TM

ing speed this season, made up for the mistake and seems to be one of the Blues’ young players who is earning the trust of the coaching staff to play more minutes in more important situations.

“This whole night was just a phenomenal defensive effort by our guys. We didn’t give them much, kept it to the outside,” Legace told reporters in the dressing room after the game. “We just have to keep playing like that. We need to play 60 minutes

every game, and I think we played a full 60 minutes tonight.”

Legace was right about playing a full game. The Blues actually took a lead early in the first period, a

rare feat as of late. Patrik Berglund pounced on a loose puck in the slot and took a well-placed shot that found the back of the net just less than two minutes into the game. It wasn’t a terribly pretty scoring chance, but it was obviously effective. Berglund has shown in the last few weeks the sense that putting

pucks on net is much more important than trying to pull off the pretty play. Hopefully

David Perron and his two goals on the season are paying attention.

David Backes is on fire. In the last four games, he’s scored four goals. That gives him 10

on the season making him the fourth player on the team to reach double figures in goals. There are high expectations for No. 42. In his third NHL season but only second where he started the season with the Blues’ roster, Backes is earning an inflated paycheck thanks to the meddling of the Vancouver Canucks. They signed Backes to a restricted free agent offer sheet over the summer. The Blues quickly matched saying that Backes, who has 17 points on

(Continued on page 26)

By Brad Lee

Just when you think the Blues are completely out of it, they do enough on a cold Saturday night in December to remind you that this thing isn’t over yet. Yes, we can be swayed that easily.

An impressive 4-2 win over the frisky Minnesota Wild last night does a couple things. Obviously it ends the Blues’ five-game losing streak. Second, it shows the Blues can still compete with teams that have given them fits in recent seasons. If only some of the injured could return to the lineup sometime soon. It’s almost a shame they have to play the second best team tonight, the Boston Bruins. Did I mention I hate Boston? Bobby Orr and his flying Superman Cup-winning goal can suck it.

The Blues beat the Wild Saturday night by doing a couple of things they rarely do these days. For starters defensemen scored a goal and three assists. I could try to look it up, but I’m fairly certain that’s one of the best offensive games (statistically speaking) for the Blues’ defense since Chris Pronger was traded and Al MacInnis retired. Hell, it might be the best. Roman Polak scored his first career goal by streaking in on the backside of a rush. He saw Minnesota’s attention was focused on the corner and the right wing was wide open. So he cut to the net, got there in time for a centering pass and shoveled the puck past Niklas Backstrom.

Unofficially, that was Polak’s second goal of the game after he accidentally directed the puck past Emmanuel Legace with his skate earlier in the game. The youngster, who has shown surpris-

Four Dollars Of Deja Vu The Game Day Guide To St. Louis Blues Hockey Established in 2005

Today’s Records, Injuries & News Today’s Team Records: Blues: Bruins: 13-16-3 (29 points) 23-5-4 (50 points) 5th in Central 1st in Northeast 15th in Western 1st in Eastern

Last Ten Games: Blues: Bruins: 3-6-1 9-1-0

Season Series: All-Time Series: 0-0-0 44-58-18-0

Today’s Injuries:

Blues: C Andy McDonald (fractured ankle), LW Paul Kariya (lower body), F TJ Oshie (ankle, again), D Fragile Jay McKee (broken finger) and D Eric Brewer (back surgery) are out.

Bruins: C Patrice Bergeron (head) and D Andrew Ference (leg surgery) is out. D Aaron Ward (leg/ankle) and F Petteri Nokelainen (arm injury) are day-to-day.

Today’s News & Notes: • Anaheim’s Teemu Selanne will be out

4-6 weeks with a cut quad muscle.

• Canucks defenseman Sami Salo to miss four weeks with a broken rib.

• Former Blue Rod Brind’amour notches his 700th career assist Thursday.

• Martin Brodeur may return in Feb.

• Game Time staff clearly very weary.

CAUTION: St. Louis Game Time contains extreme sarcasm and less-than-gentle language. But it is a hockey paper, so you should fucking just get over it.

Volume 4 , Issue 17 December 21 , 2008 Game Time

St Louis

From The Editor St. Louis Game Time

Established: November 6, 2005 St Louis, Missouri Phone: 402-2266

www.StLouisGameTime.com

Godfather Jeffio

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Sean Gallagher gallagher@StLouisGameTime.com

Advertising

gallagher@StLouisGameTime.com gift@StLouisGameTime.com

Distribution John Nicolay

Amy Benoist, Becky Benoist, Billy Cash, Clarence Walker

Columnists

Chris Gift, Duke, Brad Lee, Answer Man & Brian Weidler

Contributors

Jeffio, Jeff Browning, LosBri, Childhood Trauma, Dan Doke, Jeff

Fahrenkrog, Jeremy Pratte & Chris Reed

Photographer Andrew D’Angelo

Mission:

Game Time will provide prospect information, up-to-date statistics, articles

that spark discussion and humor that points out the best and worst about our

favorite team and sport. We are all fans of the Blues and our opinions will reflect

those of subjective fans. The paper is published for every home

game, excluding the pre-season, which we all know sucks.

Rights & Permissions:

All material printed herein is copyrighted and protected. Do not reprint in any format without expressed, written permission from Game Time LLC.

Logos & Photos

Team logos and pictures used herein are the property of the individual teams

and/or the NHL and are used solely for identification and editorial purposes.

Today’s Thought: In the famous picture, do you see Bobby Orr or do you see Noel Picard?

Back in our first year of publishing this paper, we were trying harder to find something positive to talk about than our out-going President is right about now. So we spent a lot of time talking about that summer’s entry draft, a draft that was supposedly very deep and also a draft in which the Blues were pretty much guaranteed to have the first or second selection.

I spent a lot of space in those papers talking about one of tonight’s visitors, Phil Kessel. Because of all the time I spent learning about him, I have always tracked him, mainly because I was surprised to see how far his pre-draft evaluations started to fall off. At the start of that Siberian season, he was a consensus first overall pick. When it was all said and done on Jun. 24, 2006, Kessel had slipped to the fifth overall selection, passed over by the Blues, Penguins, Blackhawks and Capitals. You could argue that the Pens and Caps had other needs than the scoring that Kessel promised, but they did take other forwards instead. Of the three who took forwards, probably only the Caps could say that they needed a playmaker more than a scorer (they took playmaker Niklas Backstrom at the four spot).

The Pens took Jordan Staal and the Hawks grabbed Jonathan Toews. At this point, I’m sure the Hawks would say that they’re happy with their choice, especially considering how much cash they’ve sunk into marketing their young captain. Pittsburgh, already set with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in the lineup as keystone forwards, would definitely say that Staal gives them a nice compliment to their skills. If they were to be totally honest, though, the Pens would probably swap Staal for Kessel in a second right now.

And with good reason. After being brought along in a very Joe Thorntonian way by the Bruins, Kessel had a couple decent seasons as he learned the ropes, tallying 11 goals and 29 points as a rookie and 18 goals and 37 points as a sophomore. Meanwhile, he fought and won a battle against testicular cancer as a rookie.

This year, Kessel has exploded. Most Boston fans track his transformation back to last year’s post-season. After a benching in the playoffs last year, he came back with a vengeance, looking motivated and dynamic,

he scored three goals and an assist in the Bruins one round of games. He took that flip of the switch and hit this year with his hair on fire. Coming into tonight’s game, he has 21 goals and 14 assists in 36 games. He is on pace for over 50 goals and over a point-per-game pace. He owns the current record for most consecutive games with a point for the year at 17 going into tonight’s game.

Many nights, he’s their best forward. He’s likely going to do a couple things tonight that make you say,

“Oh, shiiiit.”

If he can prove that he gets the NHL now and that this isn’t some sort of turbo-long

streak, I’d be willing to bet that there are more than a couple guys in the Pens, Hawks and Caps camps that think to themselves, late at night when they can’t sleep, “Maybe we should have taken Kessel.”

But what about the Blues? With the guy our team took that year sitting up in lovely Minnesota recovering from a devastating knee injury that occurred in possibly the most ridiculous manner imaginable (though being run over by a clown car would have been a challenger) and Kessel looking more and more like the real deal, it’d be easy to second guess the choice that was made back in 2006.

As a guy who admittedly enjoys a 6-5 win more than a 1-0 win, I’ll also admit that I really wanted to see the Blues grab Kessel with that first overall pick. What a great way to buck the conventional wisdom and select a kid that people had doubts about. A kid who could come to St. Louis and assume the mantle of ‘The Next Brett Hull’.

Instead, the Blues grabbed Erik Johnson, who was the consensus top pick come June. Instead of the next Hull, we got ‘The Next Chris Pronger’. At the time, I tried to hide my disappointment.

Now? I wouldn’t trade Johnson to Boston for Kessel if they threw in a Wideman, too. Even with Phil doing his thing, and Wideman blossoming in Boston after his trade for some sweet Boyes, Erik Johnson means more to this team’s future than I can properly quantify at this point.

I watched the Blues surrender goal (Continued on page 27)

Volume 4 , Issue 17 December 21 , 2008

Top 11 Reasons That Boston Sucks

11. Have you ever met a Red Sox or Patriots fan and not wanted to punch him or her in the mouth? Me neither.

10. All their songs sound the same. 9. All they did was dump some tea over the side of

a boat. 8. If the St. Louis Hawks don’t make one of the

worst trades in NBA history with the Celtics, maybe the Hawks draft Bill Russell.

7. Takes credit for inventing tasty fish soup. It’s called New England Clam chowder for a reason.

6. That accent. It’s as annoying as the New Jersey dialect but harder to understand.

5. The Bruins allowed Ray Bourque and Bobby Orr to finish their careers elsewhere. Schmucks.

4. Speaking of Bourque, he had to bring the Cup back to Boston. The Bruins sure as hell aren’t doing it.

3. Tricked Blues into trading for Hannu “Ears” Toivonen. Rat bastards.

2. The Green Monster is only slightly less contrived than that fucking hill in centerfield in Houston.

1. They’re called Massholes for a reason.

From the Empty Beer Cup of Brad Lee

Tonight’s Trivia By Childhood Trauma

G AME T IME Page 3

• Game Time apologizes for nothing. Feels good, too.

• Game Time printed the wrong picture of the NHL’s Scheduling Department in the last issue. The correct picture is shown here.

Corrections & Clarifications

First Period (true or false):

1. The eight spokes of the Boston Bruins logo represent their eight Stanley Cup victories.

2. Bobby Orr holds the NHL record for highest plus/minus for a single season with a plus-124 in 1971.

First Intermission (T/F):

3. ‘Boston Legal’ was a spin-off of ‘The Practice.’

Second Period (multiple choice):

4. Although often slated as a backup, Tim Thomas often ends up with the most games in net. Which Boston goalie most recently started more games than Tim in a season: Andrew Raycroft, Felix Potvin, Hannu Toivenen, or Byron Defoe?

5. What NHL team originally drafted Dennis Wideman: St. Louis, Boston, Buffalo, or Chicago?

Second Intermission:

6. How many pipers are piping: eight, eleven, ten, or seven?

Third Period:

7. Ben Bishop is the NHL’s tallest ever goalie. Who is the NHL’s tallest ever player?

8. The Bruins traded goalie Hannu Toivonen to the Blues at the start of last season. Who did the Blues give to Boston?

9. Ray Bourque (1,506) and Bobby Orr (888) are the two defensemen with the most points as a Bruin. Who are the Blues’ two top franchise scoring defensemen?

Overtime!

10. Three Hall of Famers played for both the Bruins and the Blues. Name two of them.

1. False. The Bruins have five Stanley Cups, the most recent was in 1972 when they defeated the Blues in the finals. 2. True. Larry Robinson is second with a plus-120 season, and the record for worst is Bill Mikkelson with a minus-82. 3. True. Most of the cast members of ‘Boston Legal’ were introduced during the final season of ‘The Practice.’ 4. In 2004, Andrew Raycroft played in 57 games. It is the most recent time Tim Thomas did not end a Bruin season as their starter. 5. Wideman was an 8th round pick of the Sabres; the Blues signed him as a free agent. 6. There are eleven pipers piping. 7. Bruin Zdeno Charo is 6’9. 8. Carl Soderberg, who has bounced back from his eye injury nicely, has still yet to play a game in North America. 9. Al MacInnis (452) and Chris Pronger (356). 10. Joe Mullen, Jacques Plante, and Guy Lapointe.

www.stlouisgametime.com

Sleep When You’re Dead.

Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 4

G AME T IME Page 5

The Five Hole With Chris Gift

For many of us, the most important non-hockey related day of the year occurs this week. We’ve had a year to prepare for it, and with the economy as it is, not to mention the wonderful funk the Blues have been in, there are more reasons to celebrate this year than in other years.

While we’ll all be merry on Thursday, eating and drinking and laughing and smiling with our loved ones, first we have to air our grievances.

So, let us all channel our inner Frank Costanza, prepare a meal for our invited guests, and gather around the metal pole.

This Tuesday is Festivus. For this city, and this organi-zation, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

In the words of Frank, “At the Festivus dinner, you gather your family around, and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year!”

Every other day of the year, it is taboo to say how you really feel. You can’t tell the girl with the big fat ass that she has a big fat ass. You’re not supposed to point

out the dipshit with the mullet at Target and yell out “Holy crap, look at the dipshit with a mullet! Somebody help him find the new Mr. Mister tape.”

How appropriate that the Blues are playing in Detroit on Tuesday. The entire city is a metropolis of Festivus disappointment.

We can be all Christmassy later this week. For now, for the rest of us…Festivus.

Here are a few things involving this team, and this building that have disappointed me this year:

I’ve had enough of the eye test game. Nothing worse than some Mensa member that doesn’t know a hockey puck from a ding dong looking at scrambled letters and numbers trying to find simple clues like “7” “OLYMPIAN” “BIG WALT” and “KEITH” hidden, then saying something stupid like “Um, I think it is Greg Millen.” Besides, what the hell is anybody going to do with a $50 gift certificate to an eye-care center? Buy fifty bucks worth of nose pads?

While I’m ranting about things that happen towards the beginning of the game, when Charles Glenn isn’t singing, that’s a bad thing. Can’t Blues management figure out when he is booked for another gig, and pay both him and the place where he is supposed to sing a few bucks so it is okay if he

shows up a little late?

Stop saying, “It’s time for the Bud Light Party Zone.” Would it make sense if they said, “It’s time for Section 101?” Of course not. Events have “times,” places don’t.

On the subject of the team, would it be possible to call up people from Peoria with talent when Blues players with talent get hurt? Brad Winchester, Cam Paddock, and Steve Regier to replace Paul Kariya, Andy McDonald and Pat Verbeek TJ Oshie? Please. As much as I love and respect Jay McClement, he’s not a second line center. He does great things on the third and fourth lines, but he’s out of place on the second line. Nikolai Lemtyugov finally had enough of it and went back to Russia, and I can’t blame him. This management team keeps gushing over the talent that is in the system and on the way. And I realize that players like Ian Cole, Alex Pietrangelo, and Lars Eller are off limits for one reason or another this year, there has, has to be better talent to replace skilled players than Storm Troopers like the three I mentioned above and Chris Porter.

I still consider hockey one of the four major sports, and because of that I consider the NHL one of the four “big leagues.” I’m amazed at how aloof this league is, and that is directly because of Gary Bettman. Ranking the four commissioners of the leagues, Roger Goodell and David Stern are one-two, or two-one depending on your opinion. Then there is a drop off to Bud Selig. Then there is a drop off to Bettman. Selig did an interview on Mike Tirico and Scott Van Pelt’s radio show a couple of days ago. He was jovial,

(Continued on page 22)

The Jeffio Joke of the Day

After many months of trying to make ends meet, Marc Savard and his wife decided that the only way they were going to get any extra cash was to have the wife start hooking.

Early the next morning she came home looking very haggard and worn out. Savard guiltily asked how she did. “I made $200 and 50 cents,” she replied.

“That’s great!” said Savard. “But who gave you the 50 cents?”

“Everybody!” replied the wife.

Next up: Feats of Strength.

Blues All-Time LeadersGames Played Bernie Federko 927Goals Brett Hull 527Points Bernie Federko 1,073PIM Brian Sutter 1,873Goalie GP Mike Liut 347Wins Mike Liut 151GAA Jacques Plante 2.07Shutouts Glenn Hall 16

St. Louis Blues Statistics

Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 6

*Statistics reflect time with St. Louis only. For full season totals, see Pg 14.

Where Were You Last Night? St. Louis Game Time

Blues LeadersGoals Brad Boyes 16Assists David Perron 18Points Brad Boyes 31Plus/Minus Patrik Berglund 11PP Goals Brad Boyes 9Wins Manny Legace 9GAA Chris Mason 3.17Save PCT Chris Mason 90.3%

PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM ATOI PPG PPA SHG SHA SOG SPCTBrad Boyes, RW 32 16 15 31 -18 14 19:41 9 7 0 0 83 19.3Keith Tkachuk, C 32 12 11 23 -6 33 18:22 8 2 0 0 80 15Patrik Berglund, C 27 11 10 21 11 4 15:42 4 4 0 0 51 21.6David Perron, LW 31 2 18 20 E 18 15:30 0 6 0 0 63 3.2Andy McDonald, C 16 6 12 18 -12 12 19:55 2 9 1 0 46 13David Backes, RW 32 10 7 17 -2 83 17:04 2 2 0 0 58 17.2Paul Kariya, LW 11 2 13 15 1 2 18:06 0 9 0 0 31 6.5Jay McClement, C 32 2 8 10 -6 17 16:41 0 0 0 0 48 4.2Barret Jackman, D 32 2 7 9 -6 46 22:07 0 1 0 0 35 5.7B.J. Crombeen, RW* 16 6 2 8 E 35 12:54 0 1 0 0 30 20Alexander Steen, LW* 13 1 6 7 E 2 17:36 1 3 0 0 26 3.8Eric Brewer, D 28 1 5 6 -14 24 25:07 1 2 0 0 49 2Carlo Colaiacovo, D* 13 1 5 6 -3 17 18:08 0 5 0 0 20 5Roman Polak, D 32 1 5 6 -2 27 20:10 0 1 0 0 29 3.4Jeff Woywitka, D 18 0 5 5 1 24 17:17 0 3 0 0 19 0Brad Winchester, LW 14 3 1 4 -4 32 11:57 2 1 0 0 13 23.1T.J. Oshie, C 12 2 2 4 2 2 15:15 1 0 0 0 16 12.5Cam Janssen, RW 25 0 3 3 -6 70 5:40 0 0 0 0 10 0Cam Paddock, C 15 2 1 3 -4 0 10:43 0 0 0 0 17 11.8Jay McKee, D 30 1 1 2 -5 12 16:32 0 0 0 0 19 5.3Yan Stastny, C 26 1 1 2 -13 20 12:45 0 0 0 0 20 5Steve Wagner, D 16 1 1 2 -5 18 16:32 0 1 0 0 11 9.1Mike Weaver, D 14 0 1 1 -3 0 11:36 0 0 0 0 5 0D.J. King, LW 1 0 1 1 E 0 8:20 0 0 0 0 0 0Dan Hinote, RW 15 0 0 0 -6 17 10:49 0 0 0 0 9 0Tyson Strachan, D 2 0 0 0 E 2 14:45 0 0 0 0 0 0

PLAYER GP W L GAA SV SV% SHO TGA TSA PIM ENGManny Legace 17 9 5 3.11 377 89.1% 0 46 423 0 1Chris Mason 15 3 10 3.17 391 90.3% 1 42 433 0 5

Skater Statistics

Goalie Statistics

Boston Bruins Statistics

Better Read The Fine Print. www.StLouisGameTime.com

G AME T IME Page 7

*Statistics reflect time with current team only.

Bruins All-Time LeadersGames Played Ray Bourque 1,518Goals John Bucyk 545Points Ray Bourque 1,506PIM Terry O'Reilly 2,095Goalie GP Cecil 'Tiny' Thompson 468Wins Cecil 'Tiny' Thompson 252GAA Hal Winkler 1.56Shutouts Cecil 'Tiny' Thompson 74

Bruins LeadersGoals Phil Kessel 21Assists Marc Savard 29Points Marc Savard 39Plus/Minus Marc Savard 20PP Goals Phil Kessel 6Wins Tim Thomas 13GAA Manny Fernandez 2.02Save PCT Tim Thomas 93.2%

PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM ATOI PPG PPA SHG SHA SOG SPCTMarc Savard, C 32 10 29 39 20 40 19:21 4 8 0 1 83 12Phil Kessel, RW 32 21 14 35 14 6 16:44 6 4 0 0 105 20David Krejci, C 32 12 21 33 17 10 16:40 3 6 1 0 56 21.4Michael Ryder, RW 32 11 11 22 13 12 15:03 3 2 0 0 86 12.8Milan Lucic, LW 32 9 13 22 14 64 15:40 2 4 0 0 47 19.1Dennis Wideman, D 31 7 12 19 16 6 25:15 4 9 1 0 58 12.1Patrice Bergeron, C 31 4 14 18 1 10 18:03 0 8 0 0 69 5.8Blake Wheeler, RW 32 9 9 18 18 14 12:21 1 0 0 1 44 20.5Zdeno Chara, D 32 6 11 17 10 46 25:55 3 7 0 0 86 7Chuck Kobasew, RW 20 5 10 15 8 23 14:08 1 0 0 0 42 11.9Matt Hunwick, D 20 3 11 14 14 6 17:16 0 4 0 0 20 15Marco Sturm, LW 19 7 6 13 9 8 16:02 4 1 0 0 45 15.6P.J. Axelsson, LW 29 1 10 11 -4 4 16:41 0 4 0 0 36 2.8Stephane Yelle, C 32 5 5 10 4 8 12:53 0 0 0 1 24 20.8Andrew Ference, D 16 0 7 7 9 19 22:27 0 3 0 0 22 0Shane Hnidy, D 28 1 5 6 12 32 15:23 0 0 0 0 18 5.6Shawn Thornton, LW 32 2 3 5 E 69 9:26 0 0 0 0 55 3.6Mark Stuart, D 32 3 2 5 9 43 14:45 0 0 0 0 22 13.6Aaron Ward, D 25 0 3 3 9 20 19:00 0 0 0 0 22 0Petteri Nokelainen, C 21 0 1 1 -1 8 10:12 0 0 0 0 20 0Vladimir Sobotka, C 7 0 1 1 -2 0 9:38 0 0 0 0 5 0Johnny Boychuk, D 1 0 0 0 E 0 14:48 0 0 0 0 0 0Matt Lashoff, D 7 0 0 0 -3 4 13:09 0 0 0 0 3 0Martins Karsums, RW 1 0 0 0 -1 0 8:52 0 0 0 0 2 0

PLAYER GP W L GAA SV SV% SHO TGA TSA PIM ENGTim Thomas 19 13 3 2.15 561 93.2% 2 41 602 2 1Manny Fernandez 14 10 2 2.02 349 92.8% 1 27 376 0 1

Skater Statistics

Goalie Statistics

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Now available for purchase from our photographer

Great Rates! Perfect for autographs!

Great gifts for your favorite fan! View the shots online.

Contact: Andrew D’Angelo mesmereyezme2@yahoo.com

(314) 546-0369

Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 8

Hey there, Bahstahn, you wanna know how big my Johnson is?

My Johnson is so big, it sometimes goes by “The White Monster.”

My Johnson is so big, Stephen Hawking has a theory about it.

My Johnson is so big, it can chew gum.

The Big Johnson Joke of the Day

Roman Polak was jumped by two muggers and fought like hell, but was finally subdued. His attackers

then proceeded to go through his pockets.

“You mean you fought like that for 57 cents?” asked one of the muggers incredulously.

“Is that all you wanted?” moaned Polak.

“I thought you were after the $400 in my shoe!”

The Roman Polak Joke of the Day

A stagecoach bounced down a rutted road, heading for Dallas.

In the coach were a Texan, a very busty lady, and a greenhorn from the East.

The greenhorn kept eyeing the lady.

Finally he leaned forward and said, “Lady, I’ll give you ten dollars for a BJ.”

The Texan was appalled: he pulled out his pistol, shot the greenhorn right between the eyes, and shoved his body out the door.

The lady gasped and said, “Thank you, sir, for defending my honor!”

The Texan holstered his gun and said, “Your honor, hell! Just trying to keep down inflation. Around here, a BJ goes for two dollars.”

The BJ Crombeen Joke of the Day

Wanna Be Semi-Famous (Regionally)?

Do you have a different perspective?

Passion? Knowledge? Desire? Work well under deadlines?

Ever pay kick-backs to an editor to get better space?

We’re looking for writers, graphic artists,

statisticians and comedy writers. Contact: gallagher@stlouisgametime.com

G AME T IME Page 9

Tonight, for the first time since they were traded for one another on the trade deadline in February of 2007, Blues fans will get to witness Brad Boyes square off against ex-Blues defenseman Dennis Wideman at the KielSavvisScottTrade Center.

This transaction was one of the five most significant for the franchise since the Checketts-Davidson regime closed on their purchase of the Blues on June 30, 2006. And while most Blues fans would agree the ‘Note finished on top in this trade, it might be a good time to evaluate all the major Blues moves that have occurred over these last two-plus years.

Feb 25, 2007: Blues trade Keith Tkachuk to the Atlanta Thrashers for Glen Metropolit, a 1st round pick in 2007 (24 overall) a 3rd round pick in 2007 (70 overall) and a 2nd round pick in 2008 (33 overall).

On draft day 2007, the Blues traded the 24th and 70th overall picks (mentioned above) to Calgary for their first round pick, 18 overall. With this selection, the Blues chose Ian Cole. With their second round pick, the Blues chose Philip McRae.

VERDICT: The Blues won this trade, big time. First, Tkachuk was only a Thrasher for two months, before re-signing with the Blues in the summer of 2007. Second, the Blues scored two draft picks from the deal. Cole’s coach at Notre Dame says “he’s a big, gritty kid who is strong in the corners and in front of the net. He’s a solid two-way defense-man who has good vision on the ice.” McRae has good hands, a lot of grit and has really picked up his scoring this year. However, it appears his skating needs some work if he’s going to make it to the NHL.

Feb. 27, 2007: Blues trade Dennis Wideman to the Boston Bruins for Brad Boyes.

VERDICT: As mentioned above, most people would agree that the Blues won this trade. However, after further exami-nation, this transaction isn’t nearly as one-sided as it might appear. Brad Boyes had an outstanding 07-08 season, potting a career high 43 goals, tied for fifth- most in the NHL. On a mediocre Blues club, he was still a plus-1, scoring 75% of his goals at even strength. Dennis Wideman also emerged during the 07-08 season, putting up career highs in goals and points. His 13 tallies from the blueline tied him for the seventh most goals in the NHL by a defenseman. Wideman also logged over 25 minutes a game (thirteenth in the NHL) and posted a plus-11 rating on a Bruins club that posted only seven more goals than the Blues.

This year, the goal and point disparity between the two has narrowed. Boyes is tied with several players for the ninth most goals (16) in the NHL. Wideman is tied for fifth in goals (7) and fifteenth in points (19) amongst NHL backliners. He is also tied for the 10th highest minutes played in the NHL, logging over 25 minutes per game for the 2nd season in a row. And while Wideman’s plus-16 rating is one of the best in the league, Boyes seems to have totally misplaced his ability to play defense, as his minus-19 rating attests.

In my opinion, since the Blues need all the offensive help they can get, Boyes is a better option.

Feb. 27, 2007: Blues trade Bill Guerin to the San Jose Sharks for a 1st round pick in 2007 (26th overall,) Ville Niemienen and Jay Barriball.

VERDICT: The Blues also won this trade, but by how big a margin is still to be determined. On draft day 2007, with the 26th overall pick, the Blues chose David Perron. As Blues fans have witnessed over the last couple of years, Perron has incredible offensive potential, but in my opinion, Perron’s defense is overlooked. In 07-08, he posted a plus-16 on a bad Blues club that collapsed down the stretch. The next highest rating for a season-long Blue was plus-2 by Jay “$4 million to block shots” McKee. In 08-09, Perron’s plus-minus rating is even – one of only a few Blues not to have a negative rating. With more experience and seasoning, he is likely to be an exceptional NHL player.

Jay Barriball is a 21-year old junior with the University of Minnesota. After a strong freshman year, he had a disappoint-ing sophomore season. The biggest knock against him is his size (5’9, 170.) Some seem to think that he’s not fast or elusive enough to get the separation small players in the NHL need to be effective either.

Bill Guerin is a gritty goal scorer who had a great 61 games with the Blues, netting 28 goals and 47 points. But he was 36-years old and on the downside of his career when traded. While his stock was high, the Blues wisely exchanged him for younger, cheaper assets that would help them build for the future. After leaving St. Louis, Guerin wound up on Long Island, as captain of the sad-sack New York Islanders. Last year, he had 23 goals and 44 points. The pesky Ville Niemienen played a handful of games with the Blues before heading overseas to Europe to continue his career.

Dec. 14, 2007: Blues trade Doug Weight and Michal Birner to the Anaheim Ducks for Andy McDonald.

VERDICT: I think this was a fantastic trade that really deserved a lot of praise. Blues management pounced on Anaheim’s salary-cap problems, and beat the rest of the NHL to the punch. At 36-years old, Doug Weight still worked hard, but had slowed dramatically. With only 11 points in 29 games, Weight somehow was shipped to Anaheim for Andy McDon-ald. The rest of the season with Anaheim, Weight was a frequent scratch, adding little to the Ducks. This year with the Islanders Weight has rebounded nicely, registering 29 points in 32 games. Michal Birner looks like he has washed-out as a prospect. After scoring only 20 goals and 48 points in 124 games in the AHL, he left the USA to go back and play in the Finnish National League for some team called the Pelicans.

McDonald, a fellow center, was six years younger and made less money than Weight. The rest of the 07-08 campaign with St. Louis, McDonald nearly tripled Weight’s point total. More-over, his speed, vision and energy were welcomed assets to the

(Continued on page 23)

Checking On The Checketts Era By Jeff Fahrenkrog

This column exists mainly to make fun of all the stupid trades the Blues have made in the past. And there’s plenty to go around. However, this is one of the few times the Blues made

a truly great trade.

Brad Boyes was a star child in a post-Joe Thornton era Boston. In his rookie

season, he had 26 goals and 69 points, just four shy of the team lead. It looked like things were turning around for the team, but the next year,

his production fell by half as the team struggled. He was traded at the deadline to the Blues. His career is over.

But wait! He actually did well right after the trade, getting a third of the goals in a third of the games. Then the next year, 43 goals (sixth best in the league). The last Blue to go over the hill in goals was Scott Young in 2000, and it was the most since Brett Hull and Brendan Shanahan both went over 50 in 1993-94. It looks like we have a new star.

As great of a deal as this was for us, Boston also lucked out. St. Louis gave up defenseman Dennis Wideman, who put up career best numbers last season. His 13 goals matched his combined total here, and he is the Bruins second best defenseman behind the Norris candidate Zdeno Chara, and Dennis is actually outpacing the big guy this year. This trade has worked out great on both sides, and while I’ll pick Boyes over Wideman in a heartbeat, one of these two teams is back

in the playoffs.

It’s so weird to talk about good decisions, so let’s go back to bad ones. The Blues had the first overall pick in 2006, and so long before that, we heard how great Phil Kessel was and how he was sure to go number one in the draft. He narrowly missed the draft cutoff date, and he went to college where he wasn’t too spectacular. He fell to fifth. Since then though, he has defeated cancer and is nearing the top of the scoring race, not just for Boston but the entire league. Meanwhile, we have the first overall pick, demolition golf carter Erik Johnson.

Yan Stastny was a Boston draft pick, way down in the eighth round. He was traded to the Oilers, only to be traded back to

Boston where he played parts of two seasons.

Mark Stuart is a great D-man for Boston who went to Colorado College. Don’t get him confused with his brother Mike Stuart, a

(I thought he was) great defenseman in St. Louis’s minor league system who also went

to Colorado College. Colin Stuart also went to that school.

Keith Tkachuk is from the Boston area and went to Boston U. You probably knew this if you watched the Cardinals-Red Sox World Series, where he wouldn’t shut up about his favorite team.

(Hint: it wasn't the Redbirds).

The Ghost of the Blues With Jeff Browning

Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 10

Blues Record When… With LosBri Playing at OhBoyHereAgainCentre 8-6-2 Colaiacovo plays like he's pissed 1-0-0Playing on the road 5-10-1 Leading after the 1st 6-2-3Jaanssen somehow still not suspended 13-16-3 Tied after the 1st 4-4-0They score f irst 7-2-3 Trailing after the 1st 3-10-0The other team scores f irst 6-13-0 Berglund for Caulder 13-16-3They score 4 or more goals 9-1-1 Leading after the 2nd 8-1-1They score on the PP 10-8-3 Tied after the 2nd 3-2-2The other team scores on the PP 5-12-2 Trailing after the 2nd 2-13-0They score shorthanded 1-0-0 Fight! Fight! Fight! 6-9-1A Blues players has multiple goals 6-2-1 No f ights 7-7-2An opposing player has multiple goals 2-6-1 They are called for 7 or more penalties 5-7-2They take 30 or more shots 4-5-0 Other team called for 7 or more penalties 4-7-1They allow 30 or more shots 6-9-2 Emmanual Legace starts 9-7-1They played the day before 4-3-1 Chris Mason starts 3-8-1The other team played the day before 3-2-1 Ben Bishop Starts 1-1-1Sunday Game 1-0-1 Game is on FSN 5-11-3Monday Game 2-0-0 Game is on KPLR 4-4-0Tuesday Game 1-1-0 Playing the Eastern Conference 3-5-1Wednesday Game 0-6-0 Playing the Atlantic Division 0-2-0Thursday Game 1-3-1 Playing the Northeast Division 1-1-1Friday Game 3-1-1 Playing the Southeast Division 2-2-0Saturday Game 5-6-0 Playing the Western Conference 10-11-2Playing in October 5-4-0 Playing the Central Division 5-1-0Playing in November 5-6-2 Playing the Northw est Division 2-4-1Playing in December 3-6-1 Playing the Pacif ic Division 3-6-1Polak scores 1-0-0 Cam Jannsen "plays" 11-12-2

Franchise Foundations

Page 11

What’d McGrath Trade For These Guys? St. Louis Game Time

Year Player1999 Barret Jackman ~ Drafted 1st rd (17 overall) by STL2001 Jay McClement ~ Drafted 2nd round, 57 overall by STL2002 D.J. King ~ Drafted in 6th rd (190 overall) by STL2003 David Backes ~ Drafted in 2nd rd (62 overall) by STL2004 Roman Polak ~ Drafted in 6th rd (180 overall) by STL

T.J. Oshie ~ Drafted in 1st rd (24 overall) by STLEric Brewer ~ Acquired from EDM with Jeff Woywitka and Doug Lynch for Chris ProngerJeff Woywitka ~ Acquired from EDM with Eric Brewer and Doug Lynch for Chris ProngerErik Johnson ~ Drafted in 1st rd (1 overall) by STLPatrik Berglund ~ Drafted in 1st rd (25 overall) by STLJay McKee ~ Signed as Free Agent (BUF)Dan Hinote ~ Signed as Free Agent (COL)Manny Legace ~ Signed as Free Agent (DET)Yan Stastny ~ Acquired from BOS for 5th rd pick in 2007Brad Boyes ~ Acquired from BOS for Dennis WidemanSteve Wagner ~ Signed as Free Agent (undrafted)David Perron ~ Drafted in 1st rd (26 overall) by STLKeith Tkachuk ~ Signed as Free Agent. Originally acquired from PHX in 2001 for a 1st rd pick in 2002, Ladislav Nagy, Michal Handzus and Jeff TaffePaul Kariya ~ Signed as Free Agent (NAS)Andy McDonald ~ Acquired from ANA for Doug Weight, Michal Birner and a 7th rd pick in 2008Cam Janssen ~ Acquired from NJ for Bryce SalvadorMike Weaver ~ Signed as Free Agent (VAN)Chris Mason ~ Acquired from NAS for a 4th rd pick in 2008B.J. Crombeen ~ Claimed off waivers (DAL)Alexander Steen ~ Acquired with Carlo Colaiacovo from TOR for Lee 'Dutchie' StempniakCarlo Colaiacovo ~ Acquired with Alexander Steen from TOR for Lee 'Dutchie' Stempniak

2007

2006

St. Louis Blues

2005

2008

Year Player1995 PJ Axelsson ~ Drafted in 7th rd (177 overall) by BOS2002 Tim Thomas ~ Signed as Free Agent (Europe)

Mark Stuart ~ Drafted in 1st rd (21 overall) by BOSPatrice Bergeron ~ Drafted in 2nd rd (45 overall) by BOSDavid Krejci ~ Drafted in 2nd rd (63 overall) by BOSMartins Karsums ~ Drafted in 2nd rd (64 overall) by BOSMatt Hunwick ~ Drafted in 7th rd (224 overall) by BOSMatt Lashoff ~ Drafted in 1st rd (22 overall) by BOSVladimir Sobotka ~ Drafted in 4th rd (106 overall) by BOSMarco Sturm ~ Acquired with Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau from SJ for Joe ThorntonPhil Kessel ~ Drafted in 1st rd (5 overall) by BOS)Milan Lucic ~ Drafted in 2nd rd (50 overall) by BOSMarc Savard ~ Signed as Free Agent (ATL)Zdeno Chara ~ Signed as Free Agent (OTT)Chuck Kobasew ~ Acquired with Andrew Ference from CGY for Brad Stuart and Wayne PrimeauAndrew Ference ~ Acquired with Chuck Kobasew from CGY for Brad Stuart and Wayne PrimeauDennis Wideman ~ Acquired from STL for Brad BoyesAaron Ward ~ Acquired from NYR for Paul MaraManny Fernandez ~ Acquired from MIN for Petr Kalus and a 2009 4th rd pickShawn Thornton ~ Signed as Free Agent (ANA)Petteri Nokelainen ~ Acquired from NYI for Ben Walter and a conditional 2008 pick

Boston Bruins

2005

2006

2004

2003

2007

NHL LeadersPoints Goals Against Average Shootout Goals1. Evgeni Malkin, PIT 55 1. Steve Mason, CLS 1.92 1. Wojtek Wolski, COL 52. Sidney Crosby, PIT 46 2. Manny Fernandez, BOS 2.02 2. Nikolai Zherdev, NYR 53. Alex Ovechkin, WAS 43 3. Jonas Hiller, ANH 2.07 3. Jonathan Toews, CHI 44. Zach Parise, NJ 39 4. Tim Thomas, BOS 2.15 4. Milan Hejduk, COL 45. Patrick Kane, CHI 39 5. Craig Anderson, FLA 2.15 5. Brad Boyes, STL 326. Brad Boyes, STL 31 39. Chris Mason, STL 3.17

Goals Save Percentage Rookie Points1. Thomas Vanek, BUF 24 1. Craig Anderson, FLA 94.0% 1. Derrick Brassard, CLB 252. Jeff Carter, PHI 24 2. Jonas Hiller, ANH 93.6% 2. Kris Versteeg, CHI 243. Phil Kessel, BOS 21 3. Tim Thomas, BOS 93.2% 3. Patrik Berglund, STL 214. Alex Ovechkin, WAS 20 4. Steve Mason, CLS 92.9% 4. Mikhail Grabovski, TOR 205. Zach Parise, NJ 18 5. Roberto Luongo, VAN 92.8% 5. Blake Wheeler, BOS 1811. Brad Boyes, STL 16 29. Chris Mason, STL 90.3%

Plus/Minus Wins Defensemen Points1. Marc Savard, BOS 20 1. Miikka Kiprusoff, CGY 18 1. Dan Boyle, SJ 272. Alexander Semin, WAS 20 2. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR 18 2. Shea Weber, NAS 263. Evgeni Malkin, PIT 19 3. Evgeni Nabokov, SJ 18 3. Andrei Markov, MTL 264. Simon Gagne, PHI 19 4. Niklas Backstrom, MIN 15 4. Mark Streit, NYI 255. Blake Wheeler, BOS 18 5. Ryan Miller, BUF 14 5. Brian Campbell,CHI 2333. Patrik Berglund, STL 11 23. Manny Legace, STL 9 79. Barret Jackman, STL 9

Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 12

NHL Leaders

Around The Crosby Sets Another Record — Earlier today Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby surpassed Jaromir Jagr’s record for the most votes ever received by a player in NHL all-star game fan balloting.

At about 11 this morning, Crosby passed the 1,020,736-vote mark that Jagr set in 2000 while with the Penguins.

Crosby’s teammate Evgeni Malkin will also surpass Jagr’s record. As Crosby passed Jagr, Malkin was within 19,000 votes of doing the same.

Voting remains open for another two weeks. Fans can vote online to select the starting lineups for the all-star game through Jan. 2. The game itself will take place in Montreal on Jan. 25.

The Goaltending Carousel Going Full Speed — The Montreal Canadiens assigned former Blue Jackets starter Marc Denis to the AHL yesterday. Denis has played in 19 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs this year, going 12-6-0 with two shutouts. His GAA is 2.60 and his save percentage is 91.5.

Speaking of former Blue Jacket goalies, Fredrik Norrena’s career in Columbus, and probably the NHL, is over. With rookie goaltender Steve Mason working well with current franchise netminder Pascal Leclaire, Norrena became expendable and was put on waivers.

When no other team claimed him, Norrena’s contract was bought out and he was released. He said that he will leave North America to go play in the Russian KHL.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ starter, Vesa Toskala has been complaining of a sore groin for a while and finally feels he needs to take some time to heal. In his absence, the Leafs re-called Justin Pogge from the Toronto Marlies.

Pogge was the Maple Leafs’ first pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, going in the third round, 90th overall. He is 10-9-3 with a 2.86 GAA and an .890 save percentage for the Marlies this season.

Canucks Not Done Yet — After landing Mats Sundin this week and mercifully putting every non-Maple Leaf fan in the world out of their misery of having to hear about it again, it seemed like the Canucks would be content with their existing roster. Not so, says TSN’s Darren Dreger.

According to the analyst, the Canucks will still have about $2.5 million in cap space left, meaning they can potentially take on a player earning around $6 million at some point in the New Year using the prorated formula.

While Sundin’s contract is heavy, he’s giving Canucks general manager Mike Gillis enough flexibility to land another top six forward through a trade.

Sundin said that he signed in Vancouver because, among other factors, no player was forced out to make room for him, and the promise the Canucks intend to add to their team to become a Stanley Cup contender.

www.hockeywww.hockeywww.hockey---fights.comfights.comfights.com

Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 13

Boston Bruins Probable Fighter

•Shawn Thornton – Thornton is Boston’s main enforcer, although he isn’t that huge, listed at 6’2 and 210 pounds. He’s a physical, crash and bang player that always has his motor running. Thornton has had nine fights on the season.

•Milan Lucic – Lucic is a young up and coming power forward. He is very strong, and he has both good size and good skill. He is 6’4 and 220 pounds, and he loves to run people through the boards. Lucic has four fights during the current campaign, and he finished last season with 13 fighting majors.

•Zdeno Chara – Chara is HUGE. He stands at a gargantuan 6’9, and weighs around 250 pounds. He has some offensive skill and he loves to hit people, but he only averages about five fights a season. He likely can’t find many willing to take him on thanks to his tremendous size and reach advantage. Chara has had two fights to this point in the season.

St. Louis Blues Probable Fighters

•Cam Janssen – Cam has done quite well filling in for the injured DJ King so far, hanging in there with much bigger opponents. For some reason, though, Andy Murray has made Janssen a healthy scratch a lot lately. He has eight fights so far this season, with his last one occurring on 12/8 against Nashville’s Wade Belak.

•Brandon Crombeen – Crombeen is a high energy, physical player who is willing to drop the gloves when need be. He is 6’2, 212 pounds, and he’s a decent fighter who will win some and lose some. BJ has had 9 fights thus far. He took on Minnesota’s Craig Weller yesterday.

•Brad Winchester – Winchester is a big guy. He has the size of a heavyweight at 6’5, 230 pounds. He’s a good fighter, and he beat Calgary’s Cory Sarich in his last fight on 12/16/08.

Fried Chicken’sFried Chicken’sFried Chicken’s

Best bet of the night: If dressed, Cam Janssen vs Shawn Thornton.— Jason Travers, hockey-fights.com

Tonight’s Matchup: Boston only played the Blues once last season and that game ended with two fights. The Bruins have had 20 fights to this point in the 2008-2009 season, while the Blues have racked up 33 fighting majors so far. The Bruins dress one of the best young power forwards in the NHL, and they also feature one of the biggest defensemen in the league.

Date Combatants Description Decision

12/22/2007 Barret Jackman vs

Milan Lucic

Jackman started with a good left, and Lucic started throwing some lefts of his own. They were both connecting with some of their punches, and then Lucic landed two or three bombs. The last one hit Jackman on the jaw, and Jackman went down.

Win: Lucic

12/22/2007 DJ King vs

Shawn Thornton

They squared off at center ice, and they got in tight. King threw some rights early, some of which connected. Thornton threw a few rights, and then he tried to tie King up and hugged him in close to him. Both of them ripped each others helmets off, and they each threw some more rights. King looked to land the most.

Edge: King

10/12/2006 Jeff Hoggan vs

Bill Guerin

This was back when Hoggan was a reserve winger for the Blues and Guerin was on the Bruins roster. Guerin got the jump and started hammering rights while Hoggan was off-balance. Hoggan got up and answered with some hard shots. They then traded a couple more punches. Hoggan got a couple extra shots in over the linesman as they broke it up.

Edge: Hoggan

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Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 14

Gen

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Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 16

NHL Referee Statistics

NHL Linesmen # Name # Name # Name # Name # Name17 Heyer, Shane 61 Seitz, Lyle 73 Rody, Vaughan 80 Nelson, Thor 91 Henderson, Don47 Schachte, Dan 65 Racicot, Pierre 74 Cameron, Lonnie 82 Galloway, Ryan 92 Shewchyk, Mark54 Devorski, Greg 66 Gibbs, Darren 75 Amell, Derek 84 Sericolo, Tony 93 Murphy, Brian56 Wheler, Mark 67 Champoux, Pierre 76 Cormier, Michel 86 Lazarowich, Brad 95 Murray, Jonny57 Sharrers, Jay 68 Driscoll, Scott 77 Nowak, Tim 88 Cvik, Mike 96 Brisebois, David59 Barton, Steve 70 Nansen, Derek 78 Mach, Brian 89 Miller, Steve 97 Morin, Jean60 Dapuzzo, Pat 71 Kovachik, Brad 79 Pare, Mark 90 McElman, Andy

Blues Games

Blues PP

Blues PK W L

OTL

Blues Games

Blues PP

Blues PK W L

OTL

2 Fraser, Kerry Sarnia, ON 1980 2 5 12 1 1 0 7 26 31 3 4 03 Leggo, Mike North Bay, ON 1997 3 14 10 1 2 0 10 48 41 4 6 04 McCauley, Wes Georgetown, ON 2003 2 4 7 0 2 0 5 14 18 1 3 15 Rooney, Chris Boston, MA 2000 3 11 12 1 2 0 10 46 53 3 5 26 Marouelli, Dan Edmonton, AB 1984 1 3 5 0 1 0 3 9 13 0 3 07 McCreary, Bill Guelph, ON 1984 3 16 11 1 2 0 5 26 20 2 3 08 Jackson, Dave Montreal, PQ 1990 1 3 4 0 1 0 6 21 27 4 2 010 Devorski, Paul Guelph, ON 1989 3 13 15 1 1 1 5 24 24 2 2 111 Sutherland, Kelly Richmond, BC 2000 4 19 16 1 3 0 8 30 28 1 6 112 Koharski, Don Dartmouth, NS 1981 1 6 5 0 1 0 3 18 11 1 2 013 O'Halloran, Dan Essex, ON 1995 2 15 16 1 0 1 8 36 49 5 2 114 LaRue, Dennis Savannah, GA 1991 2 9 8 1 1 0 8 33 34 2 3 315 Auger, Stephane Montreal, PQ 2000 1 7 5 0 1 0 7 41 48 4 2 116 Shick, Rob Port Alberni, BC 1986 3 10 14 2 1 0 9 28 39 2 6 018 Kimmerly, Greg Toronto, ON 1996 2 8 10 0 1 1 9 32 37 3 5 120 Peel, Tim Toronto, ON 1999 4 17 17 2 2 0 10 44 36 4 4 221 VanMassenhoven, Don Parkhill, ON 1993 3 17 15 1 2 0 10 44 47 6 3 123 Watson, Brad Regina, Sas 1996 3 16 16 1 1 1 8 35 40 3 2 325 Joannette, Marc Verdun, PQ 1999 4 18 22 1 2 1 6 25 30 1 4 126 Martell, Rob Winnipeg, MB 1996 3 11 15 1 2 0 12 51 62 8 4 027 Furlatt, Eric Trois-Rivieres, PQ 2001 3 15 12 1 2 0 6 29 28 3 2 128 Lee, Chris St John, NB 2001 2 13 13 0 1 1 6 28 31 2 2 229 Walsh, Ian Philadelphia, PA 2000 2 8 8 0 2 0 5 17 21 1 4 030 Hasenfratz, Mike Regina, SK 2000 3 9 10 1 1 132 Kowal, Tom Vernon, BC 2000 6 30 29 1 3 233 Pollock, Kevin Kincardine, ON 2000 1 4 3 1 0 0 6 26 27 3 3 034 Meier, Brad Dayton, OH 1999 1 4 2 1 0 0 8 34 30 4 3 135 Warren, Dean Toronto, ON 1999 6 34 25 1 3 236 Morton, Dean Peterborough, ON 2000 2 9 7 2 0 0 3 16 13 3 0 037 Rehman, Kyle Stettler, AB 2008 1 5 5 1 0 0 1 5 5 1 0 038 St Laurent, Francois Greenfield Park, PQ 2006 1 6 6 1 0 0 4 16 18 1 2 139 Dwyer, Gord Halifax, NS 2003 5 22 20 2 3 040 Kozari, Steve Penticton, BC 2006 6 30 26 3 3 042 O'Rourke, Dan Calgary, AB 1999 2 11 7 0 1 143 Pochmara, Brian Detroit, MI 2006 1 4 3 1 0 0 4 18 23 1 3 045 St. Pierre, Justin Dolbeau, PQ 2003 5 23 22 3 1 1

TOTALS 32 145 147 12 17 3 490 512 45 53 15

2008-2009 Since 20071st

GameBornOfficialNo.

St. Louis Game Time Scorecard St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins; Sunday, December 21, 2008

Referee: ________________________ Referee: ________________________

Linesman: ______________________ Linesman: ______________________

Shots Team

Bruins

Blues

1st

2d

3rd

OT

SO

F

Score Team

Bruins

Blues

1st

2d

3rd

OT

SO

F

Blues Starting Lineup

C:

LW:

RW:

D:

D:

G:

Bruins Starting Lineup

C:

LW:

RW:

D:

D:

G:

Three Stars of the Game

1st Star:

2nd Star:

3rd Star:

Other Stars of the Game

GWG:

GW Goalie:

Hard Hat:

Per. Time Team Goalscorer 1st Assist 2nd Assist

Per. Time Team Penalized Player Penalty

Goal Scoring

Penalties Called

Game Notes:

G AME T IME Page 17

Ask Game Time’s Answer Man

I also like that Luke Schenn kid for Toronto. He has grown up very quickly this year. What really strikes me about these “kids” is can you imagine being 18, 19 or 20 and playing on a pro team? Think of all the distractions, they are limitless. They must have some really good handlers or hookers on tap that just show up whenever they need to “wind down.”

Last year I wrote about Johnson staying in college and the advantages of having college pelts vs. NHL groupie pelts after him. I would for sure lean towards the groupies, but that’s me. I’m a man of class and maturity.

Getting back to the “building” theme we had earlier, skill is a huge part of what I would consider. More importantly, I am looking for Captain Material. I think Lucic and Johnson both have that. They have to be very tough to play against and the bigger the better (that’s what she said).

Lastly and possibly most importantly I would scour the Junior ranks for a complete and utter badass. I want my team to have the very best fighter. I am obviously a big fan of the fights. That’s no secret. I don’t want to just load up on tough guys. You don’t win by punching people in the face. What the fans want is a team of people who can’t be beaten up though. People identify with the tough guys more than a guy who is a “slick passer” or a “sniper.” Fans want their team to be tough and that gets things going. Remember when Chase and Twist were on this team? Yeah, even the fans had balls.

I realize the league is different and your slug has to be able to play but that doesn’t stop Boogaard or any of the other meat heads. I do like DJ King. He’s young, he rocks the sweet St. Charlie Condo, but is on the shelf this year. He came into camp in deliciously great shape this year but jacked his shoulder up. I gotta feeling that next year he will be more than ready to go.

Note to Blues Management (because I know you are reading this, trust me I know it. I can feel you read this. I like it. It feels very good and kind of dirty). Toss Lucic a ridiculous offer sheet when you can and get ready to hand Boston some draft picks in return. This kid is gold. This is on my Christmas wish list. Please deliver me Milan Lucic.

Send your questions on hockey (NHL or rec league), Busch beer or any other thing that keeps you awake at night to: answer-man@stlouisgametime.com and have them answered here.

Dear Answer Man,

If you could build a team around any young player or group of players not named Crosby or Ovechkin, who would it be and why? I am really just talking about players with no more than 3 or 4 years of experience in the league.

-Carol (St. Charles- MO)

Crazy Carol, that is a very good question and I will break it up into players by position. My very first choice would be this delicious hunk of masculinity that goes by the name Milan Lucic. The kid is nothing but a Grade A Stud (similar

to someone who rocks a bright yellow Rumble Bee truck from North Co).

At first glance you’d think he is some sort of Phruit euro that

couldn’t hold Techno Viking’s jock in a wheel barrow. I think he might be able to take T-Vike by the way. Lucic is a pure Canadian player. He knows that he is good and doesn’t have to brag. All he has to do is back it up

and let me tell you this giant hunk of man meat can back it up.

He can score, he can lead and he can fight. Youtube this kid and you’ll see that he is no fluke and he absolutely means business. He has direct access to the Immortal Cam Neely who still turns me on. Wait, what?

Anyone else sweaty after reading those first couple of paragraphs? I need to wipe my brow. Hang on real quick please…OK, I’m back. Whew, I feel better.

Lucic would be my first choice and I would surround him with other North American Pure Breds like a fresh faced Cogliano and Shremp from Edmonton and even with a guy like Crombeen who is officially a scoring sensation as far as I’m concerned. Toss in some Phil Kessel and we’ll go from there.

Now, on defense I would start with a guy like Erik Johnson. Yeah, I know he’s out this season but if this guy is as hungry as I believe he is going to be after this set back, you better watch out. I think he learned his lesson and realizes that drinking with the guys on a weekend trip isn’t a good idea and you need to be a professional all year round. Oh, and that he’s a jackass for getting hurt with a golf cart. I don’t believe an ounce of that story. I assume he was stomping a hole into a hooker and things went awry. Just my take.

Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 18

Boy, That Escalated Quickly. www.stlouisgametime.com

G AME T IME Page 19

Games that start at 5:00pm always feel a little bit weird to me, but this one has the potential to get really ugly, really quickly. If you’re looking for a preview what it’s going to be like when the Sharks come to town next week, the Bruins are as good of a comparison as you could possibly find right now. For that matter, the Blues are the polar opposite comparison. In any case, you’re going to find plenty of Bruins on fantasy

rosters of teams that are near the top of the standings because these guys are hand-ing out lollipops and four-goal efforts… and they’re all out of lollipops.

The Bruins have three forwards on their roster who are averaging better than a point per game. Ten more Bruins are averaging a point every two games. They lead the league in goals with 116 over their first 32 games, and they also lead the league in shot percentage with a mark just over 12%. Now that Stempniak is skating north of the border and McDonald on

the shelf, the Blues are left with just Boyes (30pts, 31 games) and Berglund (20pts, 26 games) as their only skaters who have a shot at hanging out on the doorstep of the point-per-game club. It seems like coach Murray is going to do anything and everything to keep Berglund from succeeding – I mean, Cam Fucking Janssen played the wing last night opposite of Perron on the “Kid Line” 2.0, but Berglund just keeps on go-ing. Anyway, you get the picture on how these teams compare– the performance up to this point of each team suggests that they really shouldn’t even be in the same league.

I’ve always held the idea that in the week between the NFC and AFC championships and the Super Bowl, the NCAA national champion and the NFL’s earner of the summer’s No. 1 overall pick should meet for a disaster of a game. Of course, the Lions would probably dominate based on the size of the

line alone, but it would at least be mildly entertaining to see a college team line up against them. In a strange, roundabout way, that’s how I think tonight’s going to go.

Phil Kessel, the guy who the Bruins snagged about 20 minutes after the Blues walked Erik Johnson across the stage at the 2006 NHL draft, has been simply amazing this season. With an assist at home yesterday afternoon against Carolina, Kessel rides into town on a 17-game point scoring streak. Adam Oates holds the streak record for the Bruins at 20 games, and the Blues defense will be hard pressed to defend Oates’ mark.

Manny Fernandez has been another big part of why the Bruins are so good. He got the start yesterday, which should mean that we’ll see Tim Thomas in goal tonight, but Fernandez sits at 9-2-1 with a shutout, 92.7% stop rate, and a goals against average just over two. Both of these guys are having insanely good years, but the 34-year-old Fernandez – one of the final draft selections ever by the Quebec Nordiques (3rd round, 1992) – certainly wasn’t being pegged by anyone for these types of numbers.

Fantasy players are always looking for consistent production from the blueline, and former Blue Dennis Wideman has been a huge value with 13 points on the power play so far this season. Zdeno Chara cost his owners quite a bit more on draft day, but Wideman has been the better producer to this point and is well on his way to establishing himself as a top-50 fantasy talent by being a high producer at a traditionally barren position.

Back to Boston’s 2006 draft, it’s turned out to be a pretty damned good one so far. Within 36 hours of selecting Kessel, they took some guy named Milan Lucic with the 50th overall pick. In 77 games last season as a rookie, Lucic netted 27 points, 89 penalty minutes, and 88 shots on goal. Just 31 games into his sophomore campaign, he’s on a pace to blow each one of those marks completely out of the water. He’s the quintes-sential breakout story, he plays with a serious mean streak, and I sincerely hope that you grabbed him early. He’s wearing No. 17 on the left wing for Boston tonight, so take some time to enjoy what it would be like if Barret Jackman was a little bit taller, played wing, and had some serious scoring ability.

For better or worse, let’s go Blues!

The Fantasy Files By Duke

Milan Lucic is a fan favorite in Boston and a

fantasy hockey monster.

• Always stealing copies from fans.

• She knows Childhood Trauma’s real name.

• Always yells, “Juuuump!” when Towel Boy does his thing.

• Seriously considering making the jump from the Double-L to the Quad-L.

• Sweet Game Time logo tattoo.

• Has spent hours driving around North County trying to find the Answer Man.

• Always refers to Lee Stempniak as ‘Dutchie.’

• The Game Time shrine she made out of old issues covers three full walls at her house now.

You Wanna Know How I Know… ...Angelllla Loves Game Time?

was 22-year-old second-year free agent Julian Talbot (78 GP, 24-26-50, 53 PIM, plus-13), and the highest-scoring Blues’ draftee in 2007-08 was then-rookie Nicholas Drazenovic with a 16-26-42 line in 69 games (38 PIM, plus-13).

Lemtyugov was the third member of the Blues’ Terrific Trio of rookies in 2007-08, with 22 goals and 37 points in 66 games. Sixty-two goals from three skilled rookies, and again, a parent club that managed only 205 goals in 82 games wouldn't even consider giving any of them a sniff of the NHL.

Looking at the situation objectively, it’s hard to draw any conclusion other than that the Blues simply do not believe in using their AHL affiliate to develop scoring forwards, and

Kevin McDonald’s comments to the Peoria media (reported in this space yesterday) tipped the Blues’ hand in that regard. If the Blues as an organiza-tion have a philosophy that it takes a scoring forward three or even four years in the AHL to be ready for the NHL, they’re going to have a hell of a time attracting skilled forwards, espe-cially Europeans, to the organization.

Now, we here at the Game Time Prospect Department are well aware of, and supportive of, the concept of a player earning his shot at the big time; we don’t want to see anyone handed a spot on the major league roster just because he holds out and demands one (we’re looking at you, Konstantin Barulin). Leave that stuff for the prima donnas and thugs in the NFL and NBA. But if the Blues are not making clear to

their prospects that they’re looking at three years minimum in Peoria before they get so much as a cup of coffee in the NHL, they’re doing the prospects and themselves a disservice.

And if the Blues are telling their prospects that, regardless of how well you play or how many goals you score in Peoria, you’re not even going to be considered for a legitimate shot at the NHL until at least your third year as a pro, then it’s a wonder that they can get any skill players to sign with the organization at all.

What’s more, the Blues do not seem to hold their checkers and grinders to the same three-year standard, as Chris Porter’s promotion to the NHL this year, and those of Cam Janssen and Yan Stastny last year, prove. Your Game Time Prospect Department loves us some Porter, and some Stastny, and even some Janssen, but let’s call a spade a spade here; if those three players combine for twenty NHL goals in any one season, they'll be lucky.

Nikolay Lemtyugov had the potential to do that by (Continued on page 21)

As promised yesterday, let’s continue our discussion of the Blues’ (poor) history with utilizing their minor-league scoring prospects.

The departure of Nikolay Lemtyugov for Russia marks yet another page turned in the Blues’ book of wasted opportuni-ties with minor-league scorers. For a team that is a combined 88-117-41 in the three completed seasons since the lockout, and has a goals for/goals against differential of minus-167 (616 / 783) in that time, the Blues have been woefully negligent in utilizing the scoring talent they have been developing at the minor-league level in the Jarmo Kekalainen era.

The callup of Steve Regier earlier this year marks the first time since the Blues promoted Lee Stempniak from Peoria in his rookie pro season (2005-06) that they have recalled one of their affiliate’s leading scorers in order to use him in a scoring role at the NHL level.

The Rivermen's leading scorers in 2006-07 were:

1. Trent Whitfield, 79 GP, 33-45-78, 70 PIM, minus-16

2. Charles Linglet, 73 GP, 31-29-60, 30 PIM, plus-7

3. Jon DiSalvatore, 76 GP, 21-39-60, 50 PIM, minus-13

Not one of those players saw a minute of NHL time that season. The three farmhands managed 85 goals between them, and yet the NHL parent club that only scored 214 goals that year (2.60 goals/game) didn’t think these players could contribute. The highest-scoring Blues draftee on the Rivermen in 2006-07 was then-rookie Michal Birner, who finished eighth on the team in scoring with 11-17-28 totals in 66 games; Birner never saw an NHL game with the Blues, and was part of the trade with Anaheim for Andy McDonald last year.

David Backes started the 2006-07 season in Peoria, and was 10-3-13 in 31 games with the Rivermen before being called up to the Blues, where he has been a regular ever since. Backes is the last Blues draftee to be called up from Peoria in order to fill a scoring forward role.

The 2007-08 season saw the Rivermen led in scoring by journeyman and Peoria resident Jean-Guy Trudel (78 GP, 23-44-67, 56 PIM, minus-4), with Linglet on his heels with 24-44-66 totals (65 PIM and plus-12) in 80 games. The only legitimate prospect to finish in Peoria’s top five in scoring

Tomorrow’s Blues By Brian Weidler

Around The System, Part II

Checker Chris Porter (11) has already seen some time in the NHL, while

scorer Julian Talbot (12) has had to wait his turn in Peoria for a shot at

NHL glory.

(Game Time photo by Brian Weidler)

Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 20

G AME T IME Page 21

Tomorrow’s Blues (continued)

himself, and still does... but if he does, it’ll be for some other organization.

Where skill forwards are concerned, if you’re not a first-rounder with special abilities, like a Perron or a Berglund or an Oshie, you’ll start your career in this organization in Peoria. Period. And you can expect to be there for three years plus, if Kevin McDonald’s opinion as the Blues’ Director of Pro Scouting carries any weight (and it does).

Lastly, there seems to be a disconnect between the Blues’ front office staff, which apparently likes the overall skill level of the European-trained player, and the Blues’ coaching staff, which apparently does not trust the work ethic and consistency of the European-trained player.

The only first or second-round picks of the Blues who have been assigned directly to Peoria since Jarmo Kekalainen began conducting the Blues’ scouting and drafting operations in 2003 have been Europe-ans; 2003 second-rounder Carl Söderberg, who balked at the assignment and bailed for Sweden, and 2004 first-rounder Marek Schwarz, who also returned to Europe in the season before his rookie pro year, but returned to North America only to struggle with consistency in his first three pro seasons. No other first-rounder has spent time in Peoria except Erik Johnson, who did a one-game conditioning stint in Central Illinois after missing ten games with a broken bone in his foot in his rookie year (2007-08).

One wonders if Euros Lars Eller and Simon Hjalmarsson are feeling any pressure about now; if they’re not lights-out in next year’s camp, there’s a good chance they’ll be assigned to Peoria, which at this point must look like the kiss of death to a young skill player in this organization. With the odds being that they’ll be buried in the AHL until the 2011-12 season at the earliest, will Eller and Hjalmarsson even bother coming over and taking their chances next year? Will a Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson pull an Eric Lindros on the Blues and tell them through his agent not to bother drafting him if they don’t expect he can make the NHL roster in the next two camps? Stay tuned...

(Continued from page 20) Seven is Heaven at World Juniors: Speaking of Eller and Hjalmarsson, the Scandinavians are just two of the total seven Blues’ prospects who will be appearing at the World Junior Championships this month. Hjalmarsson and all the others will be at the U-20 WJC for the Elite Division in Ottawa after Christmas, but Eller is playing for his homeland of Denmark in the Division I-B U-20 World Juniors right now.

Playing on home ice in Aalborg, Denmark, Eller and the Danes will take on Austria in the fifth game of the opening round today. Other nations represented in this pool are Hungary, Italy, Norway and Ukraine, while the Division I-A pool (underway in Heristau, Switzerland) consists of the host Swiss as well as Belarus, Estonia, France, Poland and Slovenia. Eller is 2-3-5 with 14 PIM and a plus-4 in four games for the undefeated Danes, and is 5-3-8 with 8 PIM and a plus-1 in 26 games for Frölunda HC in the Swedish Elitserien.

Playing in the Elite Division U-20 pool in Ottawa after Christmas will be Americans Ian Cole (Notre Dame/CCHA, 19 GP, 3-8-11, 30 PIM, plus-12), Cade Fairchild (Minnesota/WCHA, 16 GP, 3-11-14, 32 PIM, plus-2) and Aaron Palushaj (Michigan/CCHA, 18 GP, 8-17-25, 12 PIM, plus-10); Canadians Alex Pietrangelo (Niagara/OHL, 9 GP, 5-10-15, 4 PIM, plus-3) and Brett Sonne (Calgary/WHL, 34 GP, 23-32-55, 36 PIM, plus-23); and Hjalmarsson (Borås HC/SWE-2, 27 GP, 10-12-22, 10 PIM, even).

All of the forwards, Hjalmarsson, Palushaj and Sonne, are expected to play key scoring roles for their countries at the World Juniors, with Sonne also expected to get some playing time on the penalty kill and in a shutdown role. Pietrangelo is rounding into form as

perhaps Canada’s No. 1 defenseman, expected to see signifi-cant ice time in all situations; Cole will be a shutdown stay-at-home blueliner for Team USA, and will probably also see power-play time along with triggerman Fairchild for the red, white and blue.

Next time in ‘Tomorrow’s Blues,’ we’ll take a mid-season look at the Blues’ stable of college prospects, as well as updates on the Magnificent Seven’s performances at the various World Junior Championships. Don’t miss it, and remember... “if we do not prepare for ourselves the role of the hammer, there will be nothing left but that of the anvil.”

Auf wiedersehen.

We Dare You To Find Better Prospect Info. St. Louis Game Time

Brett Sonne and Aaron Palushaj wore the same sweater at the Blues'

FutureStars game this summer, but they’ll be on opposite sides in the World

Junior Championships this week.

(Game Time photo by Brian Weidler)

Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 22

Somewhere Just South of Perfection. www.stlouisgametime.com

Remember Me?

Harry York DOB: April 16, 1974-Ponoka, Alberta

Position: Center

Played for the Blues: 132 games from 1996-1998

Undrafted, Harry York came out of nowhere to make the Blues’ roster for the 1996-1997 season. His fairy tale rookie season peaked in November of 1996, when he was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month.

The Blues signed York in July of 1996, after he put up impressive numbers with the Nashville Knights in the ECHL (34 goals, 84 points in 64 games).

His one good year in the NHL was here in St. Louis during his rookie season- 14 goals, 18 assists, 24 penalty minutes.

Larry Pleau’s sent York to the New York Rangers for Mike Eastwood at the trade deadline in 1998. His

numbers during his second and final season here were nothing special: 10 points in 54 games.

After playing seven total games with the Rangers over the course of two seasons, York was a throw-in in a fairly large deal between the Rangers and Pittsburgh. The Rangers sent York with Alexei Kovalev to Pittsburgh for Petr Nedved, Chris Tamer and Sean Pronger.

Both games York played for Pittsburgh were during the 1998-1999 season. He failed to register a point in either of them.

York found a home in Vancouver for parts of two seasons, where he played in just over 100 games and tallied 33 points.

Of Cree descent, York was out of the league before the 2000-2001 season started.

By Brad Lee & Chris Gift

The Five Hole (continued)

amusing, talked about the history of baseball, related it to the current economy and even cracked a joke or two.

I’ll give you all of my stock in Linens ‘n Things if you ever hear Gary Bettman talk about the history of the game, unless he’s reading a script or handing out a trophy. This guy shouldn’t be commissioner of the GT Fantasy Hockey league, much less the NHL.

The biggest joke that he’s concocted is that some games are worth two points and some are worth three. Everybody went nuts because San Jose made it to 50 points faster than any other team did in NHL history, but the Sharks, in all their teal glory, have five wins in overtime or the shootout. So while 50 points in 30 games is very impressive, a few years ago it would have been five points less.

Run this one by the baseball purists: games that go to extra

(Continued from page 5) innings will be played without a shortstop, and with four strikes. The losing team in extra inning games will only be charged with half of a loss. Makes perfect sense, right?

Bucking Costanza family tradition, this Festivus celebration will end without the head of the household being pinned in a wrestling match. It is too bad Festivus only comes but once a year, because there have been many more ways I’ve been disappointed this year.

As for a Festivus miracle? How about five points out of the next five games to wrap up the calendar year? That will be a true Festivus miracle.

All proceeds directed to this column will be donated to The Human Fund. The Human Fund: Money For People

Contact: gift@stlouisgametime.com

The 2008-2009

Lucky Skate Shuffle

Tracker

Finishing Point Times Occurred

This Year / Percentage

Puck finishes in same skate as starting point.

13 / 81.3%

Puck finishes in skate one place lower than start

point. 3 / 18.7%

Puck finishes in skate one place higher than start

point. 0 / 0.0%

G AME T IME Page 23

Top 11 Signs It’s Damn Cold Out

11. The corner scalpers hired Eskimos to work tonight’s game.

10. Game Time vendors burning extra issues to stay warm.

9. Beer guys yelling, “Warm beeeeer HERE!” 8. Kung Fu Bunny statue by Metrolink replaced with

Kung Fu Polar Bear. 7. Chris Gift actually thought about wearing a coat

to the game. 6. Homeless guys begging for change to buy long

underwear instead of Mad Dog 20/20. 5. Towel Boy throwing blankets. 4. Fans making more noise as teeth continue

chattering. 3. The big furry blue bear is wearing a parka. 2. Parking lots extra crowded because dog sleds take

up multiple spaces. 1. It feels balmy inside the ice arena.

From the Empty Beer Cup of Brad Lee

Checking On The Checketts Era (continued)

under-skilled Blues.

McDonald’s future in St. Louis is uncertain. When he gets back into the lineup, the Blues will most likely be miles away from a playoff spot. Given the fact that McDonald is an unrestricted free agent this summer, the Blues would be wise to trade him for picks and prospects before the trading deadline if a contract extension cannot be worked out. Hopefully though, an agreement can be reached.

Nov. 24, 2008: Blues trade Lee Stempniak to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Alexander Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo.

EARLY VERDICT: This trade was made less than a month ago, but early returns are positive. Initial reaction to this trade seemed to be puzzlement and skepticism. Hadn’t Lee Stemp-niak put up a 27-goal campaign in 06-07 and registered 13 points in 14 games to start the 08-09 season? Meanwhile, Alex Steen had four measly points in 20 games. Carlo Colaiacovo was an injury risk who hadn’t played more than 48 games in any of his five NHL seasons.

However, after studying the stats, Steen (0.52) and Stemp-niak (0.53) have posted virtually the same points per game average in the three seasons from 05-06 to 07-08. What’s more, Stempniak will cost $6 million the next two seasons,

(Continued from page 9) while Steen will cost only $3.4 million. After a slow start in St. Louis, Steen has rebounded, scoring seven points in 13 games and playing a solid defensive game. Stempniak , always a streaky scorer, has cooled off from his point-per-game pace in St. Louis, registering only five points in 12 games.

Colaiacovo has been a pleasant surprise. After missing 107 games since 2006 due to ankle, groin, head, knee, leg, and wrist injuries, he’s been healthy since coming to St. Louis. He’s also shown that he has good vision, the ability to make a strong outlet pass, and that he possesses a powerful shot. Colaiacovo has also found his way onto the power play unit, where five of his six points have come with the Blues. Under contract for only $2.8 million until the summer of 2010, Colaiacovo could be a great find if he can manage to stay healthy.

CONCLUSION: John Davidson and his staff have done a very nice job of trading since taking the reigns of the Blues. Whether their moves involved other players or draft picks, early returns indicate that the Blues have “won” each of their five major deals during the Checketts regime. The extent of these advantages still remain to be seen; how good will Ian Cole be? Will Jay Bariball have the talent to overcome his lack of size? Will the Blues re-sign Andy McDonald? Can Colaiacovo defy history and stay healthy? However, despite these questions, the advantage belongs to the Blues. Now if they could just get better about signing those free-agents….

Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 24

NHL Standings—More, Please Eastern ConferenceATLANTIC GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10NY Rangers 36 22 12 2 46 96 94 14.8 90.4 12-6-1 10-6-1 5-5-0Philadelphia 32 18 8 6 42 114 97 26.6 83.6 11-4-3 7-4-3 7-2-1New Jersey 30 18 9 3 39 96 80 17.1 80.2 10-5-1 8-4-2 7-2-1Pittsburgh 32 17 11 4 38 109 97 19.3 81.9 8-5-2 9-6-2 4-5-1NY Islanders 33 10 20 3 23 81 120 18.8 80.6 5-8-2 5-12-1 1-8-1NORTHEAST GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10Boston 32 23 5 4 50 118 74 27.0 81.4 13-1-1 10-4-3 9-1-0Montreal 32 18 9 5 41 96 83 13.7 81.6 11-4-3 7-5-2 6-3-1Buffalo 33 16 13 4 36 94 94 18.5 88.5 9-8-1 7-5-3 5-4-1Toronto 32 13 13 6 32 101 112 20.7 75.2 6-5-4 7-8-2 6-4-0Ottawa 31 12 14 5 29 73 83 16.3 81.8 9-6-3 3-8-2 4-5-1SOUTHEAST GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10Washington 34 20 11 3 43 108 102 23.2 80.2 13-1-1 7-10-2 7-3-0Carolina 33 15 13 5 35 85 99 14.5 79.5 9-8-1 6-5-4 4-3-3Florida 31 14 13 4 32 76 85 14.3 82.0 6-4-2 8-9-2 6-2-2Atlanta 32 11 17 4 26 95 117 19.4 71.5 6-8-2 5-9-2 3-6-1Tampa Bay 32 7 16 9 23 72 101 13.9 80.5 3-6-6 4-10-3 1-7-2Western ConferenceCENTRAL GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10Detroit 32 22 6 4 48 119 97 27.3 80.2 11-3-2 11-3-2 7-3-0Chicago 31 18 6 7 43 114 82 24.2 84.4 10-1-4 8-5-3 8-1-1Nashville 32 16 13 3 35 84 92 13.4 81.3 9-4-1 7-9-2 5-4-1Columbus 33 14 15 4 32 89 100 10.3 79.9 10-5-1 4-10-3 4-5-1St.Louis 32 13 16 3 29 93 108 22.5 81.0 8-6-2 5-10-1 3-6-1NORTHWEST GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10Calgary 33 18 11 4 40 97 99 18.2 85.1 9-4-3 9-7-1 5-2-3Vancouver 33 18 12 3 39 99 86 18.6 83.1 9-4-1 9-8-2 4-5-1Minnesota 32 16 14 2 34 84 74 23.1 88.3 9-6-2 7-8-0 2-7-1Colorado 32 16 15 1 33 88 93 15.7 80.2 8-6-0 8-9-1 6-3-1Edmonton 31 14 14 3 31 83 96 17.7 74.3 4-5-3 10-9-0 5-4-1PACIFIC GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% HOME AWAY L10San Jose 33 26 4 3 55 116 80 21.9 85.6 17-0-2 9-4-1 7-1-2Anaheim 33 18 12 3 39 94 90 18.5 82.1 10-7-2 8-5-1 6-4-0Phoenix 33 16 13 4 36 86 91 14.4 81.7 11-4-2 5-9-2 6-2-2Los Angeles 33 13 14 6 32 87 98 18.9 82.5 10-6-6 3-8-0 3-4-3Dallas 32 13 14 5 31 90 113 13.8 77.5 7-5-3 6-9-2 6-3-1

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G AME T IME Page 25

October January (continued)

DATE OPPONENT SCORE RECORD WINNING/LOSING GOALIE

DATE OPPONENT SCORE RECORD WINNING/LOSING GOALIE

Oct 10 Fri Predators 5-2 1-0-0 Legace/Ellis Jan 17 Sat Blackhaw ksOct 11 Sat @Islanders 2-5 1-1-0 MacDonald/Mason Jan 19 Mon @BruinsOct 13 Mon @Maple Leafs 5-4 SO 2-1-0 Legace/Toskala Jan 21 Wed @Blackhaw ksOct 16 Thu Stars 6-1 3-1-0 Legace/Turco Jan 24 Sat All-Star Skills/Young Stars GameOct 18 Sat Blackhaw ks 4-3 SO 4-1-0 Legace/Khabibulin Jan 25 Sun All-Star GameOct 22 Wed Red Wings 3-4 4-2-0 Conklin/Legace Jan 29 Thu SenatorsOct 24 Fri Kings 0-4 4-3-0 LaBarbera/Legace Jan 31 Sat FlyersOct 25 Sat Panthers 4-0 5-3-0 Bishop/AndersonOct 30 Thu Hurricanes 0-1 5-4-0 Ward/Mason

November February

DATE OPPONENT SCORE RECORD WINNING/LOSING GOALIE

DATE OPPONENT SCORE RECORD WINNING/LOSING GOALIE

Nov 1 Sat Penguins 3-6 5-5-0 Fleury/Mason Feb 2 Mon @Red WingsNov 5 Wed @Ducks 2-5 5-6-0 Giguere/Mason Feb 3 Tue @Blue JacketsNov 6 Thu @Sharks 4-5 SO 5-6-1 Nabokov/Bishop Feb 5 Thu OilersNov 8 Sat @Kings 3-5 5-7-1 Ersberg/Legace Feb 7 Sat AvalancheNov 12 Wed @Sabres 3-4 5-8-1 Miller/Mason Feb 10 Tue CanucksNov 14 Fri @Blackhaw ks 4-3 OT 6-8-1 Legace/Khabibulin Feb 12 Thu @PredatorsNov 16 Sun Canadiens 2-3 SO 6-8-2 Price/Legace Feb 13 Fri Blackhaw ksNov 21 Fri Ducks 3-2 OT 7-8-2 Legace/Giguere Feb 16 Mon RangersNov 22 Sat @Wild 2-1 8-8-2 Mason/Backstrom Feb 18 Wed @Blue JacketsNov 25 Tue @Predators 1-0 SO 9-8-2 Mason/Ellis Feb 19 Thu @PredatorsNov 26 Wed @Avalanche 1-3 9-9-2 Budaj/Legace Feb 21 Sat PredatorsNov 29 Sat Oilers 2-4 9-10-2 Roloson/Legace Feb 24 Tue CoyotesNov 30 Sun @Thrashers 4-2 10-10-2 Mason/Pavelec Feb 26 Thu @Stars

Feb 28 Sat @Coyotes

December March

DATE OPPONENT SCORE RECORD WINNING/LOSING GOALIE

DATE OPPONENT SCORE RECORD WINNING/LOSING GOALIE

Dec 3 Wed @Wild 0-4 10-11-2 Backstrom/Legace Mar 3 Tue Red WingsDec 5 Fri Flames 3-4 OT 10-11-3 Kipprusoff/Mason Mar 6 Fri @LightningDec 6 Sat Coyotes 4-3 11-11-3 Legace/Bryzgalov Mar 7 Sat @PanthersDec 8 Mon Predators 6-3 12-11-3 Legace/Rinne Mar 10 Tue StarsDec 10 Wed @Ducks 2-4 12-12-3 Giguere/Mason Mar 12 Thu SharksDec 11 Thu @Kings 2-6 12-13-3 Ersberg/Mason Mar 14 Sat Red WingsDec 13 Sat @Sharks 4-5 12-14-3 Nabokov/Mason Mar 15 Sun WildDec 16 Tue Flames 3-6 12-15-3 Kipprusoff/Mason Mar 17 Tue @OilersDec 18 Thu @Capitals 2-4 12-16-3 Varlamov/Bishop Mar 19 Thu @CanucksDec 20 Sat Wild 4-2 13-16-3 Legace/Backstrom Mar 20 Fri @FlamesDec 21 Sun Bruins Mar 24 Tue KingsDec 23 Tue @Red Wings Mar 26 Thu CanucksDec 27 Sat Sharks Mar 28 Sat Blue JacketsDec 28 Sun Ducks Mar 29 Sun @Blue JacketsDec 30 Tue Devils

January April

DATE OPPONENT SCORE RECORD WINNING/LOSING GOALIE

DATE OPPONENT SCORE RECORD WINNING/LOSING GOALIE

Jan 2 Fri @Hurricanes Apr 1 Wed @Blackhaw ksJan 3 Sat Blue Jackets Apr 2 Thu @Red WingsJan 9 Fri @Canucks Apr 4 Sat @StarsJan 11 Sun @Oilers Apr 7 Tue @CoyotesJan 13 Tue @Flames Apr 10 Fri Blue JacketsJan 15 Thu Avalanche Apr 12 Sun @Avalanche

the season, is a major part of the Blues’ rebuilding plans. And then to make things interesting, the Blues signed Steve Bernier to a very similar free agent offer sheet. The Canucks matched and haven’t seen quite the output of Bernier. He has seven goals and six assists. His 13 total points places him 10th on the Canucks in scoring. Points only tell part of the story. Taking into consideration the toughness of Backes (he leads the team in penalty minutes and hits), I’d say the Blues have gotten the most out of the skirmish with Vancouver.

When asked by reporters after the game about his goal scoring streak, Backes said “Great question. I’m not going to try and figure it out. I’m just going to ride it.”

“It’s been a little bit of a battle, misery at the rink, coming in, not having that winning feeling,” Backes said. “To get back on the winning side is a great feeling and hopefully that’s contagious and we can put together a streak.”

One more note about Saturday. After taking the early lead, the Blues gave it up. They then took a second lead…and then gave it up again. The coaches and players have said the team has been battling during the just ended five-game losing streak. That effort finally paid off as the Blues showed some forti-

(Continued from page 1) tude in continuing to battle and getting the hard-fought win over the Wild. Will the momentum carry over to tonight?

The Bruins won their 13th home game in a row Saturday afternoon with

a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. It balances out that the Blues and Bruins both played Saturday. The Bruins played during the day, but the Blues didn’t have to travel.

In the 4-2 win over the Hurricanes, the Bruins got 32 saves out of goaltender Manny Fernandez. Boston has gotten used to hot goaltending this season. The team has also gotten used to the fragile nature of skilled forward Patrice Bergeron. The center missed much of last season with concussion problems. Saturday he went for a body check and crumpled to the ice for sev-eral minutes. His status and the extent of his injury haven’t been released.

Fernandez technically is the backup for the Bruins, but he’s played in 14 games so far this season, just five less than “starter” Tim Thomas who is en-joying a career season so far. The 34-year-old Thomas is playing in just his fifth season. He’s bounced around the minors and international competition

so long, people probably forget he was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques. Thomas’ 2.15 goals-against average is fourth in the NHL while his 93.2 save percentage is third. Both are well under his career numbers of 2.73 GAA and 91.5 save percentage. He must have had a busy offseason selling his soul to the Devil.

Back in the 2005 NHL draft when the Blues picked Erik “I’m A Good Golfer” Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick, the draft “experts” were torn over the future of forward Phil Kessel. His career got off to a rough start with testicular cancer. Last year playing 80 games he scored 19 goals and 18 assists. This year, he’s already topped that with 21 goals scored in 32 games. And at age 21, he’s still getting better. His struggle with cancer undoubtedly slowed his hockey advancement, but it forced him to do some growing up. His skill was never in doubt. His drive, determina-tion and personality were. Now, people only want to talk about how many goals he could score this season.

Marc Savard has seven points in his last five games after a four-point night against Atlanta not to long ago. His 21 assists has pushed him to 39 points in 32 games. Look out for Milan Lucic, the next Cam Neely. He likes to play a physical game and can score a few goals. Defenseman Dennis Wideman has seven goals on the season, tied for fifth most among NHL defensemen. I still like the trade that netted the Blues Brad Boyes.

Let’s Go Blues!

Big Trouble Bruin

(continued)

Volume 4, Issue 17 December 21, 2008 Page 26

David Backes has been solid offensively and a great physical presence this year, drawing all

sorts of attention from opposing blueliners.

Phil Kessel has been on fire for the Eastern-leading Bruins so far.

Patrik Berglund has seen success in simplifying his game.

G AME T IME Page 27

Get five in a row in any direction and you win!

Game Time Bingo! Dancing Kid seems

like he’s not just about the dancing

anymore.

Angelllla can’t decide whether she’d rather

be picked on by GT or left out of GT.

Fight!

Fight!

Fight!

Colaiacovo making that No. 28 look better than Matt

Walker did.

Red Berenson Cowboy thinks you’re

a pussy for not drinking on a

Sunday.

We Want Blizzards still not as good as We Want Tacos.

Cam Janssen takes a beating.

Another $200 stick breaks at the worst

possible time.

Good Mason shows up today.

Still not motivated enough to vote for the All-Star game.

Bad Mason shows up today.

“Is that Martin Rucinsky?”

Sec. 307 really wants to see

Towel Boy jump.

Yan Stastny playing like Dan Hinote

used to play.

Someone in your section never stops playing with their

phone.

Someone in your section vehemently

dislikes Eric Brewer.

Cotton Eyed Joe guy wearing his jersey with Jay McKee’s name and

TJ Oshie’s number.

Patrik Berglund gets another point.

Air Horn Guy kinda fucking it up.

You drop at least two ‘Slap Shot’

references.

Someone gets their copy of GT on the

Jumbotron.

Mite game ends in a tie.

A goal is scored in the first two

minutes of any period.

Damn Wideman looks good.

You love Boyes. Not that there’s anything wrong

with that.

From The Editor (continued)

after goal to both Calgary and to Warshington this week and on several of them I thought, “Johnson would have been on that loose puck.” Similarly, there have been plenty of times when the second power play unit has come onto the ice when I’ve thought, “If EJ was on the top unit, someone better would be on this unit than these guys.”

His impact is so huge in every phase of the game that he’ll be an anchor for this team for at least a decade and hopefully more. Add in the top pick this year in Pietrangelo and we have

(Continued from page 2) plenty of years looking forward to what could become two Prongers in the lineup.

I think the other three teams that passed over Kessel may end up kicking themselves, but I guarantee that any of those four teams that never got a shot at him would do anything to have a guy like Johnson on their payroll.

-Sean “no do-overs required” Gallagher

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