I wish I could be like Ovechkin and decline working for the people this all-star weekend. But, I respect and cherish each and almost every single one of you guys.

Blues News:

• Should they stay or should they go? A trade for a sniper, or let Hitchcock eat cake? [Post Dispatch]
• If you're not into the All-Star Game, go check out an AHL or any other level of hockey near you. It's all kinds of fun. [Wikipedia]
  
• The Rivs are at home! Road trip! And they are playing the Wings AHL team! [Peoria Rivermen]
  
• The Blues' ECHL team has a full schedule this weekend. [Alaska Aces]
  

Hockey News:

• All-Star first and last picks, plus the roster and predictions all in one place! Links are done. [Puck Daddy]
  
• Even though this article is already out of date, the preview for All-Star roster picks is kind of funny. [Grantland]
  
• MOAR ALL-STAR STUFF: That's already out of date. #PickPhilPhirst [Pension Plan Puppets]
  
• Factual: Chris Kunitz is completely underrated by everyone but me. AND I think Tyler Kennedy will sign with the Stars, which is not part of this article at all. [PensBurgh]
  
• "The Science of NHL Hockey" it's a TV show about the science of NHL hockey. Sorry, I'm snarky. Because I don't have the excuse to watch Blues hockey for another week, I have to spend all weekend at house music concerts. Apparently it's payback for my overzealous zeal for hockey. [NYTimes]
  

Videos:

The theme for the weekend videos is BIRTHDAYS! I can't top Flick's skill at finding ridiculous videos, and my musical taste is lacking. Therefore using this site*, I'm going to share with you songs from the past.

SLGT's date of birth is November somethingth 2005. Here is the number one song in the US for that day. Fitting? Yes. If you ask GTAnswerMan he will tell you he WROTE that song. I believe it.

And now for the number 1 song in the UK. I know for a fact that this is THE karaoke song for Gallagher and Brad Lee. They've even recorded it into a duet. I'm pretty sure the next issue of GT will have a sound chip with their single.

Continue reading this post »

Seriously.

Blues News

• The Blues banked points heading into the All-Star break, so naturally, Dan O'Neill opened his article with a reference to the economy. Your leads are the greatest, Dan O'Neill! [P-D]
• A difficult second half of the season is awaiting the Blues, sending them almost entirely on the road for two months. They will play 11 games total at home in February and March. [KMOV]
• More second half previewing. [P-D]
• Ken Hitchcock was on "The Sports Hub" yesterday to talk about the Blues' position in the standings and what the team needs to change to stay there. [KMOX]
• Andy McDonald thinks Ovechkin is "classless" for skipping out on the ASG. [P-D]

NHL/Hockey News

• Detroit got spanked last night in a 7-2 loss to Montreal. Lidstrom sat this game out with the flu. [NHL]
• Who's going to be picked last tomorrow night at the Fantasy Draft? [New York Times]
• This weekend, you'll see a few "Science of NHL Hockey" segments during the ASG coverage. These educational clips will be making their way to classrooms soon. [NYT Slap Shot]
• The Breakaway Challenge event is stupid. Despite all the flair on display, rarely does anybody score. Even against an amateur goaltender. [Puck Daddy]
• Happy Birthday to Wayne Gretzky! He turns 51 today. [Montreal Gazette]

Thursday Video

This is how I feel about not seeing Blues hockey for, like, 10 days.

gametimelinks AT gmail DOT com

I'm not going to lie: I don't care about the All-Star Game. I do enjoy the skills competition, which is the one place shootouts belong, but aside from that I think it's all a bunch of self-promotion for the NHL and a bunch of back-patting for the players. There's no motivating factor to actually play a game. Some folks think that the fun in the ASG is watching a bunch of grown men play shinny. I understand why some might enjoy that, but I enjoy games where the outcome means something. I know people hate the fact that the MLB ASG has it set up where the home field advantage goes to the winning league, but at least it makes the game worth watching.

The All-Star Game, therefore, is a PR and marketing cash-cow for the NHL. Are the players contractually obligated to attend? The league seems to believe so, placing their attendance above the well-being of the player and the player's club. Note the great "old man wants to rest" flap of 2009, where Nicklas Lidström and Pavel Datsyuk were both suspended a game because they elected to skip the Montreal game in favor of resting up nagging injuries. Sidney Crosby that year also had a knee injury and a bruised hand, and was replaced by Martin St. Louis. Sid wasn't suspended, though -- as the league's unofficial poster boy he was all but required to be there to promote the game in the off-ice activities. He looked uncomfortable for multiple reasons, but the league got what they wanted out of him. They apparently wanted his face for off-ice money making than him on-ice 100% for the Penguins to make cash there.

Fair enough. After the flack they got for suspending Lidström (or Lindstrom, as NBCSN would prefer) the league backed off. It's not like there's a shortage of players to replace injured guys. Heck, when that happens sometimes people who actually deserve to be in the game get in there -- witness Kris Letang getting in since Dustin Byfuglien's been out.

Continue reading this post »

Blues News

• Blues lose in the shootout, but gatdamn... that was an entertaining game. [P-D]
• NBC thinks Barret Jackman hurled his face into the boards to draw a penalty. Fucking... please. [NBC]
• Wysh thinks Barret Jackman hurled his face into the boards to draw a penalty. Fucking... what? [Puck Daddy]
• Elliott is ready for All-Star Weekend. [FS-MW]
• Check out his awesome, commemorative mask for the game. [InGoal Magazine]
• Chris Porter and Ian Cole will go down to Peoria for the All-Star Weekend to get some playing time in. Ben Bishop will represent the Western Conference in the AHL All-Star Game. [PJS]

NHL/Hockey News

• Once again, the Central Division has the rest of the league bent over a barrel heading into the All-Star Weekend. [SBN]
• James Neal will replace Ovechkin this weekend. Backes was deemed "too good" to play in the game. [NHL]
• Scores from last night. King Kenrik earned his 40th career shutout and the Wild ended a losing streak to hit the break on a high note. [SBN]
• Due to the injuries of Winnipeg's top players and their lack of talent on the depth chart, they will be without a representative on the All-Star Game roster. The latter needs to change if they want to make the playoffs. [WFP]
• According to this writer, the lack of star power in the All-Star Game accurately sums up the NHL right now. With Ovi sucking and Crosby out, there's a lack of marketable names. [National Post]
• DBD takes a look at Zach Parise and his possible availability at the trade deadline. [Defending Big D]
• Teemu Selanne isn't going anywhere. [Toronto Sun]
• The city of Glendale is pointing the finger at the NHL for the sluggish sale of the Phoenix Coyotes. [NBC]

Other Stuff

• Sean Bean dies in every movie (nsfw). [YouTube]
• 7 albums nobody will buy this year. [Cracked]
• The janky faces of the State of the Union address. [Buzzfeed]

Wednesday Video(s)

A panda fighting in a post-apocolyptic wasteland.

Wastelander Panda Prologue from Epic Films on Vimeo.

So, my mom was watching "Ellen" and Ellen dared viewers to dance behind people without them knowing. She told my brother to do it and, sure enough, he did. Check out his "Beat It" moves on the Mizzou campus.

gametimelinks AT gmail DOT com

And my Detroit gently weeps as the Blues continue to prove that they are a real team and not to be trifled with. The Blues played hard against a Penguins team that, even without Sidney Crosby, has the ability to quick-strike and score a lot of goals and never allowed them the opportunity to explode like that.

Sure, the Blues could have had some more jump in the first period. Sure, they could have gotten lucky with a couple more bounces. Sure, sure, sure. At the end of the night, they lost a flip of the coin and still gained a point on that team from Michigan with the legion of fans who have never been to Detroit and who freak out every time you say you don't like them or don't respect them. Also: we don't respect them and yes, you cared more about last night's win than we cared about last night's loss.

I got shit to do, so it's time to point up these bullets:

• Kris Russell looked good to me tonight. For a guy who is about five-foot-zero and 120 pounds in his gear, he makes a lot of good, smart plays defensively. Don't expect any big hits from Hitchcock's boy, but he does a good job of separating guys from the puck with his positioning, stick and feet.
• Kevin Shattenkirk is, apparently, working on his defensive game these days. He was plus-1 and didn't make any glaring defensive mistakes, but he hasn't hit the scoresheet in five games and has just one assist in his last eight. If the guy who sat behind me tonight had this information, he would be yelling out, "Trade Shattenkirk!" as he did for Chris Stewart, Patrik Berglund, Barret Jackman and others tonight. Unfortunately, Detroit does not have a monopoly on stupid fans. A veto-majority, yes, a monopoly, no.
• Patrik Berglund must have read my article tonight which centered on something I called The Berglund Conundrum. The basic gist was that Berglund is playing himself out of town, but the GM can't trade Berglund because he basically has no value. Tonight, dude had value. Had he hit the shootout shot, he would have won the game by himself. As it is, he only earned the Blues a point in the standings basically all by himself.
• Brian Elliott played well again, but his style is becoming more and more different from Jaroslav Halak's. While both guys are playing well, Halak has a flair for the amazing, twisting save. Elliott, on the other side, seems to make every save look clean and simple. No wasted motion, no wild, exciting flailing. Which is more deflating to the other team: the unbelievable steal or the save that looks like every shot you throw on him is an easy stop?
• Vladimir Sobotka, as we've said time and time again here, is barely taller than Kris Russell and never gets knocked off the puck. On top of that, he annoys the crap out of everyone on the other team, is responsible in every zone and can be trusted on any line Hitchcock chooses to throw him on. Scotty Nichol approves of all of this but believes that people like them should only play on the fourth line.
• Carlo Colaiacovo has been barely mentioned in the media and on this site this year, but he is having a solid season. Last night's weird headlock penalty aside he has been good defensively and has chipped in offensively too. He's only got one goal, but he has 14 points and is plus-7. Not bad for what is essentially a depth defenseman these days.
• Chris Stewart. Hmm. I'd like to pan this guy again, but he is living the classic hockey cliche these days: when a scorer isn't scoring he says, "You just have to find other ways to get involved in the game. Play a physical game. Try to shake things up. Create chances for other guys." Tonight he lived that cliche and Berglund was the recipient of the good karma created with the hockey gods. People can say his penalty against the Wings was dumb, but I'm with David Backes who said it was a good sign to his team that he'd stand up for them. He's a team guy and he's doing whatever he can to find a way to help out. Sooner or later it'll happen for him. Hopefully in the playoffs.

You do the rest, I'm tired. Plus, bulletpoints are just a starting point - you guys make this thing happen. Ten days off until the Note play again. Expect lots and lots of baited hooks 'round these parts.

So you'd think that the Pittsburgh Penguins without Sidney Crosby would be pushovers. I mean, he's good, right? In his eight games this season he scored 12 points (none against the Blues in his second game back Nov. 23, a 3-2 overtime winner for St. Louis). And sure, late in December and into January the Penguins lost six games in a row. In a loud and grotesque fashion. And then they flipped the switch. Well, not really they. Evegeni Malkin did. And he's a horse.

Malkin leads the league with 58 points. His 26 goals are tied for third in the league with teammate James Neal (Yes, the former Star whose career high is 27 goals -- check this man's urine for substances, stat). He's had a great season but really turned it on this month. He's riding a six-game goal scoring streak with nine tallies during that stretch. He has two hat tricks on the season and only two other multi-goal games. That means he's scored goals in 20 of the 41 games he's played in this season. Not too shabby, sir. And then when I realize he's only 25, it gets really sickening. Dude has 476 points in 393 games. Sick is what that is.

I think Marc-Andre is the name of my wife's hairstylist. I could be wrong.

The All-Star Brian Elliott gets the start in net as Jaroslav Halak could actually use a breather after getting peppered with shots in Detroit last night and starting multiple games in a row. We'll see what the layoff has done for Elliott's timing.

The Blues have the ability to bounce back and play a strong game. They could also be tired and lose focus against a really good team. I guess that's why they play the games.

This is your game day thread. Comment like every dick joke is your last for a week.

Blues News

• Red Wings win again with another home victory over the Blues. Jimmy Howard is a blocker-swinging little bitch and chugs dicks. [The Detroit News]
• Preview for tonight's game against the streaking Penguins. [Fox]
• The Blues need scoring and the ability to flip a switch like Detroit did last night, according to Bernie. [P-D]
• 19 road games will be played in February and March. With a losing record on the road, the Blues have reason to be concerned. [P-D]
• After Elliott's extension, the writing is on the wall for Ben Bishop. [PJS]
• But did the Blues overpay for Elliott? [SBN]

NHL/Hockey News

• Scores. [SBN]
• Ovechkin is out for All-Star weekend, citing that he "feels like he doesn't deserve" being there while serving a suspension. [ESPN]
• Scott Hartnell finally gets recognition and will fill-in for Captain Serious at the All-Star Game. [CSN Philly]
• Tim Thomas was a hot topic of discussion all day yesterday for not going with the Bruins to visit the White House. Wysh thinks that the organization should shoulder the blame. [Puck Daddy]
• The Lightning are injured. Injured bad. [NHL]
• ESPN doesn't give a shit about hockey, but you already knew that. [SBN]
• After Mike Babcock snapped at Between-the-Glass reporter Pierre McGuire, it's time to consider removing mid-period coach interviews. [Puck the Media]
• Drizzy Drake will perform at the All Star Game. Fuh. [Deadspin]

Other Stuff

• 7 stupid things that stupid people are proud of. [Cracked]
• There is a large collection of treehouses built by this man in Oregon. Looks like a gatdamned Ewok Village. [Tree Hugger]
• Realistic models of Beavis and Butt-head are horrifying. [MTV]

Tuesday Video

LEGO. Let's go.

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