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David Backes
By Tyler Atwood on March 2, 2010
Obviously Matt Greene whizzed in Paul Bissonnette's Cheerios that morning. Image via mlive.com
Well . . . welcome back. It was a long, exhausting Winter Olympic break, but we’ve all finally made it through the horror that is the NHL break. Congratulations to David Backes and Erik Johnson in doing your mightiest to help the United States defend Her honor in Vancouver and for helping give us a hell of a show on Sunday. Sure, silver is disappointing to you guys, but thrilling to most of us. Also, big props to Roman Polak, who played well despite his Czech Republic team falling short of the medal round.
The end of the Olympic break means two things: 1) St. Louis Blues hockey is back, and 2) THE THROWDOWN LOWDOWN IS BACK! YYYYYYYYYES! So let’s get to it.
The final game before the break was an upset of shocking proportions over the Washington Capitals that included suspension-actionable activity followed by a tail-whipping of a fight. Cam Janssen – brainiac he is never known to be – pummeled Matt Bradley to the ice a full three seconds after Bradley released a pass toward the net. To Janssen’s credit, Bradley DID stand there and admire it for a while. That doesn’t excuse what he did; however, five games may have been a bit much for a suspension. Anyway, the questionable hit was followed by an absolute hammering by Janssen over Quintin Laing, who was in trying to defend his teammate. Admirable, but futile. Janssen is now 9-3-3 in fights this season and gets to sit next to Larry Pleau and Company for a short while. The Blues move into a tie with the Philadelphia Flyers for 4th in the league with 54 fights and a record of 22-17-15.
The Phoenix Coyotes have been quite the story in the 2009-10 season. Mired in bankruptcy hell in the offseason and nearly sold (and moved to Hamilton) to the Blackberry Blabbermouth, the club let go of Wayne Gretzky after his ownership responsibilities were properly relieved and picked up a solid coach in Dave Tippett. They’ve been on an absolute steamroll since. The only problem is that they’re not much of a fighting team – only posting 27 fights this season (spread amongst seven fighters), which is good for a tie for 23rd in the league with the lowly Carolina Hurricanes. Not good to be in the same position as THEM this year. In two games against each other, there has not been any fighting.
The conversation about the team’s enforcer role starts and ends with winger Paul Bissonnette (6′2″, 211lbs, 7-4-7). Count ‘em up . . . he’s been involved in 18 of the Coyotes’ 27 fights this season. That is a staggering percentage (for those of you scoring at home – it’s 67%). The other six fighters for the ‘Yotes this year are centers Martin Hanzal (6′5″, 218lbs, 0-1-2) and Vernon Fiddler (5′11″, 201lbs, 1-0-1), defensemen James Vandermeer (6′1″, 211lbs, 1-0-0) and Keith Yandle (6′2″, 195lbs, 0-1-0), winger Petr Prucha (6′0″, 175lbs, 0-1-0, day-to-day because of this obscenely illegal hit by James Neal) and winger/captain/face-of-the-franchise Shane Doan (6′2″, 224lbs, 0-0-1).
Since Janssen can’t be part of the dream matchup for the next five games, we’ll have to pick another. Well, why not DJ King and Bissonnette? Sure, let’s dream that one. If team stars going toe-to-toe is more your thing, why not Backes and Doan? Doan was eligible for Team Canada, after all. Fact is, though, that Backes may be a bit banged up from playing his cojones off in Vancouver. An even size matchup may be Hanzal against Brad Winchester. The possibilities are endless, but to predict a fight against a team that doesn’t fight is sometimes futile.
It’s Game 1 back from the Winter Olympics bizarro world, and it’s time for the playoff push. GET IT DONE, BOYS!
LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!
Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights
Posted in Articles | Tagged Brad Winchester, Cam Janssen, Carolina Hurricanes, Dave Tippett, David Backes, DJ King, Erik Johnson, James Vandermeer, Keith Yandle, Larry Pleau, Martin Hanzal, Matt Bradley, Paul Bissonnette, Petr Prucha, Philadelphia FLyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Quintin Laing, Roman Polak, Shane Doan, St. Louis Blues, Vernon Fiddler, Washington Capitals, Wayne Gretzky
By Tyler Atwood on February 24, 2010
This will be a quick preview in a pinch-hitting role, so bear with us.
The United States is still on Cloud Nine after their unbelievable 5-3 upset victory over Canada on Sunday. Reports are that Vancouver stood silent on Sunday night – a good feeling after beating the home squad. But now, the real fun of the Olympic tournament begins.
Switzerland earned a second opportunity to knock off the Americans after a 3-2 shootout win over Belarus yesterday afternoon. The reason Switzerland was in the knockout round in the first place was due to a 3-1 loss to the United States in each team’s opening Olympic game in group play – a game that included David Backes and his sweet end-to-end goal (the 2nd goal here). In that game, Switzerland showed that they’re SO much more than banks, cheese, Army knives and koo-koo clocks. They’re not spectacular, but they will compete.
Switzerland’s strength derives from their play on the defensive end. They have one of the tournament’s best goaltenders in Jonas Hiller, one of the tournament’s best stay-at-home defensemen in Mark Streit and a handful of young defensive up-and-comers such as Yannick Weber and Luca Sbisa. This is not to say they can’t score goals – former NHLer Hnat Domenichelli and youngster Julien Sprunger have supplied much of the offense for Switzerland in this tournament.
The key to the game will be the United States’ depth, specifically the team’s 3rd and 4th lines and how they match up to the top Swiss lines. This would include Backes, whose forechecking will be very important to the success of the United States team. It wouldn’t hurt to pull off another coast-to-coast finish, either, but my guess is that the Swiss will have that one covered by now.
PREDICTION: United States 4, Switzerland 2 in another tooth-and-nail game. United States goals by Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, Backes (AGAIN!) and – in a surprise – Jack Johnson (hey, Rafalski can’t score ALL the goals from the point, can he?). Swiss goals by Domenichelli and Martin Pluss.
U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Posted in Articles | Tagged 2010 Oylmpics, David Backes, Hnat Domenichelli, Jack Johnson, Jonas Hiller, Julien Sprunger, Luca Sbisa, Mark Streit, Martin Pluss, Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, Switzerland, United States, Yannick Weber
By Jeff Quirin on February 22, 2010
For the hockey fans of North America…has there been a better game recently? Has there been a game that had it all (minus a good fight)?
Frantic first period.
Punch and counter punch.
Amazing goaltending and unlucky bounces (or redirects).
Big hits.
…and a cry baby Captain after the second period.
Team USA broke the scoring open in the first with a great shot by Rafalski that was tipped past Martin Brodeur…or so it looked. Rafalski was credited with the goal. Canada surged back and sent in their own goal courtesy or Eric Staal. Rafalski answered and made it 3-1 USA at the end of the first. The pace settled as Heatley and Drury exchanged goals to make it 3-2 USA after two periods. Canada ramped up the pace again in the third. Ryan Miller turned away 13 of 14 3rd period shots to allow the US to win 5-3 behind goals from Langebrunner and Kesler.
It’s interesting how this team was scrutinized for adding in a veteran like Drury, a Captain in Langenbrunner, and a smaller Rafalski. It’s also interesting how all three was the most influential skaters for the US. Drury was on the ball as an energy player and penalty killer. Langenbrunner was solid in both ends in front of his own net. Rafalski was the best puck mover the team had. Not to discredit the role and ability of other players, but the veterans lead the way in the biggest game for this team to date.
Ryan Miller was just simply amazing. At times he looked tired, beaten, and worn down. Then he would come right back and make a flurry of solid saves. If not for his effort the game would have been lost. Miller stopped 42 of 45 Canadian shots. The “experts” said it would come down to goaltending and Miller stepped up.
Kudos to Ron Wilson (and Torts) as well. The US was plagued with odd man rush after odd man rush in the two previous games against lesser opponents. The US Defense settled in and made the safe (and smart) play in terms of when to step up to take away space. There were few pinches resulting in rushes back. Not to say Canada didn’t get some odd man chances, but you can’t keep a team that skilled from ever doing it.
David Backes and Erik Johnson played well in their respective roles. Johnson saw lesser time, but that is likely a good thing. Not sure if he could have been able to sustain wave after wave of Canadian attack. Backes went back to his Blues roots with his energy role. Get in and bang the body. He did contribute an assist on the Drury goal by establishing solid net presence in front of Marty.
Pardon me for doing this, but….QQ more Neids. You’re cry baby act after the second period was a little too much. JJ (Jack Johnson) didn’t do anything wrong and you went after him. Easy to be a “big tough guy” when you can’t drop the gloves to man up. Too much entitlement with the Canadians. They just didn’t want it enough. That said, they played an amazing game.
What a game and what a way to end Group play. The USA wins all three Group games in regulation and moves on with the Bye. Schedule of games for the next round will be out today.
Posted in Articles | Tagged 2010 Olympics, Brian Raflaski, Chris Drury, David Backes, Erik Johnson, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Miller, Team Canada, Team USA
By Jeff Quirin on February 21, 2010
Let’s get it on…
As Judge Mills Lane would say on Celebrity Deathmatch, its time for the US and Canada to face-off in the most anticipated game of the Olympics to date. Alas, NBC has demoted the hockey action to a Cable station (and off my HD programming). That will not deter the hockey faithful across both great nations. Hockey will be found on many TVs across the US and Canada. Faithfully cheering on the Maple Leaf or the Red, White & Blue.
How does this game turnout? No one knows. What we do know is that we will see a great game.
The young, brash, physical American boys vs the weathered, experienced leaders of Canada.
The best goalie no one talks about vs. the best goalie of the last two decades (no…not Roy).
The under achieving Coach vs. a Coach who has taken a team to two straight Finals.
The stakes in this first meeting are high, but not as high as they will be later should the two meet again. Both teams are going through to the next round. What is at stake are bragging rights and momentum.
Canada is the heavily favored home team. All the pressure is on them, they literally have everything to lose not taking the Group lead away from the US. Imagine the boos raining down from the Canada fans if the US were to win in regulation? Not sure booing the US, but mostly booing their own countrymen. That is something Canada cannot afford when moving on to take on the other top teams.
The US are the upstarts, playing with fire and determination with nothing to lose. Of course they want to win the game, but most importantly they don’t want to be taken to the cleaners. Much like the World Junior Championships this past January, the US is looking to build on big wins and hang with the Canadians. Can they? Will they be able to play a clean game and not give up 2 on 1 rushes to the San Jose line of terror? Crosby and Nash? Can they silence the Vancouver crowd till the final horn?
Can Team USA be world beaters once again? Can a young group of Americans make a statement game about the progression of hockey in America? Can they honor the 30th Anniversary of the Miracle on Ice? Will another Suter do the trick? I know this isn’t the same scenario. This isn’t Team USA fighting for a medal, this is just the last game of Group play. However, the players have to elevate themselves to that level. They need to channel the ghosts of teams past to take on the favored juggernaut and move on in the tournament.
Be ready for a good one. Grab your snacks, your American brewed beer and watch this one. I have a feeling its going to be a real good game to watch from start to finish.
Let’’s Go USA, Let’s Go!
Bring home a winner for those who can’t be home to see you drop the Canadians!
Posted in Around the NHL, Articles | Tagged 2010 Olympics, David Backes, Erik Johnson, Team Canada, Team USA
By Jeff Quirin on February 17, 2010
Team USA opened up Pool play yesterday with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland. Team USA effectively ran the first two periods and the Swiss really opened up their game and took it to the Americans in the third. The goal tending of Ryan Miller and lack of Swiss finishing ability kept the Swiss down.
With the games being on the smaller NHL sized rink, the US used their size and physical play level to really attack the Swiss. IN the first meeting of David Backes and Julien Sprunger, no one was injured and there didn’t seem to be any bad blood showing. Although, Backes was popped in the nose at some point in the first period and had a nice wad of cotton up his left nostril the whole game.
The Ryan-Backes-Callahan line really seemed to set the tone for the US. Their physical play was through the roof and they created at least five scoring chances. Ryan and Backes converted once each to put the US up 2-0. Ryan Malone would bang in the third goal on the power play through Jonas Hiller’s legs.
The Blues Erik Johnson was solid to start, but seemed to struggle a little as the game went on. His early play was very good in terms of picking when to jmp in to the offensive play deep in the zone. Ryan Suter was playing well till the bad roughing penalty that lead to Roman Wick’s lone Swiss goal. Suter has a pretty good shot from the point. Blues fans don’t see it that much since Shea Weber hogs the Nashville spotlight.
Team USA is off today the 17th and will play Norway at 3pm Easten on Thursday the 18th.
Here is a link to an article from the USHL on Backes and Malone.
Posted in Around the NHL, Articles | Tagged 2010 Olympics, David Backes, Erik Johnson, Julien Sprunger, Team USA
By Tyler Atwood on February 13, 2010
This honestly scares the crap out of me. Image via Japer's Rink on SB Nation
Colton Orr and Cam Janssen got into one non-fight and one fight last night in the Blues’ tilt with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The non-fight was a draw and won’t even count toward the totals and the main event was not graded as of “press time”. So I’ll grade it myself – Orr won, hands down. This brings Janssen’s season record to 8-3-3 (after starting 6-0-1, Cam has slipped up a bit!). Since I’m not counting the non-fight, that brings the Blues’ fight total to 52 on the season, still good for 5th place in the NHL. Their fight record slips to 21-17-14.
Within the last week, I’ve picked on divisional opponents and their lack of fighting acumen. I did this only because they are fellow division opponents, and I should be allowed to bust their chops. Plus, when they play us, their physicality tends to trend upward. But with inter-conference opponents, I tend to let things slide. The fact is, anyway, that the Washington Capitals do not HAVE to fight much, because they have several big boys that seem to be able to take care of themselves, plus a few “goonish” players that play well enough away from the scrums to get away with getting important ice time. This leads to a season fight total of only 19, which is “good” for 28th in the league. Their record is less impressive than their fight totals – 5-10-4. This spread is among eight contestants . . . one of which was recently traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets (winger Chris Clark: 6′0″, 196lbs, 0-2-1 with the Caps and overall), another that was acquired in the same trade (winger Jason Chimera: 6′2″, 216lbs, 1-1-0 with the Caps and 1-2-0 overall, day-to-day with a groin issue) and yet one more sent back down to the AHL’s Hershey Bears (winger Alexandre Giroux: 6′3″, 202lbs, 0-1-0).
This leaves us with five Caps who have fought this season, and among them there are two that stick out like sore thumbs: big winger Matt Bradley (6′3″, 201lbs, 2-3-1) and big defenseman John Erskine (6′4″, 220lbs, 2-1-1). Bradley, of course, is the guy who “saved” Alexander Ovechkin from having to fight Steve Downie a few weeks back (I believe Ovechkin would’ve destroyed Downie, but I seem to be in the minority in that assessment – understandable since Downie is a brawler). Neither Bradley nor Erskine are afraid to drop the gloves . . . it just doesn’t happen too often. The other three Caps fighters for the season are center Dave Steckel (6′5″, 217lbs, 0-1-0), defenseman and mispronunciation nightmare Shaone Morrisonn (6′4″, 217lbs, 0-1-0, sat out last game due to illness) and veteran winger Mike Knuble (6′3″, 230lbs, 0-0-1).
If I had my druthers, I’d like to see Bradley square off with Brad Winchester. Winchester has the reach and size advantage, but there’s something (and it may be the above picture) that scares me about Bradley. Honestly, there shouldn’t be a fight in this game, but if there is one, that would be a fun fight to be sure. David Backes could square off against Bradley and I wouldn’t mind it either, except the 5-for-5 trade-off hurts the Blues more than it hurts the Caps if that happens. Since Janssen played last night, it’s likely DJ King’s turn to play, and he would match up well with either Bradley or Erskine, but again . . . fisticuffs aren’t likely in this one.
The Throwdown Lowdown takes a two-week hiatus for the Olympic break, because unfortunately they don’t allow fighting at that level of play. It would be cool to pull off a shocker to begin the break, wouldn’t it?
LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!
Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights
P.S.: I DO intend to find something to write about during the Olympics, but as of yet it is unknown what that will be. – TCA
Posted in Articles | Tagged Alexander Ovechkin, Alexandre Giroux, Brad Winchester, Chris Clark, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dave Steckel, David Backes, Jason Chimera, John Erskine, Matt Bradley, Mike Knuble, Olympics, Shaone Morrisonn, St. Louis Blues, Steve Downie, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals
By Tyler Atwood on February 4, 2010
Brad Staubitz is not afraid to punch people. Image via sharkspage.com
There was plenty of testiness between the Blues and Blackhawks on Wednesday, but no fights since the Blackhawks have some sort of allergy that causes them not to drop the gloves. So the Blues remain in 5th with 46 fights and a 21-13-12 fight record.
We have covered the San Jose Sharks once on the Throwdown Lowdown – in fact, it was my very first Throwdown Lowdown report. Since then, the Blues have shot up the ranks in fights while the Sharks have pretty much stayed steady. The Sharks are currently 10th in the league with 39 bouts on the season, sporting a solid season fight record of 16-9-14. They are an even 1-1-1 against the Blues in fights this season: Cam Janssen defeated Brad Staubitz on November 14th in St. Louis, Ryane Clowe defeated BJ Crombeen on December 3rd in San Jose and Janssen and Jody Shelley worked a draw on January 6th in San Jose. It’s obvious that this club believes in violent behavior to settle a point, unlike pretty much all of our Central Division rivals.
First thing’s first: should this be classified as skill or fluke? Winger Clowe (6′2″, 225lbs) is 7-0-0 on the season. He hasn’t lost and hasn’t ended a fight in a draw. That’s crazy, right? I’d call it a fluke but I saw his bout with Crombeen, and he’s good. Clowe is not the only fighter on this team – in fact, 12 different Sharks have fought this season. You’re likely familiar with winger Shelley (6′3″, 225lbs, 2-2-3) from his days in Columbus as well as his scrap with Janssen last month. Winger Staubitz (6′1″, 215lbs, 2-2-3) is also not afraid of fisticuffs. Winger Frazer McLaren (6′5″, 235lbs, 2-3-3) registers the most fights on the team with 8, but he was sent back to the minors last month when Shelley was taken off IR. Other Sharks with multiple fights include center Scott Nichol (5′9″, 178lbs, 1-0-2) and defenseman Jay Leach (6′4″, 220lbs, 0-0-1 in SJ and 0-1-1 overall). Another fighter to look out for, just for pure size reasons, is Team Sweden Olympic defenseman Douglas Murray (6′3″, 240lbs, 1-0-0).
Might David Backes battle Murray in honor of Team USA? Backes gives 15 pounds to Murray, but they both are Olympians and it sure would be exciting. Excepting that, Shelley and Janssen are familiar with each other as are Shelley and DJ King. There are many possibilities in this matchup for fisticuffs as the Sharks are trying to hold off the Blackhawks for top spot in the West, while the Blues are trying to ratchet up the NHL standings and get INTO the postseason. And they may want to break the tie of the season fight record, too. 1-1-1 is WAY too even.
#2 in the West last night. #1 in the West TONIGHT. Let’s get it done.
LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!
Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights
Posted in Articles | Tagged BJ Crombeen, Brad Staubitz, Cam Janssen, Chicago Blackhawks, David Backes, DJ King, Douglas Murray, Frazer McLaren, Jay Leach, Jody Shelley, Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks, Scott Nichol, St. Louis Blues
By Jeff Quirin on February 3, 2010
Chicago Blackhawks
vs.
St. Louis Blues
Pregame
Is there a bigger game against the Hawks than this one?
The Blues are fighting for their playoff lives and the Hawks are the best home team in the NHL. The Hawks are 21-5-1 at the United Center. The Blues are seven points behind the 8th place Red Wings. How big that Columbus loss starting to look?
BJ Crombeen did not travel to Chicago and will not play. Cam Janssen will dress in his place. Carlo Colaiacovo returns to replace Daryl Sydor. DJ King and Sydor are the healthy scratches.
The Lines/Pairings should be:
Kariya-Backes-Oshie
McDonald-Tkachuk-Boyes
Steen-Berglund-Perron
Winchester-McClement-Janssen
Jackman-Polak
Brewer-Johnson
Colaiacovo-Weaver
Chris Mason is expected in net.
Recap
What a game, the Blues had to have it and the desperation was there. Flash backs to a year ago anyone?
This really was an open, fast game. It’s amazing the speed and pace that Chicago can push at you in waves. They might be the best transition team since the Red Wings in 2007-08. They used that ability to really stick it to the Blues in the first, jumping on multiple odd man chances. It’s hard not to get stuck watching that team in utter amazement. They have 5 men constantly in motion ready to take a pass on the angle while generating speed north. The Blues were able to get sustained pressure in the Hawks zone a few times, but nothing really substantive. Shots were 9-3 Hawks after one period of play, it seemed like more like 20-5.
Sadly, Patrick Kane opens the scoring in the first with a nifty back hand goal on a backpedaling Mason. Kane (and Sidney Crosby) are just on another level with rarely used backhand shot.
I was impressed by the Blues’ ability to not panic, repeatedly at least. I thought the team in general did a good job of getting solid second efforts on a play. Alex Steen continues to be the team leader in that department. TJ Oshie a close second. The Blues did get caught chasing multiple times, but it’s really hard not to against the elite teams. When the Blues had chances, they did take the body. To the point that Hawks Captain Jonathan Toews decided to complain to the refs after a series of physical plays against him. I love the battles between the Jackman-Polak pair and the Kane-Toews line.
The second period is proof that hard work pays off. The Blues had a foothold in to the game even though they entered the period down 1-0. They were matching the speed (to the best of their ability) and intensity level. Hard work paid off first when a streaking Paul Kariya took advantage of a Duncan Keith misque. Kariya took the puck at full speed and stopped on a dime behind the net. A quick turn and pass to Backes and its 1-1. Thanks to a dumb penalty by Ben Eager (Not the last lazy offensive zone hook), the Blues went back on the power play. This time the power play wasn;t as lazy and produced a goal. Great work by Oshie to sell the shot from the point leads to a quick pass to Backes on the left wing. One timer off some Hawk shin guards through Cristobal Huet and its 2-1. Backes now has his 7th career multi-goal game. The Blues were not done. Less than a minute later Roman Polak enters the zone and makes a great move to get open for a shot in the high slot. Shot goes towards Jay McClement. He puts the tip in goal in to put the Blues up 3-1. With the tiger by the tail, can the Blues hang on?
Coming in to the third everyone knows the Hawks are coming 110% at you. Blues fans are thinking “In Chicago, against the second best team in the West, late lead = blown game”. I would be lying if I said it didn’t creep in to my head, especially after the comical defensive effort that lead to the Hossa SHG that made it 3-2. I was surprised to see the Blues stick to their game and were able to match the Hawks enough to maintain the 3-2 lead. They countered when they could and Mason came up big.
Positives
- Chris Mason was solid, stopping 32 of 34 shots.
- David Backes contributed very solid play red line to red line and scored twice.
- The Blues were only a Minus-3 in the Faceoff category. The Blues won 26 as the Hawks won 29.
- The Backes Line has really solidified itself as the Blues #1 Line.
- Alex Steen continues to shine in a wonderful all around game. He is a great first man in on the forecheck, back checks hard and has a good shot when he can get it off.
- The Jackman-Polak pair combined for 1 Assist, 2 Hits, an EVEN rating in 43+ minutes of combined play. Polak also set up the game winning goal by McClement.
- Patrik Berglund won 6 of 9 faceoffs.
- Eric Brewer and Erik Johnson combined for 5 of the Blues 9 Blocked Shots.
Negatives
- Blues were out shot 34 to 19. Yes, Chicago is an amazing team that controls the game, but 19 shots will not cut it against San Jose tomorrow.
- As good as Backes was (which he really, really was), he lost 10 of 13 faceoffs.
- The Blues gave up more odd man rushes than a human has fingers and toes.
- When was the last time the Blues failed to block at least 10 shots on goal? They had 9 in this game.
- Brad Boyes cannot hit the broad side of a barn right now. Missed a golden opportunity in the waning seconds of the 1st period. Shot never got close to the net.
Post Game Questions
- How effective is the McDonald-Tkachuk-Boyes line? Not effective enough. Is it time to put McDonald with Berglund and Steen or Perron as the “second line”?
- What is the ceiling to Roman Polak’s play? The kid keeps showing more and more each game. Is it time to give him some consideration for power play minutes?
- Did this game show the glaring weakness of the Blues at the NHL level, the blue line? Its amazing to see what Chicago has done with 5 guys who are offensively and defensively capable players.
- Is Chris Mason coming back to his Spring 2009 form?
- Will David Perron develop past having only one or two impact players in the offensive zone and that’s it each night?
- Does Brad Boyes have any trade value right now or is it too low to warrant dealing him?
- If Kariya keeps playing well and raising his trade value, is it inevitable that he is moved?
- Does this team need Colaiacovo to win?
Next up for the Blues is San Jose Thursday night down at Scottrade. The Sharks are here waiting for a tired and travel weary (yeah I know its a short flight, but its still taxing the day after playing), can the Blues respond better in a back to back scenario than they did in Edmonton? We shall see…in HD.
Posted in GameBlogs | Tagged Chicago Blackhawks, Chris Mason, David Backes, Paul Kariya, St. Louis Blues
By Tyler Atwood on February 3, 2010
Here, David Backes shows how to make Jonathan Toews vomit in the penalty box. Twice. Image via stlouisgametime.com on SB Nation
There was only one scrap on Saturday night with the Blue Jackets, and maybe there should have been more. Jared Boll took on Brad Winchester after Boll made a questionable hit on Jay McClement. You’d think he’d be smart enough not to pick on the grinder line’s center, especially when said center-on-the-grinder-line is an alternate captain, but Jared seems to be – as noted before – “Strong like Boll, smart like tractor”. The match was considered a draw since no one really won the fight but both contestants got some good shots in. Winchester’s season fight record moves to 3-1-3. The Note hangs on to 5th spot in the league with 46 fights. Their season fight record is a robust 21-13-12.
Leave it to people like me to make fun of the Chicago Blackhawks. While many Blues fans have turned most of their hatred to another old Norris Division rival – the Detroit Red Wings – I have stuck with my extreme disdain for the Blackhawks. Most of it has to do with proximity, but a lot of it has to do with Mike Keenan, among other factors. So the Blackhawks can have their precious “2nd place in the conference” record, while I point and laugh at their puny 22 fights on the season. That’s good for a 24th place tie with the New York Islanders, who have maybe a half a fighter on their team. This from a former Norris Division rival. PATHETIC, I say! Amazing even yet, 5 of the 22 fights were in one game – their January 2nd matchup with the Blues in St. Louis. The Blackhawks somehow were 2-2-1 in those fights – Ben Eager defeated BJ Crombeen, Cam Barker defeated Mike Weaver (after Weaver destroyed Patrick Sharp at the red line), David Backes not only defeated Jonathan Toews but later made him vomit in the penalty box (this fight was the start of the “Inglorious Backes” movement that led to the t-shirt referenced in Jeff’s most recent Monday Musings filing), Carlo Colaiacovo worked a draw with Colin Fraser and Barret Jackman (whom I’ve taken to calling “SIR JAXX” lately, apropos of nothing) took down Eager. The Blackhawks’ season fight record is a very even 7-8-7.
What’s equally strange about the Blackhawks is the fact that 12 different players have contested their 22 fights on the season. This type of spread usually happens when a team has no true enforcer. Only three Blackhawks have thrown the gloves down more than once – center Fraser (6′1″, 190lbs, 0-2-4), winger Eager (6′2″, 230lbs, 3-2-0) and winger Troy Brouwer (6′2″, 214lbs, 1-1-0). The Blackhawks do possess one able-bodied enforcer in winger Dustin Byfuglien (6′4″, 257lbs, 1-0-0), but no one wants to mess with him . . . and at that size, do you BLAME them? Yeesh! Of the 12 fighers, one has been waived and two are currently with Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford (Home of Cheap Trick, the greatest rock band ever to come out of Rockford!).
For whatever reason (probably because he’s a pest with no will to fight real fighters), Eager has rubbed me the wrong way throughout his career. Therefore, it would be nice (not to mention poetic justice) if either Cam Janssen or the recently-recalled DJ King not only were to play tonight, but were to throw fists into his face. (If you believe Dan O’Neill’s report from yesterday, they may both be on the same line with McClement) And if ANY Blue were to challenge Byfuglien (which I don’t suggest), let it be Winchester . . . yes, he gives about 30 pounds to him, but at least the reach advantage is equalized.
I need nothing to get me jacked up for this game. I may have friends that root for the Blackhawks, but I don’t like their team one bit.
LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!
Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights
Posted in Articles | Tagged Barret Jackman, Ben Eager, BJ Crombeen, Brad Winchester, Cam Barker, Cam Janssen, Carlo Colaiacovo, Chicago Blackhawks, Colin Fraser, Columbus Blue Jackets, David Backes, Detroit Red Wings, DJ King, Dustin Byfuglien, extreme lack of fighting, Jared Boll, Jay McClement, Jonathan Toews, Mike Keenan, Mike Weaver, music references, New York Islanders, Norris Division, Patrick Sharp, silly nicknames, St. Louis Blues, Troy Brouwer
By Tyler Atwood on January 28, 2010
Zack Stortini shows little fear. Image via the now-defunct copperbluedreams.blogspot.com
There were no fights last night between the Canucks and Blues (at least nothing worth grading, anyway), although I nearly jumped through the television screen to have a few words with the officiating crew after that supposed slashing call in the 3rd period that led to the power play goal that ended up deciding the game. Sometimes we, as fans, exaggerate the role of officiating in whether our teams win and lose games, but for crying out loud, the backside official HAS to choke on the whistle there . . . right? Moving along . . . the Blues hang onto 5th spot in the league with 45 fights and hang tight to their 21-13-11 season fight record.
The Edmonton Oilers are currently duking it out with the Carolina Hurricanes for the right to draft Taylor Hall. You would expect a team this bad to be in the top 10 as far as fight totals . . . and you would be correct! They’re 12-12-16 in 40 bouts this season, good for 8th in the National Hockey League. Four of their bouts have come against the Blues, and they’re 2-1-1 against us on the season. On December 11th at the Kiel (Never gonna call it anything else) Center, Jean-Francois Jacques worked a draw with BJ Crombeen. On December 21st at Rexall Place, Zack Stortini defeated Crombeen, Brad Winchester took down Jacques and Ethan Moreau defeated Darryl Sydor.
The leading fighter for the Oilers is winger Stortini (6′3″, 228lbs, 4-2-6). The best description for him is David Backes without the skill . . . he’s about the same size, anyway. Other multiple fighters for the Oilers are winger Jacques (6′4″, 217lbs, 1-2-4), winger Ryan Stone (6′2″, 207, 1-1-2, out with a knee injury), defenseman Jason Strudwick (6′3″, 225lbs, 2-2-0), defenseman and former Blues prospect Steve Staios (6′1″, 200lbs, 0-1-2), defenseman Ladislav Smid (6′3″, 226lbs, 1-0-1, out with a concussion), winger Moreau (6′2″, 220lbs, 1-1-0) and defenseman Sheldon Souray (6′4″, 227lbs, 1-0-1). As you can see, there are a lot of contestants to choose from here . . . a total of 12 Oilers have fought this year; however, one of them (Steve MacIntyre) is now with the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers after being waived.
Personally, I would love to see Crombeen have another go at either Stortini or Jacques. One wonders if Backes will play again tonight given that he returned from injury last night (although he looked just fine to me), but if he’s absent, Cam Janssen may play, and he would not back down from any of these guys. Olympic watch? No one for Team Canada, but Denis Grebeshkov is on Team Russia and Lubomir Visnovsky is on Team Slovakia. Alas, neither has fought this season. So if Backes plays and fights, it probably will not be against an Olympian . . . this Western Canada swing wasn’t exactly great for his chances to take down Olympic opponents apart from game one.
This is not a must-win, but it would be hard to stomach the end of a Western Canada swing without a victory over the worst team in the Western Conference. Go out and get it, boys.
LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!
Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights
Posted in Articles | Tagged BJ Crombeen, Brad Winchester, Cam Janssen, Carolina Hurricanes, Darryl Sydor, David Backes, Denis Grebeshkov, Edmonton Oilers, Ethan Moreau, Florida Panthers, Jason Strudwick, Jean-Francois Jacques, Ladislav Smid, Lubomir Visnovsky, Ryan Stone, Sheldon Souray, St. Louis Blues, Steve MacIntyre, Steve Staios, Taylor Hall, Vancouver Canucks, Zack Stortini