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St Louis Blues Blogger • 1380 ESPN •
Erik Johnson will have his torn ACL repaired this week at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
I spoke to former Tampa Bay Head Coach Barry Melrose over the weekend and he told me he will never coach again.
Melsrose says he takes losing too hard and cares too much to go through what’s he’s dealt with over the past few months.
One thing Melrose is good at is talking about pucks on television and it won’t be long before he’s back broadcasting.
Sources confirm he has been offered multiple opportunities to return to broadcasting and he’s likely to sign on the dotted line within the next few weeks.
I’m told to expect Melrose to be an independent contractor much like John Davidson was prior to joining the St. Louis Blues franchise.
Melrose will likely do both studio and color commentating work for the VS network as well as NBC.
It’s obvious his in your face style of coaching did not fit well in Tampa Bay.
Word is around six players went to Lightning Ownership/Management asking for the coaching change.
I’m told Sharks D-man Rob Blake told Len Barrie several months ago that Melrose is the best coach he’s ever played for. That conversation between Barrie and Blake impacted Barrie’s decision to hire Melrose in the first place.
Rink Rats!
Congratulations to Paul Stastny on his 5 yr. $33 million contract extension which will expire when he’s in the prime of his career at the age of 28. He will be giving up one year of free agency in the process.
The contract negotiations began a few months ago but really picked up over the last few weeks. Both sides wanted to get it done and the deal was a no-brainer for both Stastny and the Avalanche organization.
Blues Head Coach Andy Murray is searching for ways to keep things positive even though the club has been decimated with freak injuries.
The most recent being Blues best player Andy McDonald who will miss a few months with a fractured ankle.
Murray spent Monday morning comparing the Blues lineup last season vs. his current team and believes this team, even without McDonald, has more talent than the club he coached a year ago. He is obviously hoping his players buy into the message, continue to compete, and believe they can win without several key players.
While I agree with Murray that this team is more talented offensively than the last year’s club two things stick out when comparing the two rosters.
First I think the Blues were stronger defensively last season with Bryce Salvador and Erik Johnson in the mix. Secondly Manny Legace played at a much higher level a season ago than he has shown thus far. We all know it’s hard to win in this league without strong defense and consistently good goaltending.
The pressure gets greater on Legace to perform at a high level as the injuries mount. The Blues need him in the worst way to resemble the Legace of last season’s first half.
Chris Mason was brought here to push Legace, he needs to show he’s capable of carrying the club every now and then. In fairness Mason hasn’t gotten the necessary offensive support in the games he’s shown he’s capable of playing at a high level.
I have said all along that this Blues team has more talent than any other roster since the lockout.
Even though this club was predicted by many to finish last in the West, I don’t think they are the worst team (talent wise) in the Conference.
Blues Clues!
The Blues claimed forward Brandon Crombeen off waivers today. He was originally placed on waivers yesterday by Dallas. Brandon is the son of former Blues player Mike Crombeen.
There remains no timetable for T.J. Oshie to put a skate on his injured high ankle sprain. He’s been around the team but has no immediate plans of getting on the ice. I’m told he could miss another month of action.
Dan Hinote remains out with an ankle sprain as well. Hinote and Oshie are both walking with a boot to support their ankle injury.
People inside the Blues organization are unhappy with the play of forward David Backes. The Blues need him to be more than just a guy who runs around trying to hit everything in sight. The Blues invested in this kid in part because they believe he has some offensive to provide and can be a good third line power forward in this league. Both his goals this season have come as a result of him parking his big body in front of the net and providing traffic. The Blues were counting on and need his secondary scoring.
Paul Kariya did not skate on Monday as he continues to rest his ailing hip flexor. The Blues assigned Steve Regeir to Peoria in part because they expect to get Kariya back on Friday.
Regeir scored two goals on Sunday against Montreal in his first career game with the Blues. He was pretty exhausted after arriving in St. Louis at close to 3:00 in the morning after driving overnight from Peoria.
Cam Paddock and Jeff Woywitka will remain with the team.
Chalk his up as another great opportunity for Woywitka. He has no one behind him and has a chance to contribute and be an NHL player for the rest of this season. It’s up to him what he does with this opportunity.
Best of luck to Blues Public Relations assistant Scott Bonanni who is moving back to his home state of Pensylvania at the end of this month. Bonanni has done an outstanding job during his time with the Blues.
It is good to see David Perron elevating his play over the last seven to ten days. Andy Murray recently sat Perron down and told him he was very close to being demoted to Peoria if his game didn’t improve. That same conversation worked for Backes last season. There is something about losing that NHL paycheck that has a way of motivating a player.
The Blues are well represented during the Canada Russia Challenge which is taking place in Canada over the next several days.
Anthony Nigro, Mark Cundari Blues Jersey in the HockeyBuzz Store' href='http://shop.hockeybuzz.com/st-louis-blues.php'>Mark Cundari, and Alex Pietrangelo are representing the OHL.
Goaltender Jake Allen is representing the QMJHL.
Calgary Hitmen forward Brett Sonne will dress for the WHL club.
Pietrangelo by the way had three assists in his first game back with Niagara the other night.
Congrats to Kelly Chaes who will be honored with the Jack Buck award for outstanding service to the sports community at the annual Missouri Athletic Club Sportsmen of the year banquet coming up on December 15th.
If all goes as expected the Blues will get Andy Mcdonald back in the lineup right after the All Star Break.
Please join Lee Stempniak and myself tonight at Johnny Mac’s Sporting goods on Watson rd. ¼ east of Lindbergh. Stempniak will be my guest from 6-7 for my radio show Blues Buzz on Team 1380. The show can be heard online at www.team1380.net.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
strickland.andy@gmail.com
I spoke to former Tampa Bay Head Coach Barry Melrose over the weekend and he told me he will never coach again.
Melsrose says he takes losing too hard and cares too much to go through what’s he’s dealt with over the past few months.
One thing Melrose is good at is talking about pucks on television and it won’t be long before he’s back broadcasting.
Sources confirm he has been offered multiple opportunities to return to broadcasting and he’s likely to sign on the dotted line within the next few weeks.
I’m told to expect Melrose to be an independent contractor much like John Davidson was prior to joining the St. Louis Blues franchise.
Melrose will likely do both studio and color commentating work for the VS network as well as NBC.
It’s obvious his in your face style of coaching did not fit well in Tampa Bay.
Word is around six players went to Lightning Ownership/Management asking for the coaching change.
I’m told Sharks D-man Rob Blake told Len Barrie several months ago that Melrose is the best coach he’s ever played for. That conversation between Barrie and Blake impacted Barrie’s decision to hire Melrose in the first place.
Rink Rats!
Congratulations to Paul Stastny on his 5 yr. $33 million contract extension which will expire when he’s in the prime of his career at the age of 28. He will be giving up one year of free agency in the process.
The contract negotiations began a few months ago but really picked up over the last few weeks. Both sides wanted to get it done and the deal was a no-brainer for both Stastny and the Avalanche organization.
Blues Head Coach Andy Murray is searching for ways to keep things positive even though the club has been decimated with freak injuries.
The most recent being Blues best player Andy McDonald who will miss a few months with a fractured ankle.
Murray spent Monday morning comparing the Blues lineup last season vs. his current team and believes this team, even without McDonald, has more talent than the club he coached a year ago. He is obviously hoping his players buy into the message, continue to compete, and believe they can win without several key players.
While I agree with Murray that this team is more talented offensively than the last year’s club two things stick out when comparing the two rosters.
First I think the Blues were stronger defensively last season with Bryce Salvador and Erik Johnson in the mix. Secondly Manny Legace played at a much higher level a season ago than he has shown thus far. We all know it’s hard to win in this league without strong defense and consistently good goaltending.
The pressure gets greater on Legace to perform at a high level as the injuries mount. The Blues need him in the worst way to resemble the Legace of last season’s first half.
Chris Mason was brought here to push Legace, he needs to show he’s capable of carrying the club every now and then. In fairness Mason hasn’t gotten the necessary offensive support in the games he’s shown he’s capable of playing at a high level.
I have said all along that this Blues team has more talent than any other roster since the lockout.
Even though this club was predicted by many to finish last in the West, I don’t think they are the worst team (talent wise) in the Conference.
Blues Clues!
The Blues claimed forward Brandon Crombeen off waivers today. He was originally placed on waivers yesterday by Dallas. Brandon is the son of former Blues player Mike Crombeen.
There remains no timetable for T.J. Oshie to put a skate on his injured high ankle sprain. He’s been around the team but has no immediate plans of getting on the ice. I’m told he could miss another month of action.
Dan Hinote remains out with an ankle sprain as well. Hinote and Oshie are both walking with a boot to support their ankle injury.
People inside the Blues organization are unhappy with the play of forward David Backes. The Blues need him to be more than just a guy who runs around trying to hit everything in sight. The Blues invested in this kid in part because they believe he has some offensive to provide and can be a good third line power forward in this league. Both his goals this season have come as a result of him parking his big body in front of the net and providing traffic. The Blues were counting on and need his secondary scoring.
Paul Kariya did not skate on Monday as he continues to rest his ailing hip flexor. The Blues assigned Steve Regeir to Peoria in part because they expect to get Kariya back on Friday.
Regeir scored two goals on Sunday against Montreal in his first career game with the Blues. He was pretty exhausted after arriving in St. Louis at close to 3:00 in the morning after driving overnight from Peoria.
Cam Paddock and Jeff Woywitka will remain with the team.
Chalk his up as another great opportunity for Woywitka. He has no one behind him and has a chance to contribute and be an NHL player for the rest of this season. It’s up to him what he does with this opportunity.
Best of luck to Blues Public Relations assistant Scott Bonanni who is moving back to his home state of Pensylvania at the end of this month. Bonanni has done an outstanding job during his time with the Blues.
It is good to see David Perron elevating his play over the last seven to ten days. Andy Murray recently sat Perron down and told him he was very close to being demoted to Peoria if his game didn’t improve. That same conversation worked for Backes last season. There is something about losing that NHL paycheck that has a way of motivating a player.
The Blues are well represented during the Canada Russia Challenge which is taking place in Canada over the next several days.
Anthony Nigro, Mark Cundari Blues Jersey in the HockeyBuzz Store' href='http://shop.hockeybuzz.com/st-louis-blues.php'>Mark Cundari, and Alex Pietrangelo are representing the OHL.
Goaltender Jake Allen is representing the QMJHL.
Calgary Hitmen forward Brett Sonne will dress for the WHL club.
Pietrangelo by the way had three assists in his first game back with Niagara the other night.
Congrats to Kelly Chaes who will be honored with the Jack Buck award for outstanding service to the sports community at the annual Missouri Athletic Club Sportsmen of the year banquet coming up on December 15th.
If all goes as expected the Blues will get Andy Mcdonald back in the lineup right after the All Star Break.
Please join Lee Stempniak and myself tonight at Johnny Mac’s Sporting goods on Watson rd. ¼ east of Lindbergh. Stempniak will be my guest from 6-7 for my radio show Blues Buzz on Team 1380. The show can be heard online at www.team1380.net.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
strickland.andy@gmail.com
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