Game Time December 20, 2008
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St Louis Volume 4, Issue 16 Game Time December 20, 2008 Four Dollars Of Back To Back Fun The Game Day Guide To St. Louis Blues Hockey Established in 2005 By Brad Lee for the Blues this season. While that number includes Carlo Colaiacovo and Alex Steen coming over in the Dutchie Stempniak The St. Louis Blues are reaching the crossroads of the 2008- trade, that illustrates how inconsistent the lineup has been on a 09 season. And from the fans’ perspective, it doesn’t look good. nearly nightly basis. When Andy Murray is having to shuffle Faced with even more injuries, mired in a five-game losing players, no one is building any chemistry. The power play is being streak, the schedule is doing them no favors. The performance of held together with duct tape and a little hope when you’ve got the team in the next few weeks will probably determine if the Brad Winchester and his four points playing with the second unit. Blues will be in contention for the playoffs down the stretch; The point on the power play is a revolving door, a constant tryout buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. And if Thursday to see who can stick at the position. night’s game in Washington is any indication, the Injuries. They’re piling up as fast as the losses. rest of the season may require a parental Fragile Jay McKee finally showed his brittle self warning. Caution, Blues games may contain breaking a finger. Eric “The Beloved” Brewer objectionable language and adult situations. had surgery on a herniated disc this week. And lots of disappointment. He’s out indefinitely. Legace was out. Paul The Blues fell 4-2 to the Capitals, the Kariya and his bad hip are just now returning second best home team in the NHL this to the ice, but not practice. TJ Oshie and his season. Rookie goaltender Ben Bishop high ankle are still hurting. Then there’s looked slow and surprised by what kinds of Andy McDonald and his broken ankle and shots he was seeing. Or not seeing as the case Erik Johnson and his busted up golf cart. may be. His performance was not the deciding When you factor in injuries for Dan Hinote, factor in him returning to Peoria on Friday, but Patrik Berglund and a night missed here and it didn’t make the decision difficult to add there out of the lineup and it’s staggering to see Emmanuel Legace back to the roster from injured TM how injuries have affected this team. reserve. He’s apparently over his Duck-induced concussion This Blues squad isn’t as talented with the puck, experienced or and could get the start against the Wild. dangerous as the lineup that took to the ice opening night in In Washington the Blues had not one but two players make October. And while Murray and John Davidson don’t want to their NHL debuts during the game. Defensemen Jonas Junland come out and say, “Hey people, these guys suck. We didn’t have a and Tyler Strachan busted their NHL cherries. They’re not alone chance tonight,” they’re kind of saying it. this season for the Blues. Eight players have made their NHL “We talked before the game that we need to have the mentality debut this season wearing the Note. What’s more indicative with to win games 2-1,” Murray told Dan MacLaughlin on Fox Sports how injuries have affected this team, 36 players have suited up (Continued on page 26) Today’s Records, Injuries & News Today’s Team Records: Today’s Injuries: Today’s News & Notes: Blues: Wild: Blues: C Andy McDonald (fractured • Colton Gillies, nephew of Islanders 12-16-3 (27 points) 16-13-2 (35 points) ankle), LW Paul Kariya (lower body), four-time Cup champion Clark Gillies, 5th in Central 3rd in Northwest RW Dan Hinote (lower body) and F TJ scores his first NHL goal for the Wild 15th in Western 7th in Western Oshie (ankle, again) are out. on Friday night. Last Ten Games: Wild: D Kurtis Foster (leg surgery) is • Blackhawks win six straight Friday; Blues: Wild: out. F Owen Nolan (leg) is day-to-day. it’s their first time it since 2001. 3-6-1 3-6-1 • Game Time staff simultaneously here and working on an issue for a game Season Series: All-Time Series: that starts in 21 hours. 1-1-0 10-12-8-0 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 16 From The Editor December 20, 2008 Not too long ago all good Blues fans were The current crop? Legace, Chris St. Louis Game Time talking about our current goaltending Mason and Ben Bishop. Established: November 6, 2005 controversy. The term itself suggests that the And I’ll admit that I’ve done it, too: St Louis, Missouri team has a really good problem on their I’ve worshipped at the altar of Phone: 402-2266 hands: they have too many good guys at the Emmanual Legace. The guy has stolen www.StLouisGameTime.com position. some games for the Blues. But he’s also cost them a few. With his contract Now, about 10 days later, the real Godfather goaltending controversy seems to be not running out in a few months and Mason Jeffio about how many too-good goalies the Blues signed through next year and Bishop have, but more of Do the Blues have any being hustled to the NHL, he looks like good goalies? the odd man out. Where do you Publisher & Editor-in-Chief suppose he ends up this summer? Sean Gallagher I haven’t been a Blues fan since My guess is that it’s not back here. [email protected] 1967 (mainly since I wasn’t born I’m more certain that he goes until a few years after that and elsewhere as a moderately didn’t actually see my first Blues Advertising compensated backup goalie. game until a couple decades after [email protected] that), so I can’t speak to the Which is pretty much what [email protected] goaltending exploits of Glen Hall and he is. Throughout his career and even here. A No. 2 guy thrust into a No. 1 role. Jacques Plante and Mike Liut. Trust me, Distribution based on who I have watched, I wish I was The biggest difference between a starter John Nicolay around in those days. and a backup in the NHL is consistency after all, and that’s what Manny has Amy Benoist, Becky Benoist, I would argue at this point that the Blues Billy Cash, Clarence Walker lacked over the last couple years. Hot haven’t had a true No. 1 goaltender in net streaks and stolen games have kept him since the days of Curtis Joseph and Grant in the top spot, but if he was on a Columnists Fuhr. And honestly, at the time of those guys, contender, his overall play would be a Chris Gift, Duke, Brad Lee, I always felt like they were good goalies, but Answer Man & Brian Weidler concern. His career St. Louis stats as a not the best goalies that could have been in starter are good, but fading. net at the time. Even the near-miss on Mike Contributors Richter never had me wishing wistfully about Chris Mason is a similar story. At 32, Jeffio, Jeff Browning, LosBri, what could have been. He was yet another he has always been a backup or a No. 1/B Childhood Trauma, Dan Doke, Jeff goalie who would have come into St. Louis goalie, splitting time with someone else. Fahrenkrog, Jeremy Pratte & Chris Reed with a big reputation and a fading skill set. His numbers are better than Legace’s this year, but he has won just three of the Photographer And don’t get me started on Roman Andrew D’Angelo 14 games he’s played where he’s gotten a Turek. The guy put in his official bio that his decision. favorite pastime was taking naps. That one Mission: comment still makes me feel like I just drank As for Bishop, he’s right at a Marek Game Time will provide prospect battery acid. Schwarz crossroads. Does he become a information, up-to-date statistics, articles bona fide top goalie prospect or does he that spark discussion and humor that Instead, look at the group of guys who go one to become another guy who points out the best and worst about our have manned the crease for the Note for favorite team and sport. We are all fans of struggles to establish himself as an NHL more than one year since the days of CuJo the Blues and our opinions will reflect goalie? and Fuhr: Jaime McLennan, Turek, Freddie those of subjective fans. Brathwaite, Reinhard Divis, Chris fucking Finding and accurately assessing The paper is published for every home goaltender talent is probably the most game, excluding the pre-season, which we Osgood, Curtis Sanford, Jason Bacashihua, all know sucks. Marek Schwarz and Manny Legace. A couple difficult of all of the positions in hockey, of them were fan favorites, but mainly which is why guys like Evgeni Nabokov Rights & Permissions: because they were nice guys, not because get drafted in the ninth round and they were incredible netminders. The players like Al Montoya are taken sixth All material printed herein is copyrighted and protected.