“PLEASE, MISTER REFEREE, TELL ME ARRON ASHAM IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN!”, says Jay Beagle. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

Ugly wins count as marks in the win column, indeed, and it’s doubtful that many wins this season will be much uglier than the St. Louis Blues’ 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday evening. Speaking of ugly . . . I’m not sure exactly what the hell you would call this skirmish between Ryan Reaves and Cody Bass other than, well, kinda ugly, actually. Despite the fact that Bass pretty much slipped to finish the fight, but because of the fact that he landed some REALLY solid rights in the short time this fight actually was on, I (along with the voters) have to give the decision to Bass on this one (and yes, that means the Blues are no longer “undefeated” this season in fights). And lookie there! The Blues are now tied for 10th in the National Hockey League with three other teams (the Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks) with 10 fights on the season! I thought they’d NEVER make it to double-digits for a while there. Anyway, the Blues are now 5-1-4 in those 10 fights.

And now, the Blues head eastward for Washington. The Washington Capitals raised some eyebrows yesterday morning by announcing the dismissal of coach Bruce Boudreau and replacing him with long-time Captain and long-time Caps fan favorite Dale Hunter behind the bench. It will be interesting to see how the team reacts to the change, but in my estimation, the change can only be favorable to the Caps in the long-run, provided there is no looming comeback for Pierre Turgeon and Hunter does not skate out there to board him after a playoff goal (somewhat tragically, this – and the 21-game suspension that rightfully ensued – is what most people will always remember about Hunter’s playing career, when he was quite the impressive player for a long, long time in the NHL). All joking aside, the Caps are one of the lower-tier fighting teams in the NHL a year after they were one of the mid-range fighting teams in the league – currently tied for 27th with another team that just changed coaches yesterday, the Carolina Hurricanes, with five fighting majors on the season. Their current fight record is pretty decent, though, at 3-1-1. Last year, the Caps were dead-center, 15th in the NHL, with 45 fighting majors and a rather unremarkable 9-18-18 fight record.

Of Caps players that have fought this season, Matt Hendricks (6’0”, 211lbs, 2-0-1) leads the way with three fights, while John Erskine (6’4”, 220lbs, Win, out indefinitely with a shoulder injury) and Jay Beagle (6’3”, 215lbs, a rather infamous Loss to Arron Asham, on IR with a head injury) each have fought once. Among players currently on the Caps roster, the fighters are led by Hendricks (1-4-9) with 14 bouts. Erskine (2-0-4) followed him with six fights. Former Blackhawk Troy Brouwer (6’3”, 213lbs, 0-2-1) checks in with three fights and Mike Green (6’1”, 207lbs, 1-0-1, out indefinitely with a groin injury) each fought twice. Solo fighters included another former Blue in Dennis Wideman (6’0”, 200lbs, Loss), former Canadien Jeff Halpern (6’0”, 200lbs, Loss), überstar Captain Alexander Ovechkin (6’3”, 230lbs, Loss) and another former Canadein in Roman Hamrlik (6’2”, 206lbs, Loss). Former Blue DJ King would be on this list if he weren’t sent down to Hershey early in the season.

I’m having a hard time believing there will be a fight in this game, but the likes of Reaves and Scott Nichol have proven me wrong previously by working a fight with someone completely unexpected. Nichol would be best suited fighting someone like Hendricks, though that’s still a tough size matchup for Nichol to navigate. I just doubt there will be a fight in this contest.

“That train keeps a rollin’”, but not “on down to San Antone” as the Johnny Cash song goes. But hopefully another victory is on board.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Hendricks has to cover his face a lot. Image via Comcast Sportsnet Washington

While there is little doubt the Blues’ future is bright, Tuesday’s brutal 6-0 loss to the Calgary Flames left very few doubts about this season’s final path (folks, it’s not good).  But at one point, to try to inject some positive energy into the club, Cam Janssen went at it with “The Greek God of Hockey Violence”, otherwise known as Tom Kostopoulos (video here).  It was pretty obvious that Janssen won that fight quite handily, and in fact it was pretty much a unanimous decision.  It helped nothing as far as the game result, but at least it was fun.  The Blues move to second in the NHL all by themselves with 60 fights due to Janssen’s efforts.  The Blues’ fight record now stands at 25-18-17.

The last time the Blues played the Washington Capitals (December 1st, report here), both teams were mired in middle-of-the-pack position.  “The Great Eight”, Alexander Ovechkin, is not having one of his finer seasons.  But now, the Caps appear fueled to at least another playoff run after some retooling at the NHL Trade “Dudline” (Jeff’s word, not mine) and are currently locked in a tight race for the Southeast Division title with the Tampa Bay Lightning, while our Home Six are pretty much done like an over-charred beef roast.  The Caps HAVE shown the propensity to mix it up, though – to the tune of 37 fighting majors this season, which is tied for 13th in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators.  Their record in those fights?  Not very good at 8-16-13.  Also, note below that Marcus Johansson was listed on the previous report, but upon further review his “fight” was more of “the other dude went after him with gloves on”, so it has been expunged from this report.

Matt Hendricks (6’0”, 205lbs, 1-5-7) leads the Caps in fights with 13 and recently-signed two-year extensions with one.  Following him is Matt Bradley (6’3, 201lbs, 3-3-1) with seven fights.  John Erskine (6’4”, 220lbs, 2-0-3) and recently-waived but unclaimed former Blue DJ King (6’3”, 230lbs, 1-4-0) each have fought five times.  Top-scoring defenseman Mike Green (6’1”, 204lbs, 1-0-1), the recently-traded-to-Jersey David Steckel (6’5”, 217lbs, 0-1-1) and former Blue Jacket Jason Chimera (6’2”, 216lbs,0-2-0) have each fought twice.  Rounding out the list?  None other than Ovechkin (6’2, 223lbs, Loss) with one fight.

To me, the obvious choice for a fight matchup to look for would be Janssen and Hendricks.  Will it happen?  Maybe, but Hendricks plays a secondary scoring role while Janssen is lucky to get 7 minutes of ice time per night.  But we will see.

Ready for the offseason?  I think I might be.  But I ride or die with the Blues regardless.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Sometimes Matt Hendricks WINS fights, even over Colin Campbell's son! Image via Russian Machine Never Breaks by way of Mitchell Layton

Last night’s Blues 7-5 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks may not have been fun to watch in the grand scheme of things, but at least the game had an old-school hockey feel to it.  The decision was given to John Scott in his bout  with Cam Janssen, BJ Crombeen pretty easily handled Nick Boynton and a draw  was issued in the fight between Jeremy Morin and Chris Porter (each man’s first NHL fight, by the  way).  For the time being, the Blues are now on top of the NHL fighting world – yes, that’s right, the team is in first place SOMEWHERE!  26 fights on the season puts The Note one ahead of both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers.  The better news?  They’re doing WELL in these fights – 13-7-6, to be exact.

Now, you’d think the presence of the Washington Capitals in the next game would make my job easier for this game . . . something like “Geez, Tyler, they DID trade for DJ King in the offseason, didn’t they?”  Well, yes they did, actually.  However, he hasn’t played since November 9th, and in his six games, he’s a -3 player.  He HAS fought twice, though.  So he’s got that going for him.  More on DJ in a bit, but first, the raw numbers for the Caps fighting-wise: 17 fights, tied for ninth in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers, and a fight record of 4-6-7.

Of course, people may remember the only fight last year between these two teams.  Matt Bradley – who actually IS a leading fighter for the Caps – slid a pass from the left circle that ended in a shot, stood for a few seconds and then was planted into the Olympic Break by Janssen in a game in St. Louis on February 13th.  Quintin Laing came to Bradley’s defense and got eviscerated by Janssen.  Video evidence of the hit and fight is here.

Matt Hendricks (6’0”, 215lbs, 0-2-3) leads the Caps with five fights on the season.  He is followed by Bradley (6’3”, 201lbs, 2-1-0) and John Erskine (6’4”, 220lbs) with three fights each, King (6’3”, 230lbs, 0-2-0) and Mike Green (?!) (6’1”, 204lbs, 1-0-1) with two each and Marcus Johansson (6’0”, 197lbs, Draw) with one.  I would have to call this a very balanced fighting attack for the Capitals, despite not using Deej very often.

For whatever reason, I’d like to see Bradley and Brad Winchester go at it. Will it happen? We’ll see.

I beseech you, STOP THIS LOSING STREAK!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

I haven’t always been a hockey fan.  My family loves baseball and that’s what I grew up with.  I went to one Vipers roller hockey game as a kid and loved it, but we never went again.  I went with a friend to a Blues game in 1998 and had a great time, but we quit hanging out and I didn’t continue to watch hockey.  The 2007-2008 season was the first time I really started watching hockey with my husband, and I fell in love….. with the hot players.  I even let my husband watch the Blues while I was in labor.  Little did I know that my love for cute or talented players would end up being a curse.

My first “favorite player” was Erik Johnson.  I heard a lot about this rookie and thought he was cute.  Being a rookie fan, I didn’t know who to like and he seemed like a great choice.  So, I jumped right on the Erik Johnson bandwagon.  Then, in September 2008 we heard that Johnson had torn ligaments in his knee and would be out for the season.  Bummer….. I needed to pick a new favorite player to watch.

The 2008-2009 season rolled around.  We had met TJ Oshie over the summer at a Blues caravan, and I loved his laid back, humble personality.  And his good looks.  I wanted to see how he played on the ice before I picked him as my favorite player to watch.  Going into the 08-09 season I picked DJ King as my favorite Blue on the ice.  After one game, however, DJ injured his shoulder.  Season ending injury for this tough guy.  Now I was wondering if the Blues were just injury prone, or if my favorite players were going to continue to be injured.

The 2009 All-Star game gave me a plethora of new good-looking, and talented, players to love.  This is where my love of good looking players started, and when my friends started to poke fun at me for it.  Without the 2009 All-Star Game there would be no Q’s Cuties.  However, it was this game that really sealed the deal on my hockey curse.

TJ earned a spot on my favorite list with his attutude

TJ Oshie: I said out loud after King was injured that Oshie looked great on the ice and was my new favorite Blues player.  Weeks later, Oshie suffered an ankle injury and started missing games.  I still loved Oshie… He continued to be a family favorite.  Ironically, he was injured again the night before he was to make an appearance at our local rink during the 2010 rink tours.

Marc Savard:  Savard was one of the guys I fell in love with at the 2009 All-Star Game.  I thought he was adorable, and loved watching him perform in the skills challenges.  I loved watching Bruins games on Center Ice just to watch him play.  Then, Savard broke his foot blocking a shot.  After that. he sustained a knee injury.  Last season, Savard took a nasty hit and suffered a serious concussion. He is still on injured reserve for post-concussion syndrome.

Eric, Marc, and Jordan: My favorite hockey family

The Staal Brothers: Ask anyone who knows me about my Staal obsession and they will confirm- while laughing at me.  I’m a HUGE fan of the Staals- for 2 years in a row I have had the three in the NHL on my fantasy team (yes, I even drafted Jordan just to put him on IR this season).  Talent, looks, these brothers have it all. Last year, Eric Staal was out for weeks with an upper body injury- of course after I drafted him first on my fantasy team.

Jordan showing off the new Winter Classic Jersey

Practice @ the Mills

Jordan Staal is probably my favorite player in the NHL.  I know, as a Blues fan having a favorite player on a different team is a big “no no,” but I love Jordan!  He does a great job as a defensive center, but he still gets points.  He was a Selke finalist in 2010.  In game one of the semifinals against the Canadiens, Staal injured his foot. After surgery, he returned to play.  I was hopeful that meant my curse had ended- definitely not.  After multiple surgeries to remove infection, Jordan is finally practicing again.  My husband, who also loves the Penguins, went to their practice at the Mills with explicit instructions to send me pictures of Jordan if he practiced.  Which he did. Jordan Staal is estimated to return this coming Wednesday November 3, but that date is still in the air.

Another favorite chosen by attitude

Cam Janssen:  I fell in love with Janssen in November 2008 when we met him at a Blues Meet & Greet event.What a great guy!  I love watching him in the penalty box rearranging his pads…. Have always had a soft spot for Cam.  October 2010: Concussion and sternum injury.  Ironically, his injury happened the night he was featured as Q’s Cutie and I talked about how much I love this guy.

And the newest addition to the curse: Roman Polak: With my history, I vowed never to say which player I liked most again.  Two weeks ago, I was talking to my grandmother and she asked and without thinking I told her my favorite player is Polak.  Then commented that I shouldn’t have told her that.

Newest player hit by the curse

A little more than a week later, I watched from the stands as Polak ran down the tunnel.  And told my husband “I’m sorry!” because I knew the curse had struck again.  Polak is now out indefinitely with a lacerated tendon in his wrist.  Hopefully his surgery went well today and he will be back quickly. Hopefully.

I now promise to never choose a “favorite” hockey player.  I’ll stay objective…. and keep my personal opinions to myself. Could this all be coincidence?  Sure.  However, after the sheer number of my favorite players that have been injured since I started following hockey in 2008 sure makes it feel like a curse.  I get teased for my love of hockey players, and for their tendency to get injured.  Curse or coincidence, apparently I shouldn’t tell anyone who I like….. unless he plays for a rival team.

Don’tcha wish Cam COULD do this to Krys Barch tonight? Pic is linked to the blog post where I found the image. Image also, obviously, via the Associated Press

Thursday’s loss to the Nashville Predators brought one actual fight and another event that was not considered a fight – and for good reason, other than the fact that it didn’t draw a fighting major.  The fight was between BJ Crombeen and former Canuck Shane O’Brien, and it was an easy victory for The Beej.  The event gave me another reason to talk about how worthless of a player Jordin Tootoo is (and hopefully, I can keep this soapbox conversation short).  After a tie-up with Peoria newcomer Ryan Reaves, Tootoo shed his gloves and punched Reaves before the big man could even think about dropping his stick and gloves.  That’s about as close to a sucker-punch as you’re going to get without actually being a sucker-punch.  Let’s face it – the only difference between Tootoo and noted league pests like Steve Ott and Sean Avery is this: at least Avery and Ott can make up for their mental shortcomings with some form of sustainable offensive production playing in a third-line grinder role.  That is the new breed of pest in the NHL.  Tootoo represents the old breed of pest – the fourth-line borderline scratch that I thought (and I can’t be alone on this) was being phased out of this league.  Why is he still in the NHL, Predators?  He’s not getting any better, trust me.

Moving on . . . Crombeen wins his first fight of the season; the Blues are now 3-2-1 in fights and are tied with the New Jersey Devils for second in the NHL with six bouts on the season.  Only the Anaheim Ducks (WHAT A SURPRISE!) are ahead of the Blues and Devils with eight.

So the problem with doing these reports at the outset of the season is thusly: what happens when the opponent hasn’t fought yet?  Quite simple – you find last year’s statistics and work on-the-fly.  The Dallas Stars have not fought yet this year, which is amazing considering the stable of fighters they boast (we’ll get to this later) AND the fact that all of their fighters from last year have returned this season save for one player currently assigned to their AHL affiliate.  Last season, the Stars fought 50 times – tied for 13th in the league with the Florida Panthers.  They went 16-17-17 in those fights – or right about average.

Last year between the Stars and Blues, there were plenty of fisticuffs.  On October 24th in St. Louis, DJ King dispatched of Krys Barch, Brad Winchester took care of Brian Sutherby and Crombeen handled Ott.  On November 25th in Dallas, Cam Janssen defeated Barch and captain Eric Brewer eviscerated Ott.  On March 4th in Dallas, King took down Barch again, then in a tilt between young up-and-comers, Jamie Benn defeated Erik Johnson to end the streak of losses for Dallas.  And on April 3rd in St. Louis, Crombeen and Brandon Segal worked a draw.  So yes, you read that correctly: the Blues went 6-1-1 in fights against Dallas.  Quite impressive!  To see video of each fight, click on the Stars player’s name on each fight.

The Stars’ corps of fighters is led by Barch (6’1”, 222lbs, 5-10-4 last year).  Secondary fighters include Ott (6’0”, 194lbs, 3-3-6), Sutherby (6’2”, 204lbs, 2-3-1) Mark Fistric (6’3, 234lbs, 2-0-3) and Segal (6’2”, 209lbs, 1-0-1).  Stars with one fight each last year included Benn (6’2”, 207lbs, Win, questionable with a concussion), former Blue Jeff Woywitka (6’3”, 224lbs, Loss), James Neal (6’2”, 205lbs, Draw), team captain Brenden Morrow (6’0”, 205lbs, Win), Trevor Daley (5’11”, 199lbs, Win) and AHL lifer Francis Wathier (6’4”, 208lbs, Draw, currently with the AHL’s Texas Stars).

Barch matches up size-wise with both Reaves and Crombeen.  Barch would more likely bout with Reaves, since both of them are fourth-liners and Crombeen is a solid third-liner.  Ott, being a first- or second-liner, could be a good matchup for someone like David Backes.  Any way you look at it, this game would be a perfect opportunity for the Stars to start using their fists for the first time in their 2010-2011 campaign.

Something, ANYTHING better than the first 15 minutes of Thursday’s game would be fantastic.  Go get it done, team.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Wade Belak doesn’t fear anyone. Image via the Predators’ official team website – predators.nhl.com

Well, they decided to throw fists at the Columbus Day Matinee’ in St. Louis on Tuesday.  And the results weren’t terrible except for one player – and unfortunately, it was one of my favorites, and I’ll get to him in a minute.  It all started with a fight that Ryan Reaves won over Kyle Chipchura in Reaves’ NHL debut, but since Reaves lost his sweater, he was done for the afternoon after the fight.  Other fights involved David Perron against Bobby Ryan, Aaron Voros against Eric Brewer and Brendan Mikkelson against Erik Johnson.  Perron, one of my favorite current young Blues, pretty much turtled against Ryan – but really, what was Ryan trying to accomplish in that fight?  (if you go to Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights and search the fight, it seems the Ducks broadcasters pretty much insinuate the same concern.  Dumb fight.)  Voros vs. Brewer came from another scrum.  Voros won a fight that would have been won by the man Voros ran – Roman Polak – had Brewer not stepped in.  It’s not Brewer’s job to judge such things, so Brewer is in no harm here.  Following a massive hit by Brad Winchester, Johnson and Mikkelson came together.  I may be biased, but it seems Johnson won the fight, as he landed high-quality punches in the battle before it was separated.  Mikkelson landed mostly air.  The Blues are currently tied for 3rd with the Washington Capitals with 5 fights on the season – they are 2-2-1 in those fights.

Like the Blues, the Nashville Predators have a bundle of youth as they boast one of the best prospect bases in the league.  Unfortunately, their prospects don’t like to shed the gloves.  Last season, the Preds only fought 23 bouts, only ahead of the Washington Capitals (20) and the Detroit Red Wings (19) in fights last year.  Nashville went 6-8-9 in those fights.  The overwhelming leader was Wade Belak with 11 bouts (2-4-5).  Following were noted pest Jordin Tootoo with 3 (1-0-2), All-Star defenseman Shea Weber with 2 (2-0-0) and a whole host of Preds each with one – current Blues farmhand Dave Scatchard (Draw), current Canuck Dan Hamhuis (Draw), current Panther farmhand Triston Grant (Loss), Jerred Smithson (Loss), Kevin Klein (Win), Steve Sullivan (Loss) and Colin Wilson (Loss).

This year, like the Blues, the Preds have played the Ducks.  It seems you can’t leave a tilt with them without fighting at least once, and the Preds did oblige – Francis “The Cube” Bouillon overpowered Ducks tough-guy Troy Bodie for the win.

Nashville did not fight much last year, but they DID fight the Blues three times – Scatchard’s lone bout was ironically with his current team.  It followed a Preds goal, was with Carlo Colaiacovo on November 27th in Nashville and could be best described as a draw.  Then there were two battles on an April 1st tilt in Dixie – Belak worked a draw with current Capital DJ King and Roman Polak beat the ever-loving crap out of Colin Wilson in front of the net to take the win.  Click through for video evidence of each fight.

I am intrigued by the size and strength of Reaves.  The son of a former Canadian Football League fullback, Reaves is definitely tough as nails.  If Reaves suits up (and I imagine he will – this time with his jersey tied down), look for a bout between him and Belak, if HE suits up.  A rematch between Polak and Wilson would be awesome, if for no other reason to see Polak beat the crap out of Wilson again.

Three games in, we get our first divisional matchup.  We all know how important these games are.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

I just made Jeff throw up a little bit. Image via an incredible Maple Leafs blog, Down Goes Brown

So it is time.  Yes, it’s THAT time.  IT’S TIME FOR REAL LIVE HOCKEY!  This means the return of the Throwdown Lowdown report which, admittedly, was running in slack-off mode at the tail end of last season after getting a late start.  But the batteries are recharged and the river flows forth.  Not only that, the St. Louis Blues’ first opponent is a team not-at-all shy about throwing down the gloves.  So let’s hop right into this!

The Blues finished 5th in total fights in the NHL with 73 last year and went 29-20-23 in those fights.  They were led by Cam Janssen, who led The Note with 19 fights (11-3-5) despite a five-game suspension and a lot of DNP-Coach’s Decision nights.  Janssen was followed by BJ Crombeen with 18 fights (8-6-4), Brad Winchester with 10 (3-2-5), “Captain America” David Backes (2-2-1) and new Capital DJ King (2-2-1) with 5 each, Carlo Colaiacovo with 4 (0-1-3), Erik Johnson (0-1-2) and Barret “SIR JAXX” Jackman (1-0-2) each with 3 and “Captain Roboto” Eric Brewer (1-1-0) and new Panther Mike Weaver (0-1-1) each with 2.  Finishing with one fight each were “The Non-Italian, Non-Polish Czech” Roman Polak (Win) and the recently-retired Darryl Sydor (Loss).

The Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia Flyers participated in a whopping 77 fights last season, second (by one) to the Anaheim Ducks.  Their W-L-D totals in those 77 fights?  26-22-29 – a fairly even record.  They were led by a familiar face – former Blues tough-guy Ian Laperriere and his 25 fights (8-4-13), despite spending parts of last season on the shelf.  Unfortunately, Laperriere will start the season on IR because of the last of those injuries, which caused Post-Concussion Syndrome.  Following Laperriere was well-known pest Daniel Carcillo with 17 fights (7-5-5), new Penguin Arron Asham with 14 (5-5-4), Scott Hartnell with 7 (3-2-2) and the recently-retired Riley Cote (0-4-0) and captain Mike Richards (0-2-2) each with 4.  Daniel Briere (Draw), Simon Gagne (Win), Claude Giroux (Win), Darroll Powe (Draw), former Blues captain Chris Pronger (Draw) and new SEL entrant Ole-Kristian Tollefsen (Win) each finished with one fight.

In the only fight between the Blues and Flyers last season – on November 7th in Philly – Cam Janssen edged out Arron Asham in a very even bout.  The video of that fight, courtesy of Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights, can be seen here.  It should be noted that Asham and Janssen were teammates at one time in New Jersey – this reporter bets the sparring sessions were simply epic at those practices.

It would depend on whether or not both guys suit up (and the chances aren’t great that it would happen that way), but my dream matchup is between Asham and Janssen.  While there may not be roundhouses, it would be a very technical bout and would probably take a while to complete.  Another possibility?  Carcillo and Crombeen, who seem to match up almost perfectly size-wise as mid-heavyweights.  It would also be hilarious if Backes and Pronger went at it to continue Backes’ run through Gold Medalists.

You don’t need any more pumping up, do you?  It’s OPENING NIGHT!  GET JACKED!  GET SERIOUS!  GET READY FOR HOCKEY!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Prior to the deal DJ King had agreed to a two year, $1.275 million contract extension.

For now all I can say is “good move Doug”.

First things first, the Q&A.

Q. King Kong vs. Bam Bam – If you had to pick one to keep, which fighter would it be?

DJ King or Cam Janssen?

BlueNoteZone Recap:

We are welcoming a new Member to the BNZ crew as Stephanie Phillips comes on board. She is hard at work on her first piece. Give her some love and encourage her along.

I have also updated the LINKS page to include the newest Blues to join the world of Twitter. Erik Johnson, Patrik Berglund, and Ian Cole. No confirmation on the TJ Oshie account.

Blues Signed David Perron

Q&A #2 + Kovalchuk Drama

Blues Q&A #1

Blues Recap:

Blues Q&A Week 2: The Results on HockeyIndependent.com

The Blues Free Agency FAQ on NHLHotStove.com – One of my new gigs. Please give it a read.

Transcript or Jeremy Rutherford’s STLToday.com Chat

Media Bracket Voting on St. Louis Game Time

FrozenNotes discusses Patrik Berglund’s ability to rebound

HF Boards Player Point Projections

NHL Recap:

NHL Rejects Kovalchuk’s Devils contract

Howard Berger: Kaberle Saga

Center Ice is is at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh

US Hockey Hall of Fame – The Class of 2010

Five years ago Thursday Crosby was made a Pittsburgh man (and I squeal in delight)

Info on Preds ownership situation

Gagne worth the risk for Tampa?

Donald Fehr and the NHLPA?

Worst. Fighting Camp. Ever. Not like I'd ever say it to Derek Boogaard's face, but . . . just sayin'. Image via meltyourfaceoff.com

It seems the Blues wanted to DOMINATE the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Saturday . . . while there were many spouts of violence toward the end of the game, no official fights were recorded.  This leaves the Blues at 5th with 57 fights and a record of 23-18-16.

The last time we saw the Minnesota Wild, they had thrown the gloves down 22 times on the season.  That was on January 14th, and they’ve only gone at it seven times since then.  At that, they’ve only fought once since the Olympic Break, and it was grizzled veteran, old nemesis and Ulster native Owen Nolan who fought.  He’s old, but us Irish folk never shy away from fisticuffs (at least, that’s what the boosters at Notre Dame would have you believe).  The Wild have fought 29 times this season – good for a tie for 24th place on the season in total – and their fight record of 12-11-6 suggests that they pick their fights well.  Good luck with that on this one.  The Wild and the Blues have scrapped once, and that fight was chronicled here.

Derek Boogaard (6’8″, 275lbs, 5-0-3) is one of the biggest and baddest fighters in the NHL.  But 1) he doesn’t play much since fighting is the main skill he has, and 2) if you’re not playing, you’re not fighting.  Also ready to fight for the Wild is defenseman John Scott (6’8″, 258lbs, 4-0-1).  Defensemen Clayton Stoner (6’4″, 212lbs, 1-0-1, on IR with a groin injury – hopefully his own) and Shane Hnidy (6’2″, 204lbs, 0-2-2, doubtful with a groin injury – again, hopefully his own) would have no problem joining the fray if they weren’t injured.

DJ King played last night against the Blue Jackets.  Whether Davis Payne wants the same physicality to continue against the Wild will be key not only to the score sheet, but to the violence he would like to bring to this game.  With that in mind, if King plays, expect him to want to battle Boogaard.  Otherwise, an intermidate fight between someone like BJ Crombeen and someone like Stoner (if he’s ready) is the best you can expect in this game.

Three in a row?  Why, that would be pleasant.  DO IT!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights