What a beautiful ‘stache from Cal Clutterbuck. Image via Dinur/Flickr

You give a solid effort, you hold your opponent somewhere around 20 shots, and in the National Hockey League, generally you will win even if the officiating may appear to be somewhat suspect. The St. Louis Blues proved that theory correct on Thursday, knocking off a Florida Panthers team that had been playing very well on the road this season, by a score of 4-1. The Note battled, played hard, skated, hustled, clamped down defensively (save for one major slip-up) and got a solid victory. Unfortunately, despite a few minor skirmishes, yet again there were no fighting majors recorded in the game. Verily, the Blues hang tight at six fighting majors on the season, now good for a massive tie for 20th in the NHL in that category, and yes, the team’s fight record remains at a very robust 3-0-3.

We covered the Minnesota Wild once in this space already this season (November 5th, to be exact, which happened to be Davis Payne’s last game as Blues head coach). Unlike the Blues, the Wild have been moving up in the fight standings since that contest, now having participated in a full nine fights on the season, which is good for a tie for eighth in the NHL in the category. Their fight record currently stands at 3-3-3. As noted in the November 5th edition, the Wild finished in a tie for 20th with the Montreal Canadiens with 32 fights last season, holding a solid 13-11-8 record.

Among Wild players that have fought this year, enforcer Brad Staubitz (6‘1“, 215lbs, 2-0-1) is the only one with multiple fighting majors, with three. The rest include Clayton Stoner (6‘3“, 225lbs, Win), Justin Falk (6’5”, 215lbs, Win), the bloodthirsty Matt Kassian (6‘4“, 232lbs, Draw, now with the AHL’s Houston Aeros), Darroll Powe (5’11”, 212lbs, Draw with Scott Nichol), Nick Johnson (6’1”, 183lbs, Loss) and Warren Peters (6’0”, 195lbs, Loss). Current Wild players who fought last year include Staubitz (7-6-2) with 15 of the Wild’s 32 fights last season. Six of the fights were contested by Stoner (3-2-1), and Kyle Brodziak (6’2”, 209lbs, 0-1-1) fought twice. Folks who fought once each include Powe (Win), former Shark Devin Setoguchi (6’0”, 200lbs, Draw) and Johnson (Loss).

The Blues have played five games since the big coaching change, and in that time, they have fought only once. That said, it’s possible a shift back to a Western Conference opponent may trigger another bout of fisticuffs. Maybe Powe and Nichol have unfinished business? Perhaps Ryan Reaves wants to do battle with Staubitz? Maybe Cal Clutterbuck breaks a nearly two-year streak of not fighting anyone, especially now that he has one awesome mustache? Anything can happen.

Can Ken Hitchcock take this team on the road and win hockey games? We’ll see what happens. I think he can.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

A few days ago when I realized I would actually have time to write a little something for the blog (yours truly is a current student teacher, and if I would have 30 hours a day and 9 days a week, I still don’t think I’d be able to get everything done I need to do), I wanted to focus on the issue that Davis Payne and his assistants have had with the team thus far. Needless to say, that column idea was trashed on Sunday evening.

Instead, let’s focus on the whole team and organization. Recently, at a student teaching seminar, we were presented with a PowerPoint titled, “Portfolios, Cover Letters, and Resumes…O MY!” While that presentation was about preparing us for the real world life after college, let’s take a closer look at how the Blues sit right now in the same type of fashion.

The St. Louis Blues’ Portfolio:

For student teachers, our portfolio is a constant work in progress of ideas, plans, and other “artifacts” we have collected that are compiled in an online database for our future employers to see. For the BlueNote, I see their portfolio looking like this for the 2011-12 season:

No doubt a work in progress – no one, from the owners (or possible new owners) all the way down to the beer vendors and bathroom cleaners like the way this season started off. One of the biggest and best artifacts the Blues could add to their portfolio is the win in Hitch’s debut. They also had strong showings against Vancouver twice and an early season win in San Jose showed what this team is capable of doing long term.

The players, not the coaches, management, or otherwise, are responsible for this team and how they play. I find it hard to believe that grown men and professionally paid athletes need a change of voice behind the bench to perform better. Could the Blues have played as well on Tuesday if Payne was behind the bench? I would say they could – Hitch no way could have installed any kind of new system in less than 48 hours and be that successful in a short amount of time.

This team’s portfolio is kind of like mine right now – incomplete. Only problem is that mine is due for a final evaluation right after Thanksgiving, while the Blues have until April. I might be in trouble…but that’s my problem, not yours!

The St. Louis Blues’ Cover Letter:

We all know a cover letter is that “first impression” that all possible employers see when you send in an application. Right now, this team’s cover letter would cause the whole application and resume to be tossed into the trash can before anyone would even have time to take it seriously for an interview or job offer.

I have always been taught at my school of higher education that everything we do in teaching should “POP,” meaning it has some spunk and a great attention getter to get the students interested in the topic I’m about to teach. This team currently has very little of that. Maybe a grade of a D+ in “spunk” and a C+ in “energy.” And without the likes of TJ Oshie, Ryan Reeves, and a recovering David Perron, this team would be flunking in those categories.

The Blues only real “Poppers” have been Oshie, Alex Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk, Matt D’Agostini, and Brian Elliott. And when your backup goalie is on the list of top attention-getters, you know something hasn’t gone as planned.

The St. Louis Blues’ Resume:

The Blues resume, I’ll admit, is full of great accomplishments from individual players and coaches. But as a whole group, they haven’t done much, mainly because we’re only 14 games into the year. But the small sample size we have seen also doesn’t show a lot of promise for the future, if the trends we have seen continue (and with a new coach, hopefully this area will improve).

A resume should be a short but concise piece of paper listing your qualifications for the job and areas where you have potential to grow into a more complete person and/or employee. The Blues certainly have a lot of players with the room to become full blown NHL stars. So they do have that going for them.

If I’m an NHL executive or media type, I’m really excited about this team. They have plenty of potential to eventually become a powerhouse with a few shrewd moves (assuming the For Sale sign gets taken down from 14th and Clark sometime this season), a steady coach, and some extra bucks coming in from some new sources. The fans in this city obviously are excited about what could become of this team, and who’s to blame them? There IS talent on the ice and there ARE signs that we could be at the beginning of something special, even before the latest shake-up. Remember the end of last season? No playoffs, but lots of winning. And winning makes everything better.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to work on MY portfolio, resume, and cover letter.

(9-5-1)

vs 

St. Louis Blues

(7-7-0)

At

Scott Trade Center

Game Time- 7:00 pm (CST)

TV- FMSW(HD)

Radio- KMOX

Blues Team Recap- Hello Blues fans! Well well well it is possible for these Blues players to play a complete game, eh? Oh wait… We already knew that. Now comes the difficult part for Ken Hitchcock: can he keep the guys up on the horse leaving it all out there on the ice each night? With the knowledge, conviction, and experience behind coach Hitch, I tend to lean toward the notion that you will see a much more committed camp of young men night in and night out. It was easy to see that the Blues were feeling responsible for the loss of their last coach Davis Payne. The Blues came out against Chicago with all cylinders firing.  In a game that, for me, was fun to listen to on KMOX, I can only imagine how much fun it was to be in the building feeding off the energy of the crowd and the visual candy that was a full 60 minute hard fought game for our boys. Jaroslav Halak stood tall in net and came up with several key saves to keep the crooked numbers off of the score sheet. In fact, Halak recorded his first shut out of the 2011-2012 campaign stopping all 29 shots in a 3-0 victory. Vladimire Sabotka, Christ Stewart, and TJ Oshie all had goals in this contest against the Blackhawks. Sobotka took a slick pass from defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to tip it past Hawks goalie Cory Crawford, giving the Blues a 1-0 lead. Before I post this next goal I would advise you to take a seat first. At 1:23 of the second period Chris Stewart scored a PPG on a tip in from TJ Oshie. Yes folks, a PPG by slumping Chris Stewart! A third tally from hot-handed TJ Oshie in the third sealed the deal on the scoring for the night as the Blues went on to cruise to a 3-0 victory.  From top to bottom, each line did their part to contain and shut down the Blackhawks offensive game. When there were lapses in coverage or assignment Halak was their to pick his team mates up and put them back on track.  Overall it was a very good night for the Boys in blue. Let’s hope Hitch can keep them playing at this heighten level.

Blues Keys To The Game- The short and sweet for tonight really has not changed for this team since the beginning of the season. Play the physical game we all know they can for a full 60 minutes, leave 100% of your effort out there on the ice, and expect nothing less of yourselves than excellence. The Blues need to continue to put the big bodies in front of the net, take shots, and get those rebounds that occur “within ten feet of the net” as coach Ken Hitchcock has stated. Getting to the dirty areas around the net is the bread and butter of this team. When your starving what do you do? You look back to the ways that once kept you fed. The Blues need to keep that train of thought in mind each night they hit the ice to compete. What drives this boat is crashing the net and getting those dirty goals. Oh, Phil Kessel…. Dear Mr. Kessel, I would like to introduce you to your new seat: the ice. The Blues must hit Kessel early and often in this game. Keeping him off his game and the puck off his stick will go a long way in helping the Blues snatch another two crucial points. If they allow Phil Kessel and company to come in and do what they do best it will be a quiet night in the seats at the ol’ Scottrade Center. Early pressure and a goal or two will be the home cooking recipe for success.

Maple Leafs Team Recap- The natives in Toronto are restless. Since the loss of #1 goaltender James Reimer to injury, the Maple Leafs have taken a nose dive in goals against along with dropping their last two decisions, losing to Boston 7-0 followed by a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.  The Leafs are a team in search of a life line and a way to stop the bleeding. Like a critically injured patient, the Leafs hemorrhage of goals in their last two is nothing short of concerning for the guys from the hockey’s Mecca. The Leafs will look to come in to St. Louis tonight to try and get back to their winning ways. The Maple Leafs are 9-5-1 on the season which lands them in first in the North East Division and 2nd over all in the Eastern Conference. Strong play from Phil Kessel and goal tender James Reimer had been the catalyst for success in Toronto this season, a season in which it looked as thought the Leafs might have turned the corner in terms of being a legitimate threat in the East this season. Will they be able to pull back on the stick and pull themselves out of the nose dive? The next few games should give us a fairly good Idea of where this team will be headed for the remainder of the season should Reimer remain out on IR.

Maple Leafs Keys To The Game- Stop the Blues from scoring goals. Yep, I said it. It is a formula for success for this Toronto team. Having given up 12 goals in their last two outings the Leafs have to get back to the basics: being defensively responsible in your own end, clearing the crease of rebounds, transitioning the puck out of your zone as soon as possible, and not allowing the Blues multiple chances to put the puck in the net. If the Leafs come out slow and sluggish against this newly energized Blues team, they are going to be in for another very long night. Phil Kessel must get the puck on his stick and make things happen early. The best way to silence the Scottrade Center for the Leafs is to come out fast and furious on the puck and get the young Blues team back on their heels. Get a few quick goals on yet not overly confident Jaroslav Halak and the game could be in hand.  It is up to the boys from Toronto whether or not they lay down against a very physical Blues team or attempt to match the level of physicality. It’s very matter of fact what needs to change for the Leafs: better goal tending, more offensive production, and much better defensive responsibility.

Blues Notes- Forward David Perron skated in another full practice on Wednesday. The left-handed, puck dangling youngster remains confident that he will return to the line up as soon as he is physically ready to do so. Though no official time table has been set, look for David to most likely get the ok from team doctors some time near the end of this month or early December to suit up for the St. Louis Blues. Andy McDonald remains out on IR with a concussion and no time table for return. Kent Huskins remains out on IR with a deep bone bruise to his ankle and has no time table for return. Scott Nichol, who was shaken up in the game against Chicago and did not return to the game, is expected to play in tonight’s match up per Ken Hitchcock. No new news on the ownership front as fans sit in idle waiting to hear if a deal can be made between Hulsizer and Dave Checketts group. Still rumored to be in the back ground waiting for it to fall through are local businessmen Tom Stillmann and the Enterprise car rental company’s Taylor family. Stay tuned to bluenotezone.com for all the latest information regarding the ownership saga.

Tonight we look for our warriors to step onto the field of battle and dominate a reeling Toronto team. Leave 110% of your effort out there on the ice and bring the fans at the rink and watching at home two more points! LET’S GO BLUES!

(8-3-3)

vs

St. Louis Blues

(6-7-0)

at

Scott Trade Center

Game time 7:00 pm (CST)

TV- FSMW(HD)

Radio KMOX

Blues Team Recap- Where does one even begin with this segment? The St. Louis Blues, after falling to the Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Saturday night, decided to take a new direction with their coaching staff. Sunday evening, the Blues announced that Davis Payne had been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Blues. Payne, who took the helm just 22 months ago, was let go after he failed to get his squad to perform on a consistent basis. GM Doug Armstrong made the decision after talking with other Blues executives to give the nod to Former Columbus Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock. Hitch brings to the table a Stanley Cup (Dallas 1999), several late play off round births, and a knack for motivating his players to play a full 60 minute hockey game. Here is a link to the press conference held yesterday introducing Hitchcock as the new Blues skipper.  With a Stanley Cup champion caliber coach now in place who is touted as one of the smartest hockey minds in all of the NHL, Doug Armstrong has made it perfectly clear that now the responsibility is squarely on the players themselves. “We have given every player a mirror,” Doug Armstrong stated yesterday at the press conference in reference to the players looking at themselves  and whether or not this Blues team sinks or swims.  The team held practice at Scott Trade Center yesterday afternoon with their new head coach. One of the most notable questions asked of Hitch was how long will it take to fix our woefully bad Power Play unit. Hitch’s simple reply was “One Practice.” Hitch hinted at a few small things that needed to be adressed and was confident that he can turn those terrible (30th in the NHL) stats around. Tonight, the Bues square off against a strong Blackhawks team that will no doubt be looking to come into St. Louis and feed off of the turmoil that has been brought by the firing of Davis Payne and the uncertainty of expectations between coach and players. The Blues will need to play as a “TEAM” tonight for a full 60 if they wish to not be blown out. 

Blues Keys To The Game- Tonight the Blues will be looking to implement a few things from Hitch’s playbook. Look for them to attempt to be very quick on the puck in the defensive zone and attempt to get the game going north and away from their end. Getting pucks to the net with pressure around the net will be another key for success. Getting bodies in front of Corey Crawford not allowing him to see the shots will work greatly in the Blues favor. Containing the highly skilled Jonathen Toews, Patrik Kane, and Marian Hossa will be the tall order of the night. Shut down these guys and you stand a pretty good chance at two points. Allow these three to have a big night and it will be a long and drawn out 60 minutes for the blue bleeders.  Solid performance from Halak is a must tonight when the puck drops to the ice. Eliminating odd man rushes and wide open opponents in front of the net will help Jaroslav snatch a victory and get himself headed in the right direction.

Blackhawks Team Recap- The boys from the land of Lincoln come to St. Louis having been blown out by the Vancouver Canucks Sunday night 6-2. The “Canucklheads” poured on the offensive onslaught against a reeling Chicago team and never let up. At 8-3-3 The Hawks sit second in the Western Conference with 19 points, just behind the Dallas Stars (20 points). Finding ways to pick up points early in the season only helps to lessen the burden when the grind of the season rears its head in March and early April. Coach Q has his team playing very well so far in this 2011-2012 campaign and it does not look like they will be slowing down any time soon. 

Blackhawks Keys To The Game- The game plan for the hawks tonight should be very simple. Pressure, Pressure, Pressure. Make the Blues fall back behind the blue line and allow the Hawks to control the flow of the game. The Hawks will need to keep the puck out of the defensive zone and keep their legs moving. Creating separation and forcing the Blues to take penalties is key. With a penalty kill that is still near the bottom of the league, converting on any chances given will help to destroy any confidence the Blues may have found in the changing of the guard in Ken Hitchcock.

Blues News- Tonight is the Blues Tribute to #38 game.  The team will be hold in pregame ceremony in honor of Pavol Demitra and Igor Korolev tonight at 6:45.  There are also fundraisers for the Demitra Korolev Fund happening online and at Scottrade tonight.  For all the information you need, check out the BNZ post.

David Perron remains on IR recovering from a concussion. David is still practicing with the team and continues to wear the red no contact jersey. No time table for his return has been given but speculation is that he will return to the team near the end of November or early December. Andy McDonald remains out with a concussion. No new news is available on his status at this time and he remains on the IR. Kent Huskins has been officially added to the IR with a deep bone bruise to his ankle. Huskins blocked a shot in the second period of the game against Calgary last week. No official time table has been given for Huskins return, but it is said that he should return to the club with in the next week to two weeks. BJ Crombeen remains out on IR with a fractured scapula. BJ is not expected back with the team until late December or early January. No new news is available on the ownership front. Rumblings that the agreement between Hulsizer and Checketts is on the outs have been floating around the water cooler but no official word has been given from either side. St. Louis businessman Tom Stillman and Enterprise Car rental owners the Taylor family have been reported lately by Andy Strickland to be interested in a joint venture at acquiring the St. Louis Blues. No official word has linked this information to the two businessmen.  

There will be a lot to watch over the coming weeks with our Blues. Will they buy in to the Ken Hitchcock way of hockey? Will Hitch be able to get 100% effort out of his club every night? The time is now for this team to stop with the excuses and put on their big boy pants. There is no more pointing of fingers in any direction but their own. Either this club will right the ship and point itself in the direction of the playoffs, or they will continue to play inconsistent not interesting hockey and Doug Armstrong will send the responsible parties bags in hand down the road. Buckle up Blues fans… Its going to be a bumpy ride!      

It’s strange seeing Jamal Mayers playing for this team. Image via clydeorama/Flickr

As promised, here is video of the fight that Scott Nichol won over David Booth on Friday night. There’s more where that came from.

Talk about your whirlwind weekend. Following a win at home on Friday, the St. Louis Blues were largely lackluster in a 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild in “The State of Hockey” on Saturday night, followed by Davis Payne being fired and replaced by Ken Hitchcock on Sunday night, then news that the full staff of assistant coaches were being retained. Weird, wild, wacky and kind of fun . . . that would be the best description of the approximately 48 hours from Friday’s home win to Sunday’s website announcement of the coaching change. Back to Saturday’s game . . . there was another fight, and lo and behold, it was Scott Nichol doing the punching, this time against former Flyer Darroll Powe. A handful of folks scored this as a victory for Nichol, but the vote ended with a draw prevailing, and looking at the video, I think that’s the right call (you be the judge). The Blues now have collected five fighting majors on the 2011-2012 National Hockey League season, now good for a tie for 17th place with several teams, holding a fight record of 2-0-3.

And just like on January 2, 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks come to town to welcome the new Blues head coach to the team and the Central Division. But while this Hawks team leads the division, they are not favored to win the division like THAT Hawks team did (along with some greater accomplishments that this reporter will not speak of). This is the first of six contests between the Blackhawks and the Blues in the 2011-2012 season, and these two teams have a history of shedding the gloves and pounding each other in the face. That said, last year’s Blackhawks were 24th in the NHL with 28 fights on the season, going a solid 13-8-7 in those fights. This year, the Hawks are tied for 11th with several teams, earning six fighting majors on the season and going 1-0-5 in those fights.

Blackhawks players that have fought this year include former Blue Jamal Mayers (6’1”, 222lbs, 1-0-4), who is in a tie for first with several players with five fights in 2011-2012, and former Flyer Daniel Carcillo (6’0”, 203lbs, Draw) with one. Current Blackhawks who fought last year include Carcillo (4-6-3) with 13 fights and Mayers, then with the Sharks (4-1-7) with 12 fights. Following them were John Scott (6’8”, 270lbs, 8-0-0) with eight fights, former Flyer Sean O’Donnell (6’2”, 238lbs, 2-1-4) with seven fights, former Sabre Steve Montador (6’0”, 210lbs, 0-2-1) with three fights and Bryan Bickell (6’4”, 233lbs, 1-0-1) with two fights. Solo fighters from last season included Brent Seabrook (6’3”, 221lbs, Win), former Coyote Sami Lepisto (6’1”, 193lbs, Draw) and Viktor Stalberg (6’3”, 209lbs, Loss).

While I know Nichol will play, I seriously doubt he throws the gloves down a third night in a row. With the new coach in town, it is unknown what Ryan Reaves’ role on this team will be going forward. If Reaves plays, I would TOTALLY kill for a Reaves-Mayers fight and would PAY to see it happen.

A message is sent. Whether or not it was the correct message is irrelevant. Will that message be heard? Go get ‘em, team.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Will the pressure to perform be even greater for Patrik Berglund under new head coach Ken Hitchcock?

Sunday night the Blues Twitter community erupted in to a furious frenzy of question asking and conclusion jumping as Davis Payne was let go, Ken Hitchcock was hired and Ian Cole was recalled from Peoria. In an effort to blend my business wold technical writing and my blogging world creative juices I have constructed a FAQ on the coaching change and the potential implications.

Some of the questions are near verbatim that I saw on Twitter. Some are a mesh-mash of random thoughts put in to question form to provide an answer. Either way, here they are.

- – -

Why was Davis Payne removed from the head coaching position?

Head coaches are paid to do one thing, win games. Their record and rank in the standings are the end all, be all benchmarks in which they are graded by. Regardless of any extenuating circumstances.

Simply put, Payne didn’t do enough of it. In 137 games behind the Blues bench he posted a 67-55-15 record which earned 149 points. Just 54.4% of the points possible. Projected over 82 games that’s roughly 90 points. In the Western Conference that percentage leads to April tee times more often than not since the lockout. With the Blues expecting to make the playoffs and perpetually pacing to end up outside the picture, a change was coming.

That said, there are circumstances and issues extended past the business aspect of the decision.

Payne has been unable to transition his immediate success in motivating players following the firing of Andy Murray in to a long term dynamic. The effort displayed through last season and the 13 games of the current campagin are no different than the darkest days leading to the last coaching change.

Supposed star players in the making have flat lined. Chris Stewart has performed up to the standard that put him on the outs in Colorado. In Patrik Berglund’s case the consistency issues are problematic once again. Fan favorite and resident sparkplug TJ Oshie hasn’t been able to find the jump he busted in to the league (and Rick Nash) with. The three have combined for 8 goals and 16 points in 13 games.

Alleged franchise netminder Jaroslav Halak has not been the same performer in St. Louis as he was in Montreal. Payne hasn’t been able to devise a system which effective insulates him or draw out more of a “Tim Thomas” stand alone type goalie.

A general failure to meet standards across the board lead to this decision.

-

Who is Ken Hitchcock?

Age: 59
From: Edmonton, Alberta
Coached for: Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers & Columbus Blue Jackets
Record: 534-350-88-70 in 1,042 NHL games.
Successes: Stanley Cup champion in 1999 as head coach of the Dallas Stars. Assistant coach on the Gold Medal winning 2002 and 2010 Candian Olympic squads.

-

What type of coach is Hitchcock?

His play style tendencies would seem favor the old school approach. More of a stereotypical defense first system emphasizing responsibility. But don’t get caught up in “should be” or “could be” because of his history.

Based on today’s press conference Hitchcock will not run the same system he did in Dallas. Gone are the days of a slow 150 foot game. He intends on bringing a fast 200 foot game. He is a student and avid observer of the game. Clearly he has learned lessons after shortcomings in Columbus.

Personal accountability is a major concern for the Blues and Hitchcock is known for keeping his players in line. Those who wish to play will buy in or their ice time will be significantly reduced or be shown the door.

He is also known for being able to develop an effective game plan and employ it.

-

What does this mean for the under-performing likes of TJ Oshie, Patrik Berglund and Chris Stewart?

The rumor mill is going spin away freely given the perceived lack of effort coming from this trio and the fog of change floating over Scottrade. Bottomline, not much is likely to happen, to them, before Hitchcock and Armstrong can reassess their lineup after a few games.

Let’s be clear and honest. Armstrong does not shy away from making bold moves, but he is cold and calculated. Removing Payne and inserting Hitchcock is a dramatic upheaval for the players to digest. Moving out someone who was not performing well under one coach before the new one can get a crack and reshaping them in too itcy trigger finder for Armstrong.

For now the auditors will be watching them closely. Gauging their actions and reactions as well as their performance. Hitch is a veteran’s coach and these three need to prove they aren’t kids anymore.

-

How will the goaltending situation be impacted?

Likely not much. Winning is goal number one and if Brian Elliott keeps up his play, then the status quo continues. If Halak continues to improve “Plan A” goes back in to effect.

That said, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Halak starts seeing the more favorable matchups in an effort to get him where he should be. An area Payne appeared to not be concerned with.

-

There is a popular perception that Hitchcock is “anti-Russian”. Does his hiring alter Vladimir Tarasenko’s plans of starting his NHL career?

It’s clear that the environment that a Russian player is moving in to in North American as well as their development path are critical checkmarks on the list to determine if/when they head over.

To say that the hiring of Hitchcock won’t weigh on Tarasenko’s decision at the end of World Championships is downright foolish. No matter the success Sergei Zubov experienced more recent examples of Russians developing under his watch, Nik Zherdev and Nikita Filatov, could easily encourage Tank to stay home.

Granted, it appears he possesses a drive and will to compete that the other two simply do not have. But why leave home and his father’s team to play someone who has more failures handling his countrymen than successes? Don’t forget, Zubov was an established player under Hitchcock. He came to Dallas in his mid 20s with 191 points in 180 games. Tarasenko would be in his early 20s with zero points and NHL games played.

Hopefully all the talk of Tarasenko wanting to play in the NHL is true and he will come over to fight for a roster spot in St. Louis.

-

Which players benefit most from the change?

All those who buy in and play hard will benefit. All those who do not, will not.

-

Will Doug Armstrong make a trade soon?

The news of Ian Cole’s recall sent many heads a spinning harder than they already were last night. The truth of the matter is that Kent Huskins went on IR and Cole brought the total number of roster players to 23, not 24.

Obviously the wheels are rolling full speed in Armstrong’s head, but that doesn’t mean a deal is coming soon. The linking of an imminent trade and the recall appear to be a spurious correlation.

-

Can he fix the special teams?

With the assistant coaches staying in place, this question is up in the air. One of those “only time will tell” deals.

-

Was this the right move?

The correctness of the decision can’t be determined by Tuesday or even the end of the month. Check back on Sunday, April 8th for that answer. At that point the Blues will either be confirmed in or out of the playoffs.

-

The St. Louis Blues came in to the season with the highest expectations of success since the days a Hall of Famer and a future inductee patrolling the blueline.  Through the first 13 games of the season the team has stumbled and fallen below their projected mark. Posting a 6-7-0 record good enough for only 14th in the Western Conference.

It’s amazing how quickly pre-season delusions of grandeur can turn in to prayers of survival.

Whether the fault lies on slumping should be stars, an inconsistent number one netminder or the bi-polar effort level, it doesn’t matter at this point. Someone had to be held accountable for the start no one wanted.  On Sunday night Davis Payne assumed the role as he relinquished his post behind the bench.

No, this is not a post-Halloween scare. If it were though, this is the point where Matthew Lilliard pops his head in to say “But wait! There’s more!”

There will be no interim boss this time around. General Manager Doug Armstrong delved in to his past as effectively predictable as the fools from the movie quote above. Ken Hitchcock, the head coach of the 1999 Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars, of which Armstrong was an Assistant GM,  has agreed to take over through the 2012-13 season.

Wait…what? No kidding…

Don’t feel bad if your head is spinning. Many are. I’ll save the implications and analysis for tomorrow. For tonight, here are the quick and dirty details.

- A 10:30 am CST press conference will be held Monday to elaborate on the situation further.

- Hitchcock owns a 534-350-88-70 record in 1,042 NHL games with Dallas, Philadelphia and Columbus. He was an Assistant Coach with Team Canada when they won Gold at the 2002 and 2010  Winter Olympics (2010 being another Armstrong connection).

- According to St. Louis Post Dispatch beat writer Jeremy Rutherford, sources indicate that Matthew Hulsizer was aware of the potential coaching change and left the decision to Armstrong.

My Take

Am I surprised? You bet. More so at the timing than the outcome. Let’s be clear for a moment. The problems in St. Louis are coach and personnel related. The Blues were not picked for success by some of the best national writers to be better this season for no reason. The moves made by Armstrong should be paying off, but they are not.

Like it or not, firing the coach is infinitely easier to do than trading away multiple players. It also produces a stronger response faster than a trade will. An immediate culture change was needed. So the outcome followed naturally.

For all the negatives associated with “Hitch”, he is a proven winner and will come in with a clear directive to do just that. Win.

More to come tomorrow. Sleep tight folks. The times, they are getting interesting.

Has Brian Elliott's stellar play really created a goalie controversy?

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When the St. Louis Blues signed Brian Elliott to a one-year contract on July 1st they knew exactly what they were getting. A motivated, relatively young, yet experienced netminder who could potentially provide quality backup services. Expectations were simple. Come to camp and battle longtime franchise project Ben Bishop for the number two role behind chosen starter Jaroslav Halak.

Early in the fourth week of the season all boxes have been checked. All points hit. Some would go as far to say expectations have been surpassed.

The numbers back that assessment.

Through three starts and one relief appearance, Elliott owns a perfect 3-0-0 record. Allowing a sparse seven goals against. His 2.06 GAA is currently 10th best in the league of those who have appeared in four games or more. Elliott also has the 8th best save percentage, .935, among those within the same games played threshold.

Impressive figures alone do not always indicate well rounded on ice success. In Elliott’s case, they do.

The play in front of him has picked up, but the Blues give up an average of 29 shots against per 60 minutes of play from Elliott. Basically the median standard in the NHL currently. That’s also four more shots than the Blues league second lowest average per game rate, 25.6. He’s not as insulated as one would imagine for such statistical success.
Elliott is seeing his fair share of rubber and turning it away.

The case in point may be his performance in San Jose on October 15th. After a solid opening effort the whole team slept through the middle set. Forcing Elliott to stand on his head. Such a level of play had been unseen in the three previous games. Which lead to many sighs of “here we go again” from fans staying up late to watch the game. Elliott responded perfectly, turning away 12 of 13 shots in the tilted period. He went on to stop all 13 sent his way in the final 20 minutes to give his team a chance to score three goals in a 15 minute stretch and take two points. In total stopping 34 of 36, including one destined for YouTube fame on Dan Boyle.

Might as well call Elliott a brick layer. As the effort against the Sharks was the beginning of the wall he’s building to prevent the Blues from sliding in to an early season meltdown. The construction continued in to the second back to back set.

In the third and final contest at Scottrade this month, Elliott was tapped to take down a hot Carolina Hurricanes club who were winners of three straight at the time. He stood tall like the survivors in the Pink at the Rink night crowd. Bending, but never breaking. Two first period goals could have caused a cave in, but a top to bottom push lead the Note to a 3-2 OT victory. Elliott backstopped the effort with a 27 save performance with two more highlight reel saves: one on Bryan Allen and the other on Canes captain Eric Staal.

The following night in Philadelphia a well rested and motivated Flyers squad looked to wipe away a bad loss to the Washington Capitals and steamroll the understandably tired Blues. Elliott and crew had nothing of it. Fighting for every inch of ice as if this affair was a divisional mat in March, not the eighth game of October.

Quite the opposite response from the last game played on no rest. Six days prior, on Sunday the 16th, the Blues folded when the goal hungry Anaheim Ducks put the pressure on the Blues following the San Jose game. Halak received little to no support and lost 4-2.

Add in his substandard outing in LA and Halak’s stat line deflated to a dismal low. A 1-4-0 record with a 3.47 GAA and .835 save percentage by the end of the California swing.

What was the difference between the games? Who was in goal.

Elliott’s performance and Halak’s lack their of has created what could be construed as a goalie controversy. The one who was supposed to be the missing puzzle piece has struggled. His inconsistency from last season and this preseason has carried over. “Ride the hot hand” as they say.

While Davis Payne’s current “performance plays” mantra dictates he does as suggested, which he is, that does not equate to a controversy.

Understand this…

Jaroslav Halak is and will remain to be the Blues number one goaltender. He will very, very likely see the vast majority of starts when the book closes on the 2011-12 season.

Brian Elliott is and remains to be the Blues number two goaltender. He will very, very likely start as much as (or slightly more than) his predecessor, Ty Conklin. That said, he will not start more games than Halak unless there is a significant injury to No. 41.

The current situation is more accurately described as “Plan B”.

No team goes in to the season thinking that their number one will fail. A netminder as well paid as Halak is and thought of as highly as he is comes in with thoughts only of success. As seen so far, “Plan A” doesn’t always kick off correctly. A secondary option must be available. Elliott was acquired for just this scenario. It’s why Bishop backed his bags for Peoria.

The Blues needed a capable number two who had experienced the rigors of a NHL campaign in case Halak struggled early. Someone who the front office and coaching staff could have a reasonable amount of confidence in that when times got tough, the backup could hold the line. At least till “Plan A” was back on track.

How long the recovery takes is impossible to know. Elliott remains the go to choice for Payne and will continue to be till he falters or the schedule favors a change. Meaning Halak will need to prove his mettle in practices and jump on the first opportunity to get back in net.

If the scenario continues on, talking about in to the holiday season, then the tough questions associated with a goalie controversy should be asked and answered.

For now commendations and congratulations are due for Elliott’s service. Just remember that he’s only doing his job and that’s not enough to flip the dynamic the Blues have invested in.

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Three Bright Spots Amid Dim Blues Start

It’s too easy to focus on the negative when times are tough and positives when weather is good. Hockey gods know I don’t like to make things easy sometimes… well most of time. This a Blues blog after all. If the team can’t make things look easy, neither should we! Here then are three “good things” to take note of through a bad start to the season.

Steen-Arnott-D’Agostini Line

No line has been better than the “third unit” comprised of Alex Steen, Jason Arnott and Matt D’Agostini. Through six games the tro has seven goals and 13 points. Accounting for 1/3 of the teams total points and 47% of the goals scored.

Alex Pietrangelo & Kevin Shattenkirk

The plan heading in to the season was to maximize the play of Petro. Put him in all situations and let him just do what he does. So far he has. Leading the Blues with 24:18 ATOI and his 1 goal and 3 points in six games is right on last season’s pace.

Though some, myself included, had worries about Kirk’s ability to deal with the defensive aspects of the game and maintain his level of offensive production if he was given more minutes. So far he has generally squashed those fears. He’s third in ATOI, 19:47, and his point pace, the same as Pietrangelo’s, is right where he should be.

Kent Huskins

Most considered Huskins to be a third pairing, penalty kill minute eater. Provide a little leadership, stability and his paycheck would be earned. To date he has surpassed the expectation. Sliding up to Pietrangelo’s primary partner status at even strength and chipping in a timely goal in San Jose. He is only averaging 16:19 played per game, but that’s an effective 16:19.

Payne’s Job Security

I’m not yet tired of addressing the issue of Davis Payne’s job security because far too much is being made of the potential lack their of in October. There are only six games in the books. That’s 7% of the total games to be played this season. There is plenty of time for all to work itself out.

Should fans be concerned? Yes.
Are his bosses concerned? You bet.
Is he in danger of losing his job with a loss Friday? Not really.

Rash, knee jerk decisions are not in the Blues MO. The current group running the team is old school. They’re methodical. They’re preparing for any situation and will address as needed when needed. Payne will get a fair chance with an adequate lineup. Count on that. But that doesn’t mean that changes won’t be made if a turnaround doesn’t happen sooner than later.

If a slide continues over the next 10 games or so, putting the Blues in the 15-20 played range, Doug Armstrong would be with in acceptable boundaries for making a change. In no way am I advocating that to happen or predicting that the team will play that poorly. However, the scenario is a possibility based on where the Blues are as a franchise.

As a side note, I think the Ken Hitchcock as a replacement talk has been made too much of as well. On Hockey Central at Noon last week Doug MacLean did mention him in a “what if” line of comments. With the Andy Murray experience turning out as it did and how Hitchcock exited Columbus, I’m not sold that’s the route Armstrong will explore.

One name to keep an eye on if the poor play continues is Guy Carbonneau. His connections to the Blues are stronger than Hitchcock’s. Carbonneau played for the Blues in 1994-95, spent his final two seasons in Dallas when Armstrong was an Assistant GM and has familiarity with Jaroslav Halak from coaching in Montreal.

It Came From MSM Tweets

For those of you who do not use the fabulous social networking service that is Twitter, you missed out on some important Blues updates today.

- David Perron skated for 20 minutes with the team during practice. He worse a red no contact sweater and socks.

- Carlo Colaiacovo skated at practice without the no contact apparel. He believes he will be in the lineup Friday versus Carolina.

- Payne knows who will start Friday, but will not reveal who till tomorrow.

- Barret Jackman was not at practice. His wife is expecting their second baby very soon. Congrats to Barret and his family!

For info straight from the MSM crew, create a Twitter account and follow the following great beat writers:
Jeremy Rutherford – @jprutherford
Lou Korac – @lkorac10
Norm Sanders – @NormSanders

Yes, Jaroslav Halak, the spotlight is on you this season.

At this early mark in the season the Blues are looking a little rough around the edges. A substandard effort out of the gate from Jaroslav Halak and some of the worst special teams execution in many years has blacked out the handful of positives to date. Their 2-3-0 record is indicative of their play, but not their potential.

Such a sluggish start through five games has some panicking. Others just concerned. With 77 games in total to go and only 50% of the way through the first 10 game segment there will be plenty of opportunity to get the train moving in the right direction.

That doesn’t mean patience is being appropriately practiced.

No matter the rational reasons for troubles, how illogical it is to play chicken little with a sample size less than 10%, or how possible a recovery may be, Blues fans are going to question any struggles to perform up to expectations at this stage in the Checketts ownership era.

At this point in the season the questions aren’t too tough, but are likely controversial. The whole “Team Reasons” vs. “Team Excuses” dynamic comes in to play. Here then are the top five controversial questions asked after five games.

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Is it time for Davis Payne to be on the hot seat?

Tuesday’s game in LA will be Payne’s 130th behind the Blues bench. Through one full season and two partials the Dan Bylsma look-a-like (and close friend) owns a record of 63-51-15. Gaining 141 out of a possible 258 points or 55% (.5465) of the points possible. Project the pace over a complete 82 game season that’s 90 (89.6 actually) points. Such a pace is good enough to make the post season in the Eastern Conference, but its well below the waterline here in the cut throat Western Conference.

Bottomline: Payne has not been able direct the Blues to a playoff appearance.

Reasons / Excuses: The inherited crew after Andy Murray’s dismissal was too far behind to catch up. It would have taken another miracle run. For as great as the 2009 run to the playoffs was, it’s like a 500 year flood. It doesn’t happen that often. The 2010-11 squad was decimated by injuries and the lack of wiggle room in the budget prevented Payne from using too many of his former Peoria players. Has never been in a legitimate scenario to succeed.

My Take: Too soon to warm the seat, but it’s not to early to take the burner out of the box and have it assembled. The Blues are desperate to prove revenue and they need real sellouts. Another stretch of prolonged standings sliding will put the heat on Payne since the front office has provided depth to survive another injury outbreak.

This group has the talent, but does it have the will to compete?

Looking at the Blues lineup, when healthy, there are a grand total of 11 former first round draft picks. David Backes, a second round pick, has developed in to one of the top power forwards in the NHL. Halak displayed great skills in net in Montreal. On paper there are 10 different players, again when all are healthy, who have 20 goal scoring potential. Yet they struggle to blend the talent with the burning desire to win. When the going gets tough the Blues generally sit back. More times than it should happen, one whole period is lost to inadequate effort.

Bottomline: Multiple coaches and multiple systems haven’t been able to sustain a consistent competitive team of 18 skaters on the ice.

Reasons / Excuses: They’re young. They need time to adapt after Murray left. There hasn’t been a true leader to bank on. Inexperience has lead to shellshock. Adding a veteran presence will help.

My Take: The consistent inconsistency in effort is perhaps the most frustrating aspect of watching a Blues game. Murray had their heads in order for a time, but quickly lost his voodoo hold. Payne lit a quick fire, but it fizzled under duress. There is no greater concern about this version of the Blues than their willingness for every man to fight and win a battle, a shift, a period, a game. There is no good answer right now other than, we’ll have to wait and see.

Chicken or the Egg: Halak’s inconsistent play or the Blues weak play without the puck?

Halak has been THE lighting rod of the young season. He has been really since he was traded for Lars Eller two summers ago. In his first run with St. Louis he alternated good and bad month stretches of play. Never finding a consistency because those in front of him were never consistent. In terms of their own play and just in who was dressed in a Blues’ sweater.

Bottomline: Halak has never had a group in St. Louis perform as well as those did in Montreal to tell if he is “that good” or if he is a by product of the those in front of him.

Reasons / Excuses: He had to adjust to a new conference, a new team and a new culture. It was his first season as a starter. His workload was too heavy because Ty Conlin wasn’t good enough. Conklin couldn’t push Halak like Price did. Too many injuries. The scenarios aren’t the same.

My Take: If you’re in to statistical analysis, and you should be, there was a recent article published in the Wall Street Journal regarding advanced statistics on shot quality and goalie performance. As described, ‘The stat is an adjusted save percentage that reveals the true ability of the goalie—regardless of his defensemen.”

Per the research Halak faced the hardest volume of shots in the NHL last season. If you know how Montreal plays, they are a tight, stingy team who buys in to that system and can execute in it. Send Halak south from Montreal and his play followed that direction. Halak doesn’t always help himself, but his teammates share more of the blame for creating the situation.

Is Brad Shaw or the personnel to blame for a weak penalty kill?

Just two seasons ago the Blues earned their place as the top ranked penalty killing unit in the NHL. Boasting an 86.8% kill rate in 2009-10. The season before they were third best. Helping to pave the way for their first post lockout playoff birth. Remove Mike Weaver from the equation and boom goes the dy-no-mite. Last season the PK fell to 18th and to start 2011-12 they’re dead last. Who is the one constant from success to failure? Assistant Coach Brad Shaw.

Bottomline: The Blues special teams suck. Sorry to be blunt.

Reasons / Excuses: Dreamweaver was our hero! No Jay McClement anymore either. Chris Mason WAS the goalie that the Blues had the most success with. Halak is now in net. Shaw needs more coffee, the bags under his eys keep getting bigger. Has to be skewing his vision to see how bad it’s becoming.

My Take: Personnel does make a big difference. McClement took over for Ryan Johnson and was a PK stud. But the proof is on the ice and not the percentages. The play of the four killers is borderline lazy. They are not aggressive pressuring the puck carrier. Sticks are not in the correct lanes. They’re caught flat footed and out worked. Let’s say at even strength a goalie has a meter full to 100% indicating how much support he has. Assuming everyone is working hard. On the PK it drops to 80% Let’s say only two of the four are really doing their job. Halak has 40% of the support he needs to do his job. Not a formula conducive to killing penalties. Don’t get too caught up in it now. It’s an “effort thing”.

How long can Doug Armstrong allow this team to “find itself”?

There is no doubt the Blues are in a must win mode. Not that it’s time to sell the farm and go in to deficit spending. It’s not. They do need to keep ticket purchases and revenue up to get the team sold. If the current group of 23 or so players cannot uphold their end of the deal, Armstrong won’t hesitate in shaking up the roster because if the team can’t win, tickets won’t be sold and viewership decreases. Support has been strong through tough times, there is always a breaking point.

Bottomline: Armstrong has already said changes will come if the team doesn’t win. Cause will bring effect. Who knows where the threshold stands.

Reasons / Excuses: They don’t have money to spend so they can’t change up the roster. Who they have will become what they need. Just be patient. We’ve been waiting on the kids to grow up, they haven’t.

My Take: The lineup you see is the lineup you will get for quite a while. The Blues are not a 12th-15th level club in the West. They can and likely will hold around a .500 pace which will keep the status quo intact. even if Matthew Hulsizer takes the team over before the Holidays, he won’t likely make big changes. Readjustment will come around the trade deadline unless the wheels fall off heading in to said Holiday season.