Trivia Question!!!
Who was the last club to win a game 7 on the road in the Stanley Cup Finals and what member of the Blues organization was on the team? I wll come back with the answer in a few hours if nobody comes up with it.
The answer is the Montreal Canadians and current Blues GM Larry Pleau who was a memebr of that championship team. Pleau dressed in game 5 but not game 7 of that series. The fact that Pleau did not see a shift in game 5 or the finals is why his name was not included on the Cup as a member of the 1971 Montreal team. Eventually Pleau would find his name on the Cup as a member of the Rangers management staff in 1994.
Montreal actually collected less playoff bonus money than Chicago even though the Canadians won the Cup. The Hawks collected $8,500 compared to the $8,100 awared to the Montreal players. Chicago finished ahead of Montreal in the standings in 1971 which is why they were handed a larger bonus check.
Ken Dryden took home Conn Smythe honors. This would be the 11th and last Stanley Cup for Henry Richard who won the Stanley cup 11 times in his 16 year career.
Earlier story.....
There are a number of reasons as to why the St. Louis Blues aren’t likely to go after Senators all-world sniper Danny Heatley.
The main reason is his salary which counts $7.5 million for the next five years. Once Blues fans saw this number they should have immediately realized this does not make sense for the John Davidson and company.
Heatley is hardly doing his reputation any good by asking for a trade because of a conflict with his coach Cory Clouston. He obviously seems more comfortable playing for guys like Craig Hartsburg and Bryan Murray who seemed to allow him to run his own program.
I like it when an NHL head coach does what he’s paid to do, which is to coach. Whether they be experienced or not, to have the guts to call out a star player when they under-perform is the type of coach I’d like to have around.
The last thing the Blues would need is a one dimensional player who may skate hard when he’s on a break or hitting the hole but hardly gives you the all around game you’d expect from a player earning major coin and who’s expected to be the team leader.
Sources close to Ottawa tell me Heatley isn’t in shape and he isn’t committed.
Sound like a $7.5 million dollar player to you?
Sounds to me like his trade demand may be a blessing in disguise for the Ottawa Senators.
Chances are whoever takes on Heatley may need to go through two or three Head Coach’s in the next five years just to satisfy their star player.
No one with their head screwed on straight would ever question Heatley’s ability to score or his offensive skillset. The guy is flat out deadly from the slot is truly one of the top pure goal scorers in the league. With that being said this contract is a little too much for a team like St. Louis to take on at this time.
The team to pay attention to here is the Los Angeles Kings who are shopping another player who wants out in D-man Jack Johnson who is looking for a hefty contract.
You may not see a trade take place before July first, I'm told Heatley is owed a decent sized bonus on the first day of July.
From what I hear Johnson is a great kid but the Kings have may not be interested in dealing with his Father who has taken over his representation from respected agent Pat Brisson.
This makes perfect sense here considering the Kings are loaded with picks and already have franchise D-man Dew Doughty in place. Los Angeles is without question looking to make a big splash this summer. The Kings have also had discussions with Tampa Bay regarding Vinny Lecavalier.
With this being said both Heatley and Lecavalier's contract may still be a stretch for LA. Not to mention both these guys, especially Lecavalier, are probably best suited in markets where there is pressure to perform every night. I'm pretty sure there is little pressure playing in Southern California.
I’m told the Kings would also be willing to throw in Alexander Frolov who has one more year remaining on his deal and a high draft pick.
Where will Ottawa get a better deal than this one? Obviously Heatley has the final say with his coveted No-movement clause.
San Jose is still considered to be in play with the Sharks apparently willing to part with Patrick Marleau.
As for the Blues they are more likely to focus their attention on guys who not only can score but are also willing to retrieve loose pucks an play in both ends of the ice. Sorry Blues fans, don’t mean to burst the bubble here. You can still look for the Blues to be active in the coming weeks as they look to upgrade their club.
The Blues under Davidson have proven they aren’t afraid to pull the trigger on deals.
With all this being said I do believe there is a coach out there who can get Heatley to play hard. I’ve heard numerous people including Blues Head Coach Andy Murray speak very highly of Heatley in the past. Murray coached Heatley in the 2003 World Championships.
Rink Rats!
Did Joe Nieuwendyk make a mistake by firing Dave Tippett too early? Why not wait and see how things go before brining in your own guy? Now if Marc Crawford struggles it’s all on Nieuwendyk. There is a good chance team Owner Tom Hicks told Nieuwendyk prior to bringing him aboard that firing Tippett would be his first assignment.
Don’t be shocked if you hear the name Scott Mellanby as a candidate to become the next GM in Florida.
Ottawa has broken off talks with forward Chris Neil although the two sides are not that far apart. Term is not the issue for Neil who is looking for a four or five year deal. It is not unrealistic to expect the two sides to speak again before July first.
Jack Johnson is not heading to Russia as some have speculated over the past few weeks. Check out this clip of Johnson's dad entertaining the crowd when Johnson played at Michigan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEsHFAyjcZM
Blues Clues!
Join me tonight between 6-7 for my radio show Blues Buzz presented by Johnny Mac’s on 590 the fan. My guests will include Brian Engblom and former Stanley Cup winner Dallas Drake. The show can also be heard on the web at www. kfns.com
The Blues are willing to move up or down as they head into the NHL draft later this month.
I’ll have more on St. Louis later this week.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
[email protected] 
St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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