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For those who kept up with last night’s preseason game between the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning you know to what incident I am referencing.
No, the question is not rhetorical.
For those who don’t know…
In last night’s 4-3 Bolts shootout win Blues forward Vladimir Sobotka was hit in the head by Tampa prospect Adam Erne. The play left the gritty glue guy woozy and potentially concussed. It also ignited a passionate response among the blue bleeding faithful on various social media channels.
The temptation to solicit feedback immediately following the game and earlier this morning was too great to be avoided. In general, fans feel as if the response (more accurately the lack their of) is indicative of a long standing trend of a team unwilling to stand up for itself. Citations of the Thornton hit on Perron came as easily as one would expect. The Olver hit on Tarasenko last season didn’t come up surprisingly, but certainly fits. Tootoo laying out Colaiacovo would have probably come up had Carlo been more well liked by fans.
From that perspective, a jaded one arguably, the rationale is sound and supportable. Recent history is what it is and when portrayed from that angle it’s difficult to dismiss.
Though the minority, a few (outside of the MSM) did exercise some level of caution in finger pointing. As one Twitter follower said, he needs to see the hit to judge it. Sadly, no video can be found online.
Andy Strickland, he covers the Blues at TrueHockey.com, shared a very interesting perspective. Erne, who scored two goals in the win, is an 18 year old kid that is due to return to his QMJHL team very soon. The hit didn’t appear to be predatory in nature so why seek eye for an eye vengeance? What purpose would it serve? He already received a two minute minor for an illegal check to the head.
While I’m paraphrasing and reading between the lines some, Andy’s point is as valid as those screaming from the other end of the spectrum. What good would it really do in a preseason game against an opponent from the other conference?
That question is rhetorical. The answer is very little to none. Especially if the league takes a look at it as head coach Ken Hitchcock believes they will.
From my perspective if Erne wasn’t head hunting, as it appears he wasn’t according to those at the game and
based on his own comments, then the best response is to get in his face after the play, remind him of his place, then go out and win the game. Seeking blind retribution doesn’t aid in accomplishing that task. Further, as Chris Stewart said after the game, how would it look if a big guy, around 25 to 30, attacks an 18 year old kid?
That’s rhetorical, too. It wouldn’t look good.
Normally, I’d be all for the players policing themselves. The hit itself and outcome are an increasingly normal, or common, occurrence, but the situation is not. Let the law of the land, the rules of the league, handle this one.
This isn’t a
Partice Cormier going after Mikael Tam scenario. It’s more like an
Ian Cole hitting Justin Abdelkader situation. Just an inopportune or poorly timed play.
Which side of the debate are you on? Let’s hear it in the comments.
Quick Hit Updates
The Blues have returned four players to their junior clubs. They are forwards William Carrier (Cape Breton, QMJHL), Zach Pochiro (Prince George, WHL), Ryan Tesink (Blainvile-Boisbriand, QMJHL) and goaltender Francois Tremblay (Val d’Or Foreurs, QMJHL).
According to Darren Dreger the following players were placed on waivers: Forwards Keith Aucoin, Alexandre Boulduc, Pat Cannoe, Christian Hanson, Mark Mancari, Tyler Shattock, and defenseman Taylor Chorney. The Blues’s new AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, open training camp on the 21st.
Dmitrij Jaskin had two goals and Jaden Schwartz the other before the three goal lead was coughed up. Brian Elliott made 24 saves.
Preseason Game Packs are for sale on the Blues website. Starting at $51 you can get two tickets, two sodas, and two hot dogs. The first home game is Friday night against Tampa. May be as tenuous a game as the preseason can get after last night in Orlando. Single game tickets for the regular season home opener on Thursday, Oct. 3rd verus Nashville are also for sale.
Corey Pronman, prospect writer for Hockey Prospectus and ESPN.com, has released his top 10 Blues prospects for the upcoming season. Check it out,
here. Definitely worth the read for his take on Jaskin, Rattie, Jake Allen, and 2012 1st round pick Jordan Schmaltz.
St Louis Blues Blogger • 
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