St Louis Game Time
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
St Louis Volu me 4, Is su e 3 0 Game Time Febr uary 1 6, 20 09 Four Dollars of Unemotional Analysis The Game Day Guide To St. Louis Blues Hockey Established in 2005 By Brad Lee never ending PR spins and desperation to make headlines is sickening. The Stars, led by the out of place and over-matched While everyone at the Drinkscotch Center who was rooting for Brett Hull, gave Avery that ridiculous free agent contract over the the Bluenote Friday night was desperate for a win, the guys in the summer after he had already worn out his welcome in Detroit, suits who write the checks would relish a victory tonight even Los Angeles and New York. And he put himself in the spotlight more. with the harmless yet headline-grabbing ―sloppy seconds‖ joke Lead owner Dave Checketts, some of his business partners and guaranteeing that he would never play for Dallas again. team president John Davidson all have strong ties to the New Finally after some bullshit anger management and time off, York Rangers organization and Madison Square Garden. Avery‘s back in the minors. But because the Stars Now I‘m not going to say there‘s definitely bad somehow don‘t have a minor league team this blood there, but I would guess they probably season, their prospects are parceled out through- don‘t exchange Christmas cards. When the out the backwaters of the American Hockey Blues played there the first time after League. So when Avery was sent down to the Checketts and his group took over the Blues, minors as part of his banishment, he was Davidson was treated to a warm reception assigned to the Hartford Wolfpack…the AHL and an on-ice ceremony thanking him for affiliate of the New York Rangers. He made his time as a player and broadcaster with his debut with the Wolfpack Friday night. It the organization. Checketts and his group had been nine years since he last played in the were part of the crowd standing and AHL and two months since he played in a real applauding during the ceremony. In fact, they hockey game. were part of the paid crowd out in the stands. ―I feel good that Dallas has given me an opportu- You know when you‘re watching a game and the nity to come here and play and that the team in other team‘s leadership is in attendance, if they make it TM Hartford has allowed me to come in and play,‖ on TV it‘s usually from a luxury box or at least the press box. Avery told reporters. ―I probably could have had a few points if I It‘s a common courtesy kind of thing. Checketts wasn‘t given any had buried a few chances or a couple other guys had scored, but courtesy. I bet he had to go to a scalper outside the stadium for other than losing, it was a pretty good night.‖ tickets. So Mookie, if you‘re reading this outside the arena, get off your bike and look for some dudes from New York. They can It‘s just too bad the Rangers haven‘t pulled the trigger on a deal afford the mark-up. And tell them to take Sean Avery from and brought him up before tonight. The front page of this rag Dallas. That‘ll end well. would have written itself, I tell you. Instead, I have to mention something about the 1-0 shutout win over the Blackhawks and I‘m glad I‘m not a fan of any New York teams. The drama, the (Continued on page 26) Today’s Records, Injuries & News Today’s Team Records: Today’s Injuries: Today’s News & Notes: Blues: Rangers: Blues: LW Paul Kariya (hips), LW Mike Green (WAS) sets NHL record for 23-25-7 (53 points) 30-21-6 (66 points) Yan Stastny (thumb), D Roman Polak defensemen with goals in eight straight 5th in Central 3rd in Atlantic (foot) and D Eric Brewer (back surgery) games. 14th in Western 6th in Eastern are out. With a 3-on-5 goal yesterday, the Last Ten Games: Flyers now lead the league with 14 Rangers: D Dmitri Kalinin (back) is Blues: Rangers: short-handed tallies. day-to-day. D Paul Mara (shoulder) left 5-2-3 3-5-2 the game yesterday. Game Time staff willing to bite the bullet and get drunk early on a Season Series: All-Time Series: Monday. 0-0-0 35-72-18-0 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. Volume 4, Issue 30 From The Editor February 16, 2009 The firing of Penguins coach Michel Therrien Predators in their come from behind St. Louis Game Time yesterday has hockey fans everywhere victory. McKee, predictably, was (as we Established: November 6, 2005 buzzing. That man took that team to the call it in the business) pissed. He even St Louis, Missouri Stanley Cup finals just last season. The team told the media that he stopped hearing Phone: 402-2266 is one winning streak away from regaining what Murray was saying to him as he www.StLouisGameTime.com their confidence and being a legitimate processed the information. playoff threat. If that guy can get fired, goes Good. the conventional wisdom, who is safe? Godfather Actually, better than that. Great. Jeffio Closer to home, if that guy can get fired at Fucking beautiful, in fact. It‘s about time this point of the season, how safe is Andy that Jay McKee starts getting pissed Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Murray in his position with the Blues? off around here. And whether he Sean Gallagher While I don‘t think that very many takes to the ice pissed off at [email protected] NHL head coaches sleep that well Murray about the benching or on an everyday basis anyway, I pissed off and ready to teach a have to say that I think Andy Ranger a lesson doesn‘t matter. Advertising Murray‘s job is pretty safe. The Just as long as he hits the ice [email protected] obvious reason that we can point to is the pissed off and ready to have a [email protected] injuries. The Blues have been the top two performance that makes people recog- nize that he is an NHL talent who is not teams all year in terms of man-games lost to Distribution injury and if that could be undone, we‘d be to be fucked with, I‘ll be happy. John Nicolay talking about one of two topics: the Blues Wouldn‘t that be great? To have a big, Amy Benoist, Becky Benoist, and their playoff chase or the imminent angry, motivated Jay McKee in the Billy Cash, Clarence Walker firing of Andy Murray. If he‘d had Paul lineup? I‘ve waited a couple years to see Kariya for more than 11 games and Erik that. Hopefully tonight is the night. And Columnists Johnson for more than 13 holes of golf and Andy Murray will be the man to thank hadn‘t missed big chunks of time with Andy Chris Gift, Duke, Brad Lee, for that, not Jay McKee. Answer Man & Brian Weidler McDonald and the Teej and Eric Brewer Likewise, fans have gone Christian (sorry, haters, the Blues record with him in the lineup is better than their record without Bale with the recent demotion of David Contributors him) then I have no doubt they‘d be right in Perron to the fourth line. For those of Jeffio, Jeff Browning, LosBri, Childhood Trauma, Dan Doke, Jeff the mix of the playoff bubble teams right you who like to make yourself crazy by hanging around irrational people, try Fahrenkrog, Jeremy Pratte & Chris Reed now. checking in on some of the Blues Take away that variable and people are Photographer message boards to see what‘s being said. Andrew D‘Angelo still trying to find a reason to call for Andy For every ‗Drunk History‘ the internet Murray‘s job. Personally, I think those has given us, there is the polar opposite, Mission: people are as crazy as anyone who wears and sports fan message boards are the airbrushed articles of clothing in 2009. One Game Time will provide prospect seventh level of hell as far as I‘m information, up-to-date statistics, articles of the best coaches in NHL history, whether concerned. that spark discussion and humor that you‘re talking pure numbers or you‘re talking points out the best and worst about our about a Svengali-like hold over well-paid and David Perron is 20 years old. He is favorite team and sport. We are all fans of going to lose his focus. He is going to the Blues and our opinions will reflect presumably jaded professional athletes, is those of subjective fans. Scotty Bowman. And one of Scotty Bowman‘s take certain aspects of his job less The paper is published for every home greatest attributes, from the time he was the seriously than those of us who have actual work jobs would take them. He is game, excluding the pre-season, which we rookie coach of Bobby Plager and the other all know sucks. going to need to be woken up from time early Blues to the time he drove a veteran to time. If a kid who is in the NHL is and well-seasoned Detroit team to yet Rights & Permissions: another Stanley Cup, was his ability to get given a pass when he slacks off, the message is loud and clear: you are All material printed herein is copyrighted into his players‘ heads.