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Jackman Deserves More Respect/Buffalo Signs Turnbull

April 2, 2009, 7:24 PM ET [ Comments]
Andy Strickland
St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The bottom line is the Blues were awful against Chicago and Blues fans are hoping they don’t see a performance like that again for a long, long time.

The Blues might need to win four of their last five to reach the playoffs.

Look, you knew a game like that was bound to happen before the regular season expires.

It’s up to the Blues not to allow it to happen again.

Everybody was bad for the Blues Wednesday night except for goaltender Chris Mason who kept the team in the game when his teammates didn’t deserve to be.

I always enjoy how Barret Jackman gets railed on when he has an off night.

To me Jackman has been just about as valuable to the Blues this season as goaltender Chris Mason.

Where would the Blues be without this guy?

People have no idea what this guy has been through this season. He’s been forced to pick up the slack primarily due to the season ending injury to Captain Eric Brewer.

He plays hurt, never complains, takes responsibility when he plays poorly, and has been exceptional this year.

He’s a throwback player.

To tell you the truth I could care less about the plus/minus statistic and the majority of hockey people I know agree with me on this.

I will admit to looking at the stat but I don’t allow the statistic to sum up a players performance.

I began to realize it’s a marginal stat once I saw a puck deflect off the glass, high in the air, land on the back of goaltender Patrik Lalime and bounce into the net. All five players on the ice were handed a minus because of a fluke goal.

Hockey people realize the +/- stat is a by-product of several things.

Look at the Boston Bruins for example.

Forward rookie Blake Wheeler is a + 34 on the year. I know he’s a very good young player but it’s a little strange that a rookie would have such a strong rating. It helps when you skate for one of the most explosive offensive clubs in the league.

I would never take anything away from Bruins D-man Dennis Wideman who is +32 and having a great year but c’mon. You don’t think not only playing for the Bruins but also playing with Zdeno Chara has anything to do with this?

Is Wideman that much better than Chris Pronger who has an even rating?


I think it is way too easy to be generic and place that much emphasis in this stat.

In the case of Brad Boyes who equals Jackman with a -20 rating, is there reason to be concerned when he leads the team offensively? He consistently leads the Blues in scoring and secondary scoring chances and is among the league leaders in game winning goals.

Don’t forget Boyes has been forced to change his game this season without Paul Kariya playing alongside of him. He’s not quite being fed the way he was a season ago when Kariya’s 50 assists helped Boyes snipe home 43 goals.

I’m not looking to make excuses here for certain guys, but these are just facts.


Jackman’s responsibility is to play hard against opposing teams best players. You hope to limit the opposition’s top line to no more than one goal a game when you’re facing the Getzlaf’s, Nash’s, Toews, and Zetterberg’s of the world.

It’s hard to play offense when you’re out there against these types of players and your primary job isn’t to score goals. You may be a -1 for the night and had played a great game.

Don’t forget Jackman is primarily playing with the Blues checking line which also limits the offensive chances he may see when he plays. He also has been paired with a rookie D-partner for almost the entire year.

I agree Jackman wasn’t good Wednesday night and you can make the case he's been over used this season because of need. In a perfect world Jackman is probably best suited as a three or a four, but let's not get carried away and make him out to be a slug.



Rink Rats!

The Washington Capitals are negotiating with D-man and former first round pick Joe Finley whose career has ended at the University of North Dakota.

Former Hobey Baker award winner Ryan Duncan who is also done at UND has received interest from multiple clubs. Duncan, who participated in the Blues prospect camp a few summer’s ago, has not heard from St. Louis.

Congrats to Michigan forward and St. Louis native Travis Turnbull who agreed to a two year deal with the Buffalo Sabres Thursday night. He will report to Portland and be in the lineup tomorrow night against Lowell.

Another St. Louis native Joe Vitale has signed a one year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 24 year old Captained Northeastern Univerity the last two seasons and will report directly to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

As someone who has covered Mike Danton as a player and his Federal Court Case very closely I am somewhat confused by some of the hopeless commentary I have read. The idea of him resuming his professional career is so far down the road. He still needs to clear up entry back into the USA and more importantly get his life re-established. You have never heard me say one bad word about the guy and I never will. Some media people, particularly those in Canada, need to settle down in regards to his hockey career. Who is this so called source anyway that says he is planning his professional hockey return? Do I really need to ask? We all know.




Blues Clues!

If we get to the point to where there is a conflict between the Blues and the Cardinals telecasts the Blues will likely be bumped. It may be a tough pill to swallow for both the Blues and their fans to potentially have a playoff game moved because of an overlap with an April baseball game.

Sources tell me if we cross this bridge the Blues would likely move to either channel 11 or an alternative sports channel available through Charter as well as Direct TV and Dish Network.

There is always the possibility of a National Network picking up the game to avoid any head to head conflicts. Fox Sports is in the planning stages of what they will do if such an issue were to arise. There are other Fox sports affilliates around the country who are also faced with this issue.



Where were B.J. Crombeen and Brad Winchester when the Blues needed a spark last night? Are we seeing why Winchester has bounced around so much early in his career? Management is watching him closely as they decide whether or not to bring him back next season. He’s been very effective for the most part but Wednesday in Chicago the team needed something to wake them up and nether of these guys stepped up.

We haven’t heard from Crombeen in quite a while.

Hate to place that much pressure on young players but it’s hard to win when both Berglund and Oshie are held without a shot on goal.


There is a chance Blues prospect Anthony Nigro joins Peoria this season on an ATO. His Ottawa 67’s team has been eliminated from the OHL playoffs. Nigro would return to the OHL next season if he is brought on board.

I'm glad to hear Head Coach Andy Murray recognized both Cam Janssen and Tyson Strachan Wednesday morning. I just had a conversation with Murray on Tuesday about what he can do to make sure those guys feel part of the team even though they haven't cracked the lineup in several games. They both remain a big part of the hockey club.



For those who care….

I have left Team 1380 and can now be heard on 590 KFNS. I had options but felt KFNS was the better fit for me right now. I had a great time during my 3 years at 1380 and I am lucky to be leaving on such great terms.

John Helmkamp was an incredible guy to work for and has an awesome future in this business. I will miss working with several people especially those behind the scenes who never complained when I needed a favor.

To my good friend Bernie Miklasz, I wish you the best of luck in your next radio gig, your new station is lucky to have you. It’s been a great (almost) 10 years and I hope we get a chance to work alongside each other again very soon. I have no doubt we will continue to share information moving forward! Take care of my boy Ben Boyd!

My hockey show Blues Buzz will continue to broadcast live from Johnny Mac’s Sporting goods for the remainder of the hockey season on am 590.


More to come,

Andy Strickland

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