Games PP
PK
L
Sarnia, ON
1980
2
5
12
1 1 0
7
26
31
2
Fraser, Kerry
North Bay, ON
1997
7
35
23
3 2 2
14
69
54
3
Leggo, Mike
Georgetown, ON
2003
2
4
7
0 2 0
5
14
18
4
McCauley, Wes
Boston,
MA
2000
4
13
17
1
3
0
11
48
58
5
Rooney, Chris
Edmonton, AB
1984
2
9
9
0 2 0
4
15
17
6
Marouelli, Dan
Guelph, ON
1984
3
16
11
1 2 0
5
26
20
7
McCreary, Bill
Montreal, PQ
1990
2
4
7
0 2 0
7
23
30
8
Jackson, Dave
Guelph, ON
1989
3
13
15
1 1 1
5
24
24
10 Devorski, Paul
Richmond, BC
2000
4
19
16
1 3 0
8
30
28
11 Sutherland, Kelly
Dartmouth, NS
1981
4
18
15
1 2 1
6
30
21
12 Koharski, Don
Essex, ON
1995
3
21
23
1 1 1
9
42
56
13 O'Halloran, Dan
Savannah, GA
1991
4
14
16
2 2 0
10
39
42
14 LaRue, Dennis
Montreal, PQ
2000
3
20
15
2 1 0
9
54
58
15 Auger, Stephane
Port Alberni, BC
1986
5
22
23
4 1 0
11
40
48
16 Shick, Rob
Toronto, ON
1996
2
8
10
0 1 1
9
32
37
18 Kimmerly, Greg
Halifax, NS
2003
2
11
6
1 1 0
7
33
26
19 Dwyer, Gord
Toronto, ON
1999
6
23
26
2 4 0
12
50
45
20 Peel, Tim
1993
3
17
15
1 2 0
10
44
47
21 VanMassenhoven, Don Parkhill, ON
Regina, Sas
1996
5
29
32
2 2 1
10
48
56
23 Watson, Brad
Verdun, PQ
1999
4
18
22
1 2 1
6
25
30
25 Joannette, Marc
Winnipeg, MB
1996
5
21
22
2 2 1
14
61
69
26 Martell, Rob
Trois-Rivieres, PQ
2001
3
15
12
1 2 0
6
29
28
27 Furlatt, Eric
St John, NB
2001
3
16
18
0 2 1
7
31
36
28 Lee, Chris
Philadelphia, PA
2000
4
16
18
0 4 0
7
25
31
29 Walsh, Ian
Regina, SK
2000
1
3
4
1 0 0
4
12
14
30 Hasenfratz, Mike
Vernon, BC
2000
2
5
8
1 1 0
8
35
37
32 Kowal, Tom
Kincardine, ON
2000
2
5
6
1 1 0
7
27
30
33 Pollock, Kevin
Dayton, OH
1999
1
4
2
1 0 0
8
34
30
34 Meier, Brad
Toronto, ON
1999
6
34
25
35 Warren, Dean
Peterborough,
ON
2000
2
9
7
2
0
0
3
16
13
36 Morton, Dean
Stettler, AB
2008
1
5
5
1 0 0
1
5
5
37 Rehman, Kyle
Greenfield Park, PQ 2006
2
9
10
2 0 0
5
19
22
38 St Laurent, Francois
Penticton, BC
2006
1
8
11
1 0 0
7
38
37
40 Kozari, Steve
Calgary, AB
1999
2
11
7
42 O'Rourke, Dan
Detroit, MI
2006
3
12
13
2 1 0
6
26
33
43 Pochmara, Brian
Dolbeau, PQ
2003
5
23
22
45 St. Pierre, Justin
TOTALS
50
224
228 20 25 5
569
593
W L
3
6
1
3
0
2
4
2
1
2
5
3
6
4
3
3
4
6
4
1
9
3
2
1
2
2
3
4
1
3
1
2
4
0
2
3
53
4
6
3
6
4
3
3
2
6
3
3
4
2
6
5
4
6
3
3
4
4
2
3
6
1
4
4
3
3
0
0
2
3
1
4
1
61
NHL Linesmen
#
17
47
54
56
57
59
60
Name
Heyer, Shane
Schachte, Dan
Devorski, Greg
Wheler, Mark
Sharrers, Jay
Barton, Steve
Dapuzzo, Pat
#
61
65
66
67
68
70
71
Name
Seitz, Lyle
Racicot, Pierre
Gibbs, Darren
Champoux, Pierre
Driscoll, Scott
Nansen, Derek
Kovachik, Brad
#
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
Name
Rody, Vaughan
Cameron, Lonnie
Amell, Derek
Cormier, Michel
Nowak, Tim
Mach, Brian
Pare, Mark
#
80
82
84
86
88
89
90
Name
Nelson, Thor
Galloway, Ryan
Sericolo, Tony
Lazarowich, Brad
Cvik, Mike
Miller, Steve
McElman, Andy
#
91
92
93
95
96
97
Name
Henderson, Don
Shewchyk, Mark
Murphy, Brian
Murray, Jonny
Brisebois, David
Morin, Jean
O
T
L
0
2
1
2
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
3
1
0
1
0
2
1
3
1
1
1
2
0
1
2
0
1
2
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
17
G AME T IME
Page 17
St. Louis Game Time Scorecard
St. Louis Blues vs. Edmonton Oilers; Thursday, February 5, 2009
Referee: ________________________
Referee: ________________________
Linesman: ______________________
Linesman: ______________________
Shots
Team
1st
2d 3rd OT
Score
SO
F
Team
1st
Oilers
Oilers
Blues
Blues
Blues Starting Lineup
C:
2d 3rd OT
1st Assist
LW:
RW:
D:
D:
G:
Oilers Starting Lineup
C:
LW:
RW:
Penalties Called
Per.
D:
G:
Three Stars of the Game
1st Star:
2nd Star:
3rd Star:
Other Stars of the Game
GWG:
GW Goalie:
Hard Hat:
Game Notes:
F
Goal Scoring
Per. Tim e Team Goalscorer
D:
SO
Time
Team
Penalized Player
Penalty
2nd Assist
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 18
Ask Game Time’s Answer Man
Dear Answer Man,
What the hell is going on with fighting in hockey? All of a
sudden people are anti-fighting and saying things need to
be looked at. Will the NHL ever be fight free?
-Tom (St. Louis-MO)
Oh please, you can’t be serious. Can you? Are you? Fight
free? I will say on record that the NHL will never be fight
free. I subscribe to that rag known as The Hockey News.
Actually, I cancelled my subscription and they keep coming
back. Just like herpes.
The issue for the week of Jan. 26
addressed fighting in hockey. Not
just in the NHL but all of hockey.
The reason is some poor Canadian
Senior A player died after a fight. Not
because of getting his face pummeled
but because he fell after the fight and
banged his head on the ice. I don’t
want to make light of this poor guy
but I do want to address something
about this fight. He knowingly went into it.
He voluntarily fought the other guy. It was his choice. It
wasn’t a dirty hit, it wasn’t a cheap shot. It was a tragedy no
question but he made the choice.
There was also a survey conducted in Canada after the guy
passed away. To no one’s surprise most of Canada agreed
that fighting is a part of the game and should continue.
Another result of the survey was that the majority of people
surveyed in Quebec said that fighting should be eliminated
from hockey. Now who says the French are pussies? Oh wait,
they do apparently (as do I and the rest of the strictly heterosexual population of Answer Nation and majority of North
County).
It is no secret that Answer Man loves to fight in his Sr.
Rec. League. I love to watch hockey fights on TV. Have I ever
pleasured myself to a televised or pre-recorded fight? Maybe.
Maybe. Why do ask? Is that something you do to or you’s
want to maybe….wait, what?
Fighting has certainly evolved. Gone are the days of the
Plagers going up into the stands in Philadelphia to fight the
fans. That was when majority of the guys on a team would
fight. There were certainly guys in the league that were the
heavyweights but most of the guys would throw the knuckle
bags if asked.
Then fighting evolved in the early eighties into protection
and strictly that. Sergio Momesso skated with Hull and Oates
to protect them. Dave Semenko rarely fought because he had
a solid rep of being a complete bad ass. Semenko was there
to protect Gretzky. This was the beginning of the truly
specialized player. This is where the roles on a team were
drawn up and you needed to know your role, jabroni. There
were epic fights in this time. You had Marty McSorley vs.
Probert. Domi vs. Grimson and Tony Twist just destroying
guys. People still talk about these fights 15 years later. This
stuff gets people going.
Now you have guys who need to be able to keep up with
the speed of the game but they play three minutes a night
and you know why they are there. That reason is to purely
beat ass. Check out Derek Boogaard. That freak is 6 foot 7.
He broke Todd Fedoruk’s orbital bone and he now has plates
in his face. The league heavyweights are huge and super
strong. The offseason training includes boxing and even
mixed martial arts. They are trained fighters compared to
farm guys who were flat out tough and strong. There is a ton
of technique now. The technique is to hold on to the other
guy and throw when you can pick your spot. Is it less
entertaining than 20 or 30 years ago? Maybe to some but not
Answer Man, it still gets my blood pressure up.
We don’t have those incredible bouts before, but there is
still a need for this in the game. Fighting is what separates
hockey from every other “major” sport. It gives the players
the accountability factor. Not only that, if you don’t step up
when someone hands you a dance card your teammates will
not come to your defense.
The NHL would be foolish to ban fighting. Why in the
world would the league get rid of the most notable piece of
the game that wins over new fans? That is like getting a
hooker only for the small talk. It is a ridiculous idea. Trust
me, hookers are not good talkers. Hell, they usually aren’t
even good at showering, brushing their teeth or reading.
Keep fighting, it is awesome. Yes, people will get hurt and
I bet more people will die from it. I don’t want them to but
they probably will. If you don’t want to fight, then don’t take
the challenge. Go Blues!
Send your questions on hockey (NHL or rec league),
Busch beer or any other thing that keeps you awake at night
to: answer-man@stlouisgametime.com and have them
answered here.
Just Like A Team, GT’s Got Your Back.
St. Louis Game Time
G AME T IME
Page 19
The Fantasy Files
By Duke
This is one of those nights where I’m not going to be able to
make it down to DrinkScotch in order to watch the game.
Unlike the towel boy, however, I’m not playing hooky in order
to watch American Idol or wax my bikini area: I’ve got tickets
to see a Beatles knockoff band a few blocks away. If you’re
one of the half-dozen empty souls living in the free world who
fails to at least appreciate how important the Beatles are, then
just skip this page and
go straight to the
cartoon. For the rest
of you, here is – in no
particular order - my
top-5 desert island
Beatles tunes with a
little bit of fantasy
hockey mixed in.
did a stealth job worthy of Solid Snake to hijack the job from
Emmanuel Legace. Mason has been a top-10 fantasy backstop
over the past month with three wins, two of those on shutouts,
and all while stopping 94.4% of shots faced. The funny thing is
that nobody seems to care about him in St. Louis after two
seasons of Manny love, and the fantasy community has been
giving him the cold shoulder as well. Following Monday night’s
debacle in Detroit, however, Mason’s stronghold on the No. 1
spot for the Blues has never been so concrete.
Happiness is a
Warm Gun – Bang
bang, shoot shoot.
The Blues have a
smoking gun of their
Read on...
own in David Backes,
but he’s likely going to
be on the shelf for awhile following a nasty hit the other night
in Columbus. Let’s take this (hopefully) brief pause in Backes’
season to appreciate exactly how much this guy kicks ass.
With 17 goals, 11 helpers, and 127 penalty minutes, he’s a
statistical force to be reckoned with among right wingers. His
time in the box is good for the fifth-most in the NHL, yet he
has more goals than the rest of the top-10 in that category…
combined… and his 119 shots on goal this season to go with
six points on the man-advantage has made the 2008-2009
season his official breakout party in the fantasy world. He’s
pretty good in real life, too. Here’s hoping for a quick return.
Come Together – This is another Lennon song that doesn’t
make a fucking bit of sense, but somehow it starts to make its
own sense with enough replays and some substance abuse. The
fact that a guy named Robert Lang hails from… Teplice,
Czechoslovakia makes even less sense to me, and the fact that
he’s likely out for the rest of the season with a tendon injury is
certainly going to be looked at as a senseless loss by both the
Montreal Canadiens and his fantasy owners. The center
position is deep, though, so look to Dallas’ Steve Ott or
Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan if you need a high-output stopgap for
the homestretch.
How is David Backes like The
Beatles? It’s more like how is
he not like The Beatles.
Eleanor Rigby – Christopher Mason, died in a church and
was buried along with his name, nobody came. I was a heavy
advocate of Mason back in November on this page, and even
went so far as to finally write him off as a lost cause before he
Hey Jude – Speaking of goaltending, if you’re looking for a
pick-me-up, here’s your daily reminder that Martin Brodeur
will be back soon, that you should do everything in your power
to acquire him from a frustrated owner, and he’ll lift your
squad’s goaltending every bit as much as this song will lift your
spirits about Erik Johnson missing the season because he lost a
battle with a golf cart. Naaaaah, na, na, nanana, naaah.
Here Comes the Sun – Easily my favorite song authored by
George, it represents a “calm before the storm” type of feeling
for me. With that having been said, the fantasy hockey season is
winding to a close. Be honest about the needs of your team to
gain ground in rotisserie or points formats, or to realistically
compete in the playoffs for you head-to-head players, and make
the necessary moves to bring home some virtual gold.
Koo-koo, ca-choo – go Blues!
You Wanna Know How I Know…
...Manny Legace Is Done In St. Louis?
•
Pulled in Detroit; spent next two periods playing
on his PSP.
•
Instead of ordering chicken soup for lunch,
players now ask for chicken legace.
•
Management sent a bunch of realtors over to his
house.
•
He just traded himself off his NHL09 team.
•
•
He just started a new website
www.iamsooutofstlouisitssilly.net.
Just got his brochure from Sanford-Brown
College.
•
•
Already cleaned out his locker.
Being forced to carry Chris Mason’s gear on
road trips.
over
at
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 20
Tomorrow’s Blues
By Brian Weidler
A Few Minutes With James Livingston
when you heard that you’d been drafted by the Blues.
Recently, your Game Time Prospect Department had the
opportunity to spend a few minutes talking with the Blues’
2008 third-round selection (70th overall) James Livingston.
A right wing who checks in at a solid 6’2 and 213 pounds,
the Halifax-born Livingston is currently in his third season
with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario League.
A power forward in the making, Livingston has the upperbody strength and strength on his skates to plant himself in
front of the goalie and bury rebounds, something he’s done
with regularity in the OHL. He also has a big shot that he can
get off in a hurry when coming down the wing, and his skills
have garnered him 37 goals and 78 points in 179 career OHL
games.
JL: Well, I was extremely excited. I’d been waiting that day,
hoping for my name to be called, and when the Blues picked
me, I was thrilled. I know that they’re a long-standing
franchise, and it’s just awesome to be a part of that.
GT: Did you have much contact with the Blues before the
draft? Were you aware that they had been scouting you?
JL: I had spoken with their scouts at the NHL Combine prior
to the draft; I actually talked to a couple of teams there. So
that’s pretty much all I knew, was that those teams had
interest, and luckily for me, the Blues picked me.
GT: Will you be coming to the Development Camp again next summer?
Livingston’s stat line so far this season
reads 14 goals, 27 points, 57 PIM in 51
games, which represents a slight drop from
the 21-23-44 and 135 PIM he posted in 68
games last season, but he’s making up for
that by working diligently to improve his
footspeed and overall skating. Here’s what
Livingston had to say about his game,
about The Soo, and about the Blues’ Development Camp last summer
Game Time: Tell us a little about yourself,
your likes and dislikes, and what makes
James Livingston tick.
James Livingston: Well, I like music.
Growing up, I played a lot of instruments;
guitar, drums, piano. I took French in
school, so I’m bilingual. And every now
and then, I like to sing.
GT: Anything in particular? Were you in
a choir growing up?
JL: I hope so; absolutely, if I’m invited.
GT: Tell us a little about the Development
Camp experience this year. What are
your impressions of the Blues organization, and of the fan base, that you got
from the camp, and how does this camp
compare to any other summer camps or
training camps that you’ve attended?
JL: It was awesome; it was great to meet
the coaching staff, and the facilities in the
arena are awesome. The Scottrade Center
is extremely impressive, and the fans
there were really behind the Blue and
Gold (Future Stars) Game, which was a lot
of fun. It was a lot like The Soo; it was
really welcoming, and the people there
seem to really like their hockey. It was
(Photo by James Egan
Photography, courtesy of the Soo really exciting for someone like me,
coming in there.
Greyhounds)
JL: No, I just sing along when I’m playing the instruments.
GT: How is the atmosphere there different from training
camp with the Greyhounds?
GT: Your hometown is listed as Newmarket, Ontario, one of
the northern suburbs of Toronto. Were you born there?
JL: Well, I guess I felt kind of like a little fish in a big pond
going through a training camp like that (in St. Louis). There
were a lot of awesome, talented hockey players out there. I
know my role as one of the younger guys is to go in there and
just work really hard, and try to learn from the older guys
who had been there before.
JL: No, I was born in Halifax, and now I live in Newmarket.
GT: Where you are now, in Sault Ste. Marie, is quite a
distance from the Toronto suburbs. How was that
adjustment for you, going from Halifax to Toronto, and
then from Toronto/Newmarket out to The Soo?
JL: Well, I moved to Halifax to Newmarket when I was
pretty young. Going from Newmarket to Sault Ste. Marie,
well, it’s a little colder up here and it’s far from my parents,
but the town is really welcoming. And it’s all about hockey
here. So the transition was pretty smooth.
GT: At the Development Camp, were there one or two
players that maybe you enjoyed competing against just a
little more, some of the guys that you’d competed against in
the Ontario League? And were there maybe one or two of
the guys there that you started to develop a little on-ice
chemistry with?
GT: Tell us, if you would, what was your initial reaction
(Continued on page 21)
G AME T IME
Page 21
with 31 of those tallies coming on the power play. He
turned pro in 2006-07 with the Stockton Thunder of the
ECHL, and had a rocky debut with only eight goals and 26
points in 70 games played.
Reddox had a one-game cup of coffee with the Oil in
2007-08, but spent the bulk of the season with the
Springfield Falcons of the AHL, where he put up 16 goals
and 44 points in 65 games, with a solid plus-10 mark and
48 minutes in penalty time.
By Brian Weidler
Liam Reddox
Shoots:
Not the biggest player on the ice by any
means, his lack of size and strength will hold
Reddox back from becoming the same kind of
scorer in the pro game that he was in junior. He
also needs to develop more game-to-game
consistency, but he has in his favor a solid
two-way game, good puck skills, and a great
attitude.
Left
Height:
5’ 10
Weight:
177
Birthdate:
January 27, 1986
Birthplace:
East York, Ontario
Drafted in the fourth round (112th overall) by
Edmonton in 2004, Liam Reddox joined the
Oilers’ organization with a reputation as a scorer,
and the junior stats to back up that reputation.
In three seasons with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes,
Reddox racked up 86 goals and 210 points in 208 games,
Since the first of the year, Reddox is 1-1-2
with a minus-3 and 2 PIM in ten games for the
Oil, and has managed 2-3-5 with a minus-4 and
10 PIM in 26 total NHL games this season. With Springfield (AHL), Reddox has 5 goals and 9 points in 14 games,
with a minus-3 mark and two minutes in the sin bin.
Tomorrow’s Blues
(continued)
(Continued from page 20)
faster.
JL: At the Development Camp, it was really all about seeing
everything. There were a couple of guys at the Traverse City
(Prospect Tournament) camp that maybe I had some chemistry with; well, maybe not real chemistry, but everyone was
working so hard together, and things were clicking.
GT: Do you find, since you’ve been drafted, that other teams
are maybe paying a little more attention to you on the ice, or
is it about the same as last year?
I got to play a little bit with Anthony Nigro, who the Blues
also picked last year; we play against each other here in the
Ontario League, and we also played together a little bit
growing up in minor hockey. We've known each other before,
and I got to play with him in the Development Camp, and that
was a lot of fun. And Mark Cundari; I was playing against him
a little bit, and that was a lot of fun. Seeing all of those guys
was awesome.
GT: Tell us a little bit about your game, and your style of
play. What would you say are the strengths if your game?
JL: Well, I’m a big, strong guy who likes to go up and down the
wing. I can bring some physical play; I think I'm very strong
defensively, and can also help out offensively.
GT: Any areas that you’d like to improve?
JL: Well, I want to work on getting faster. I think that’s the
biggest thing I’m going to need to do before I make the jump
to the next level. So I’m constantly working on getting my
footspeed up, and just getting quicker and getting on the puck
JL: You definitely get a little more respect, just having that
(status) of having been drafted, but other than that, it hasn’t
really changed much.
GT: Are there any of the Blues’ players that were favorites of
yours growing up?
JL: I didn't get to see that many of the Western Conference
games growing up, living in the East all my life, but I do
remember seeing Brett Hull and Wayne Gretzky there, so
those guys definitely stick out in my memory.
GT: Anything else you’d like to say to the folks here.
JL: Yes; I’m really excited to be a part of the Blues’ organization, and hopefully I’ll be playing down there soon.
Our promised feature on 2008 first-round selection Alex
Pietrangelo will appear in this space on Saturday. Be here for
the scoop on the Blues’ next franchise defenseman, and 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.
Page 22
The Five Hole
(continued)
(Continued from page 5)
like the mutated genetic off spring of Anthrax’s Scott Ian, Jason
“Wee-Man” Acuna, and Game Time groupie Dooks.
So back to the grade school books, is the author, Makit going
to be the one better known than the illustrator, Wont, for this
season’s version of the Blues?
I don’t think so.
A year ago in this column, using these dumb book titles, I
said they’d make it. Before the season, after EJ’s golf injury,
before (add injury after injury after Vice Presidential Nominee
induced injury here), before all of that, I thought they would
ease into the playoffs this season.
But not this year.
I was wrong last year, and I hope I’m wrong again.
Contact: gift@stlouisgametime.com
Spending Way Too Much Time On Minutiae.
St. Louis Game Time
Remember Me?
By Brad Lee & Chris Gift
Jocelyn Lemieux
one pick before Lemieux to the Rangers. If only…if only…
DOB: November 18, 1967 in Mont-Laurier, Que.
Lemieux’s rookie season of 1986-1987 was respectable
enough. Ten goals in 53 games, including one on the power
play went along with 94 penalty minutes. He broke his leg
early in the ‘87-’88 season and played only 23 regular
season games with one goal.
Position: Right Wing
Played for the Blues: 76 games from 1986-1988
One constant about the Blues from the team’s inception
in 1967 until today is the family atmosphere that the team
stresses.
There have been three Sutters, two
Cavallinis, and three Plagers who were
teammates while with the Blues. Last
season, Steve Kariya was given a shot to
make the team in training camp to join his
brother Paul.
Hell, there are even two guys outside
section 305 that wear Berenson jerseys
with different numbers on them, but we
digress.
After giving Mario Lemieux’s older
brother Alain 81 games over four seasons,
the Blues drafted Claude Lemieux’s
younger brother Jocelyn tenth overall in
1986 with the team’s first first round draft
pick since 1981.
Not as tough as his brother Claude, and not as offensively
gifted as unrelated Mario, Jocelyn Lemieux was drafted by
the Blues ahead of Scott Young (11th to Hartford), Craig
Janney (13th to Boston), Tom Fitzgerald (17th to the Islanders) and Adam Graves (22nd to Detroit). Brian Leetch went
During the summer of 1988, Lemieux was sent to
Montreal along with goaltender Darrell
May and a second round draft pick (which
ended up being the very serviceable Patrice
Brisbois) in exchange for Sergio Momesso
and Vincent Riendeau.
Lemieux’s Blues claim to fame is that he
was the second-to-last player to wear
No. 16.
He had two stints with the Canadiens,
along with two stints with Chicago, plus
stops in Hartford, Calgary, New Jersey and
Phoenix before calling it a career after 17
games with the IHL’s Long Beach Ice Dogs
in the ’98-’99 season.
In a nearly 600 game NHL career, Little
Claude tallied 164 points with 80 goals and 740 minutes in
penalties.
Other than an extremely disturbing Facebook page for
“Jocelyn Lemieux, Toronto ON” there is nothing on the
current whereabouts of the younger of the hockey playing
Lemieux Brothers from Mont-Laurier, Quebec.
G AME T IME
Page 23
009
2
8
0
The 20 e Shuffle
at
k
S
y
k
Lu c
er
Track
Finishing Point
Times Occurred
This Year /
Percentage
Puck finishes in same
skate as starting point.
18 / 72.0%
Puck finishes in skate one
place lower than start
point.
7 / 28.0%
Puck finishes in skate one
place higher than start
point.
Top 11 Things That Will
Happen At DrinkScotch
This Month
11.
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
0 / 0.0%
1.
Mass confusion in the stands when a player
wearing No. 10 takes to the ice.
Game Time wins a pseudo-award for some
pseudo-journalism.
Giant scandal involving Bluieeee and Angelllla.
Dancing kid finally comes up with new moves.
Yet another chance to interact in a civil fashion
and discuss the finer points of the great athletic
contest before you with Blackhawk fans. And
then dumping beer on them.
Get to enjoy all the newbies walk in and out of
the upper deck seats during power plays.
Another freak injury takes out a (McKee) player.
Building starts stockpiling uneaten hot dogs and
chicken strips for the free food game in March.
Angelllla finally sues Game Time.
Game Time staff finally sees a game unhazed by
beer. Or not.
Emmanual Legace cries openly.
Inspired by the motherboard of Dan Doke
Advanced Hockey Statistics
Rk
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Player
Keith Tkachuk
David Backes
Carlo Colaiacovo
David Perron
Paul Kariya
Alex Steen
Brad Boyes
Tyson Strachan
TJ Oshie
Patrik Berglund
BJ Crombeen
Barret Jackman
Roman Polak
Eric Brewer
Jeff Woywitka
Mike Weaver
Andy McDonald
Brad Winchester
Jay McClement
Dan Hinote
Can Janssen
Jay McKee
Yan Stastny
Pos Corsi Rating +/- vs Team
LW
7.7
-7
RW
5.3
-5
D
2.6
-2
LW
2.6
6
LW
2.5
2
C
2.4
-4
RW
1.4
-21
D
1.2
2
C
1
6
C
0
16
RW
-0.1
-6
D
-1.2
-13
D
-2.3
2
D
-2.7
-8
D
-3.1
-3
D
-3.3
-7
C
-3.4
-10
RW
-7.9
-5
C
-8.3
-9
RW
-16.5
-5
RW
-17
-5
D
-18.4
-5
C
-25.4
-11
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 overall
effectiveness of a player, whether playing forward
or defense for the team.
Additionally, we have included a statistic
labeled as +/- vs Team. This stat shows each
players’ plus/minus rating relative to the team’s
overall rating.
This +/- vs Team gives us a picture of which
players are above the average and which are
below the average for the Blues.
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 24
NHL Standings—Momentum Time
Eastern Conference
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Boston
Washington
New Jersey
Montreal
NY Rangers
Philadelphia
Buffalo
Florida
GP
52
52
51
51
52
50
52
50
W
38
33
32
29
29
26
27
24
L OTL PTS
8
6
82
15
4
70
16
3
67
16
6
64
18
5
63
15
9
61
20
5
59
18
8
56
GF
181
171
159
158
133
160
156
142
GA
114
149
130
145
136
148
143
141
PP% PK%
24.0 83.1
23.5 78.7
19.1 81.4
16.5 82.1
14.7 87.9
24.2 83.1
20.4 85.4
16.9 82.3
Carolina
Pittsburgh
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Ottawa
Atlanta
NY Islanders
52
53
52
52
49
52
50
25
25
19
17
17
18
16
22
23
24
24
25
29
29
131
163
152
133
116
150
126
151
164
191
164
143
182
170
15.7
16.5
20.4
16.6
17.5
19.3
17.6
Western Conference
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
5
5
9
11
7
5
5
55
55
47
45
41
41
37
HOME
19-3-3
21-3-1
15-9-1
17-5-4
16-8-3
15-6-3
14-9-2
12-6-5
AWAY
19-5-3
12-12-3
17-7-2
12-11-2
13-10-2
11-9-6
13-11-3
12-12-3
L10
7-1-2
6-3-1
8-2-0
4-6-0
5-3-2
5-5-0
6-4-0
6-2-2
78.9 14-10-1 11-12-4
80.0 13-11-2 12-12-3
73.3 9-10-6 10-14-3
80.4
8-9-7
9-15-4
83.3 11-9-4 6-16-3
75.6 9-14-2 9-15-3
81.8 10-12-3 6-17-2
4-6-0
5-4-1
3-4-3
4-5-1
4-5-1
4-6-0
4-5-1
San Jose
Detroit
Calgary
Chicago
Anaheim
Dallas
Minnesota
Vancouver
GP
48
51
50
49
54
49
50
51
W
36
33
30
28
26
24
26
23
L OTL PTS
7
5
77
11
7
73
16
4
64
13
8
64
23
5
57
18
7
55
21
3
55
20
8
54
GF
167
188
158
164
152
146
131
147
GA
112
151
148
124
151
158
114
149
PP% PK% HOME AWAY
23.5 85.0 23-2-2 13-5-3
27.0 77.6 18-4-2 15-7-5
19.6 85.1 19-5-3 11-11-1
22.1 82.0 14-4-5 14-9-3
23.0 80.9 14-11-3 12-12-2
16.4 77.7 13-6-4 11-12-3
21.5 86.3 15-9-3 11-12-0
17.7 79.1 12-11-4 11-9-4
L10
7-3-0
4-4-2
6-4-0
6-3-1
4-6-0
7-1-2
6-4-0
2-5-3
Edmonton
Columbus
Phoenix
Los Angeles
Nashville
Colorado
St.Louis
50
51
53
49
50
51
50
25
24
24
21
23
24
21
22
22
24
21
24
26
24
139
138
134
126
121
142
145
154
146
157
137
142
157
158
17.3
11.8
13.1
18.7
14.0
17.5
22.3
6-4-0
5-4-1
3-7-0
5-4-1
5-5-0
3-7-0
5-3-2
3
5
5
7
3
1
5
53
53
53
49
49
49
47
75.7
81.0
80.9
82.3
84.3
77.3
81.6
12-11-3
15-9-1
16-8-2
13-11-6
13-9-1
15-13-0
12-10-3
13-11-0
9-13-4
8-16-3
8-10-1
10-15-2
9-13-1
9-14-2
Wish You Had Game Time When
You Watch The Blues At Home?
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G AME T IME
Page 25
St. Louis Blues Schedule and Results
October
January (continued)
DATE
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
10
11
13
16
18
22
24
25
30
Fri
Sat
Mon
Thu
Sat
Wed
Fri
Sat
Thu
WINNING/LOSING
OPPONENT
SCORE RECORD
GOALIE
Predators
5-2
1-0-0
Legace/Ellis
@Islanders
2-5
1-1-0 MacDonald/Mason
@Maple Leafs 5-4 SO 2-1-0
Legace/Toskala
Stars
6-1
3-1-0
Legace/Turco
Blackhaw ks
4-3 SO 4-1-0 Legace/Khabibulin
Red Wings
3-4
4-2-0
Conklin/Legace
Kings
0-4
4-3-0 LaBarbera/Legace
Panthers
4-0
5-3-0
Bishop/Anderson
Hurricanes
0-1
5-4-0
Ward/Mason
Novem ber
Decem ber
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
Dec
3
5
6
8
10
11
13
16
18
20
21
23
27
28
30
Wed
Fri
Sat
Mon
Wed
Thu
Sat
Tue
Thu
Sat
Sun
Tue
Sat
Sun
Tue
Mon
Tue
Thu
Sat
Tue
Thu
Fri
Mon
Wed
Thu
Sat
Tue
Thu
Sat
WINNING/LOSING
GOALIE
@Red Wings
3-4 SO 20-24-5
Osgood/Mason
@Blue Jackets
4-2
21-24-5 C.Mason/S.Mason
Oilers
Avalanche
Canucks
@Predators
Blackhaw ks
Rangers
@Blue Jackets
@Predators
Predators
Coyotes
@Stars
@Coyotes
SCORE RECORD
OPPONENT
SCORE RECORD
@Wild
Flames
Coyotes
Predators
@Ducks
@Kings
@Sharks
Flames
@Capitals
Wild
Bruins
@Red Wings
Sharks
Ducks
Devils
0-4
3-4 OT
4-3
6-3
2-4
2-6
4-5
3-6
2-4
4-2
3-6
1-4
3-2 SO
3-4
3-4
10-11-2
10-11-3
11-11-3
12-11-3
12-12-3
12-13-3
12-14-3
12-15-3
12-16-3
13-16-3
13-17-3
13-18-3
14-18-3
14-19-3
14-20-3
DATE
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
Feb
2
3
5
7
10
12
13
16
18
19
21
24
26
28
Tue
Fri
Sat
Tue
Thu
Sat
Sun
Tue
Thu
Fri
Tue
Thu
Sat
Sun
OPPONENT
SCORE RECORD
OPPONENT
SCORE RECORD
WINNING/LOSING
GOALIE
SCORE RECORD
WINNING/LOSING
GOALIE
Red Wings
@Lightning
@Panthers
Stars
Sharks
Red Wings
Wild
@Oilers
@Canucks
@Flames
Kings
Canucks
Blue Jackets
@Blue Jackets
April
DATE
2
3
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
24
25
29
31
March
WINNING/LOSING
DATE
GOALIE
Backstrom/Legace Mar
3
Kipprusoff/Mason Mar
6
Legace/Bryzgalov Mar
7
Legace/Rinne
Mar
10
Giguere/Mason Mar
12
Ersberg/Mason Mar
14
Nabokov/Mason Mar
15
Kipprusoff/Mason Mar
17
Varlamov/Bishop Mar
19
Legace/Backstrom Mar
20
Fernandez/Legace Mar
24
Conklin/Legace Mar
26
Legace/Nabokov Mar
28
Hiller/Mason
Mar
29
Clemmensen/Legace
January
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan
Jan
OPPONENT
February
WINNING/LOSING
DATE
OPPONENT
SCORE RECORD
GOALIE
Nov 1 Sat Penguins
3-6
5-5-0
Fleury/Mason
Nov 5 Wed @Ducks
2-5
5-6-0
Giguere/Mason
Nov 6 Thu @Sharks
4-5 SO 5-6-1
Nabokov/Bishop
Nov 8 Sat @Kings
3-5
5-7-1
Ersberg/Legace
Nov 12 Wed @Sabres
3-4
5-8-1
Miller/Mason
Nov 14 Fri @Blackhaw ks 4-3 OT 6-8-1 Legace/Khabibulin
Nov 16 Sun Canadiens
2-3 SO 6-8-2
Price/Legace
Nov 21 Fri Ducks
3-2 OT 7-8-2
Legace/Giguere
Nov 22 Sat @Wild
2-1
8-8-2
Mason/Backstrom
Nov 25 Tue @Predators
1-0 SO 9-8-2
Mason/Ellis
Nov 26 Wed @Avalanche
1-3
9-9-2
Budaj/Legace
Nov 29 Sat Oilers
2-4
9-10-2
Roloson/Legace
Nov 30 Sun @Thrashers
4-2
10-10-2
Mason/Pavelec
DATE
Sat
Mon
Wed
Sat
Sun
Thu
Sat
WINNING/LOSING
GOALIE
Blackhaw ks
1-2 OT 17-23-4
Huet/Legace
@Bruins
5-4 SO 18-23-4
Mason/Thomas
@Blackhaw ks
2-0
19-23-4
Mason/Huet
All-Star Skills/Young Stars Game
All-Star Game
Senators
1-3
19-24-4
Elliott/Mason
Flyers
4-0
20-24-4 Mason/Niittymaki
DATE
OPPONENT
Fri
Sat
Fri
Sun
Tue
Thu
@Hurricanes
Blue Jackets
@Canucks
@Oilers
@Flames
Avalanche
SCORE RECORD
2-3
5-2
6-4
1-2
1-3
5-2
14-21-3
15-21-3
16-21-3
16-22-3
16-23-3
17-23-3
WINNING/LOSING
GOALIE
Ward/Mason
Legace/Mason
Legace/Labarbara
Roloson/Legace
Kipprusoff/Mason
Legace/Budaj
DATE
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
OPPONENT
1
2
4
7
10
12
Wed
Thu
Sat
Tue
Fri
Sun
@Blackhaw ks
@Red Wings
@Stars
@Coyotes
Blue Jackets
@Avalanche
Volume 4, Issue 26
February 5, 2009
Page 26
Not That Slick
(continued)
(Continued from page 1)
Former McClement linemate Backes
continues to leave an impression on
fans, much like a mushroom stamp.
They more they get of Backes, the more
they want. He now has 17 goals on the
season and continues to lead the team
in penalty minutes with 127 PIM. That
number of trips to the box shows the
intensity Backes has been playing with
this season. The possible future captain
of the team leads the Blues in the
nebulous stat “hits” with 126 on the
season. Injured Roman Polak is second
on the team with 70. Backes finished
among the league leaders a year go, but
is now 60 hits off the pace behind Cal
Clutterbuck (more like Clusterfuck if
you ask me). Backes is one of a small
group of players to dress for every game
this season joining Boyes, McClement
and Barret Jackman in the 50 games
played club.
that he’s ruined for the rest of the
season. Goalies are crazy, and part of
the job is believing that the puck won’t
get behind him no matter what. Hannu
Toivonen didn’t believe that last season.
Legace obviously doesn’t believe that
this season. Who knows if he’ll regain it
in the near future.
With the Blues playing so well, it’s
nice to see the Edmonton Oilers come
to town. The Blues have lost five
straight to this dysfunctional organization. Craig MacTavish has avoided
getting the pink slip with a solid
January where the Oilers posted an
8-4-0 record. But now he’s started
February 0-2-0 with a 3-1 loss to the
Blackhawks and a 2-1 defeat to
Nashville. They play Detroit on
Saturday during this mini tour of the
Central Division.
So, where is this team headed? I
have no idea. There’s more cohesiveness on the ice as all the fucking new
guys learn to play together. Some of the
younger guys are more comfortable
with their role on the team and with the
speed of play in the NHL. Chris Mason
is emerging as the starter in goal and
the viable option for the team next
season.
Ales Hemsky is one of seven Oilers to
have more than 10 goals. He leads the
team, but with the modest total of 16.
Combined with his 27 assists, he leads
Edmonton in points with 43 on the
season with 40 games played. The
25-year-old Czech native missed 10
games with a concussion. In his first
two games back last month, he had four
goals. In the six games he’s played since
the injury, Hemsky has six goals and
two assists. Color Andy McDonald
jealous.
There’s no doubt Emmanuel Legace
cost the Blues the win Monday night in
Detroit. He allowed three goals and
none of them were considered very
strong. After he was yanked and the
Blues lost in the shootout, Legace called
himself one of the worst players in the
league. While I admire a guy for
standing up and admitting he let the
team down, Legace’s mood is like the
pirate boat ride at Six Flags – it swings
wildly from one extreme to the other in
no time. If that’s what it takes to
motivate him, fine. But I think that kind
of attitude combined with the
knowledge that he’s quickly losing any
shot of regaining the starting job could
pound him into a deep enough funk
Sheldon Souray is a good offensive
defensemen in the NHL, but not a great
one. His 12 goals are fourth in the
league among blueliners. His 20 assists
are 25th and his 32 points are 10th.
That’s a good season, no doubt. But
considering he was signed to a fiveyear, $27 million contract after scoring
26 goals and 38 assists, he probably
should be better. Hopefully his wife/exwife follows him on the road. Souray
has been married to former Baywatch
actress Angelica Bridges. Souray and
the lovely red head are either still
married or divorced depending on
which website you believe. But according to questions posed to Souray on the
Edmonton site, his most famous friend
is Cuba Gooding Jr., his favorite super
hero is the Incredible Hulk and his
middle name is Sherrick. Must be a
family name.
Souray is third on the team in
scoring. Fellow defenseman Lubomir
Visnovsky is fourth. That can’t be a
good sign for the Oilers. The former
King Visnovsky has two goals and two
assists in his last five games. His name
also lacks the appropriate number of
vowels.
Nineteen year old Sam Gagner
continues to be a big disappointment in
his second NHL season. He only has
one goal and two assists in his last 10
games. On the season he has scored just
four goals and 13 assists in 44 games
played. It’s very doubtful he’ll approach
his 49 points scored during his rookie
season last year. Of course the Oilers
aren’t paying him a butt load of money
to suck like Dustin Penner, but he’s still
been arguably the team’s biggest
disappointment.
Dwayne Roloson is 39 years old. I
had no idea. He’s playing pretty well,
but hasn’t been rewarded with a nice
won-lost record. His 2.75 goals-against
average and 91.3 save percentage would
suggest his record might be a little
better than 16-12-3. It all goes back to
Edmonton’s offense not being very
reliable. Of course Roloson has a
chance to get a win tonight. In 14 games
played over his career against St. Louis,
he’s posted a 1.89 GAA and stopped
94.1 percent of the shots he’s faced.
Very impressive.
I have no idea why the Blues are
suddenly competitive. I have no idea
why Legace sucks. I don’t know when
McDonald will come back from injury
or who the next player to get hurt will
be. I do know the Oilers are the kind of
team the Blues should beat, but it
doesn’t mean they will.
Let’s Go Blues!
G AME T IME
Page 27
Game Time Bingo!
Bluie’s costume
could use a trip
to the dry
cleaner.
Bobby Plager is on
the jumbotron.
Someone takes out
an official.
Poutine Perron
makes you say
‘wow.’
Spot the first fan
Colaiacovo jersey.
OSHIE!
Tkachuk goes
offsides again.
Cam Janssen
defends the pride
of Eureka.
A goal is scored in
the first two
minutes of any
period.
Hear people in the
wrong jersey
getting booed on
the concourses.
Mite game ends
in a tie.
Barret Jackman gives
someone the ‘you’re
an idiot’ look.
You love Boyes so
much that you
should be in
NAMBLA.
“How much time is
left!?”
Mrs. Red Berenson
Cowboy wearing a
Rivers jersey.
Andy Murray calls a
time out in the first
period.
“Thank you!”
Dancing Kid’s
Sec. 307 really
Angelllla draped all
Q-Rating is
wants to see
over a former Blue. definitely dropping
Towel Boy jump.
in here.
Patrik Berglund
gets another point.
Fight!
Fight!
Fight!
PING! Someone
hits the post.
Time to get
Strachan a big boy
uniform number.
Another $200 stick
breaks at the worst
possible time.
Spot someone else
filling out the GT
Bingo card.
Get five in a row in any direction and you win!
Tales
From
The
Least
By Sean Gallagher
Hey! NHL09 just gave
me an idea for a
cartoon!
y
You should totall
!
up
draw it
Blah. Fuck it.
Like A Swift Kick
To The Nuts.
St. Louis Game Time
www.stlouisgametime.com