Are these guys really serious? Chris Chelios, Dawayne Rolosen, and Trent Klatt are suing NHLPA President Ted Saskin as well as the entire executive committee that represented the players during the recent lockout.
Can these guys just move on?
If this is really about the departure of Bob Goodenow, please. It’s obvious Chelios and company are being pushed by someone from the outside to continuously make this an issue.
Would you really be all that surprised if Goodenow is encouraging these guys to take action? I would certainly hope a player like Chelios, one of the better leaders in the game, would quit doing Goodenow’s dirty laundry for him.
Why would you sue fellow NHL players anyway? That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Maybe Chelios will really come out and tell the truth on this matter and tell fans exactly why he’s so angry. The players I speak to around the league are thinking about hockey right now. No one I’ve spoken to is worried about some ridiculous lawsuit.
Bill Guerin told me he thought this issue was completely behind him and doesn’t understand why he’s named in the suit. As of Monday night no one from the PA had been served any paperwork notifying them of a lawsuit. Chelios and Guerin have been teammates on numerous team USA hockey clubs and have been friends for about 10 years.
The Bottom line is Chelios and company need to simply chill out and relax. I’m sorry but any player out there that supports this lawsuit is completely off sides here. You can’t be a cohesive team on the ice if the guy sitting next to you in the dressing room is either suing or in favor of suing you.
And to think this is partly about Bob Goodenow. You can’t tell me there aren’t better things to concern yourself with besides worrying about how David Frost’s buddy got booted.
A King has risen!
Congratulations to D.J. King on making the St. Louis Blues roster. King has been in the organization for a number of years and has always shown steady improvement every season.
No one gained more respect in training camp than King. The way he went after fellow Saskatchewan native 6-7 Derek Boogaard in a pre season game last week is only part of it. Sure several Blues players felt the hit on defenseman Jay Mckee from Boogaard in a previous pre season game was over the line and dirty, but how often do you see an entire team stand up and bang their sticks on the boards as King exited the penalty box and skated back to the bench after the penalty had expired? The 6-0 King went toe to toe with the ridiculously large Boogaard in what had to be over a minute and a half in length. This no doubt was the fight of the pre season.
He also showed he can play a little bit as well. Forget the toughness. King made the club based on how he performed on the ice as a hockey player. He is a big solid kid (around 5% body fat) who has underrated skating ability. He can get the puck to the net, makes good decisions, and can control the play down low. Of the three players competing for the final roster spot up front, (Magnus Kahnberg, Mike Glumac) King was the only player that made a difference when given the chance to play.
Don’t get me wrong; his ability to stick up for his teammates was the biggest factor in the decision. Recently in a pre season game tough guy Eric Boulton was gumming at the Blues bench when King stood up and yelled back that he was going to tear Boulton’s head off. Boulton never said a word the rest of the game and wouldn’t drop the gloves with King. King played last season in Peoria and racked up 160 penalty minutes in 67 games. After about 10-15 games last year tough guys in the AHL were unwilling to go King. He shouldn’t have the same problem in the NHL.
Three’s company!
The current goaltending situation is far from ideal. As anticipated the Blues will begin the season with three goaltenders on their roster. If you are wondering why, Jason Bacashihua is the reason. He’s the wild card. The three things that need to be considered here are performance, ability, and long term projections.
Blues management would never come out and say this, but they don’t want to lose this kid. Of the three goaltenders, Bascashihua is the one they feel has the biggest upside here, and the goalie they see fitting into their plans long term.
The question is how long will Blues management allow this to last? It’s not fair to the head coach to have this be an issue for very long. I don’t think it will be but you never know. As long as there is a team who the Blues fear will snatch up Bacashihua on the waiver wire they will continue to have three goalies with the NHL club.
Sanford has not had the best camp and a strong beginning to the regular season can certainly help his cause. He deserves an opportunity. Sanford was clearly the best player on the worst team in the NHL last season. There are a lot of motivated players on the Blues roster this season, but none match the motivation Sanford found in Owen Sound this summer.
The organization would like to have Bacashihua be the number one guy in Peoria this year. Getting him there is obviously the issue. The best case scenario for this organization is to get both Sanford and Bacashihua valuable playing time and experience this season. If they continue to improve and develop, the Blues will be in good shape in the most important position heading into next year.
Don’t ever rule out a trade.
Manny Legace will start the season opener Thursday.
Blues Clues!
New York Rangers play by play man Sam Rosen enjoyed an evening with his former broadcast partner John Davidson Sunday night. Rosen, one of the real good guys in broadcasting, was in St. Louis broadcasting a NFL game.
Prior to the Blues Minnesota exhibition game last Thursday former Blue Pavol Demitra enjoyed dinner with Blues winger Keith Tkachuk. Demitra was shocked and upset when he was first traded out of Los Angeles, but has enjoyed playing along side his best friend Marian Gaborik.
Forward Ryan Johnson will continue to undergo testing after Doctors recently identified a heart related issue with his brother Greg who skates in Detroit. The Doctors feel Greg’s condition could possibly be hereditary. This is simply a case of being extra safe to avoid a possible serious situation. While certain things began showing up during Greg’s tests Doctors felt it was necessary to put Ryan through the same tests just to rule things out.
There is no history of heart related problems in the Johnson family. Ryan is hoping to get back on the ice as quickly as possible. Right now it is not in his hands. He will almost certainly miss the season opener.
Tkachuk has been skating the last couple of days and seems to have the back spasm issue behind him. This guy worked so hard during the off season it’s pretty obvious he wasn’t going to throw it all away by pushing it in games that don’t count.
Jay Mckee will begin skating some time next week as he continues to heal from a MCL sprain. He is probably still two weeks away.
Look for Martin Rucinsky to handle the point on the power play and for Doug Weight to play center. Weight will probably get some time on the point as well.
Dallas Drake was experiencing mild knee soreness and elected to sit out the last pre season game. He is fine as he hasn’t missed any practice time. Look for Drake to begin the season playing with Jamal Mayers and Dan Hinote who will move over to center.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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