Say It Aint So, Matt; Walker Signs With Hawks
By Sean Gallagher
Sometimes players just demand to be liked. When Paul Kariya was signed, this town's hockey fans rose up to cheer him as one. Despite his less-than-stellar first year in blue, no one has turned on the one-time superstar yet.
On the other hand, sometimes we can't explain why we like a certain player. The guy is a minor part in the machine and seldom in the spotlight, but for whatever reason, we like him. I've seen fans wearing the Zezel and Duchesne and Mike Johnson jerseys to prove it.
For me, that player was Matt Walker. Drafted in the third round in 1998 and holder of the title "longest tenured Blue" for a term of about two weeks after Jamal Mayers was traded, No. 28 signed with the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday.
Walker, who played 175 games in the Note, didn't score his first NHL goal until this season, thus ending one of my favorite recurring jokes for the game day paper. On the other hand, by that point I'd become such a big fan of Big Country that I was probably more excited for him than anyone other than him. And I was probably a very close second on that one.
As a fan, we don't select our favorite players, they either grab our attention Brett Hull style or slowly grow on us. Walker is one of those grow-slowly guys for me and my hockey-loving son. And while his signing with Chicago isn't exactly "Jim Edmonds went to the Cubs" in this town, in the Gallagher household it was even more unsettling.
As the son of GT said when I told him that our guy Walker has gone to Chicago, "Why them? Why couldn't it be anywhere else?"
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29 comments
Comments
Sad day for me, too, Gallagher. Oh well.
by Poor College Student on Jul 4, 2008 12:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
i’m sorry, but this hurts the team how? the only sad part is that he went to chicago
by david on Jul 4, 2008 12:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
First RJ then Big Country…I need another beer.
by LosBri on Jul 4, 2008 12:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
stay-at-home defenseman Matt Walker, [is] a player that Larry Pleau raves about every time he gets a chance. If it weren’t for Blues coach Joel Quenneville’s favor towards veterans, Walker might actually have a chance at making the team in the fall.
so question is, it that local, national, or trading card review. hmmm
by Childhood Trauma on Jul 4, 2008 3:31 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
CT: Give it a rest, dude.
There goes my “Pass it to Walker!” cheer …. or, maybe not…
Good Luck, Matt. There’ll always be a warm spot in our hearts for Big Country.
by Tim on Jul 4, 2008 3:43 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
David, never said it was a bad thing. Plus, it was easy to tell that this was Walker’s last year in the Note. It’s pretty much just a story with no editorial content whatsoever.
by gallagher on Jul 4, 2008 3:52 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
For the record, Sean Gallagher, chairman of the Matt Walker Fan Club, was not in attendance for Walker’s only goal as a St. Louis Blue.
by Chris Gift on Jul 4, 2008 6:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
give it a rest? ha!
larry pleau has been tagged with liking two players, walker and dutchie. it is interesting to note, other people’s personal recollections notwithstanding, that one of his boys is gone.
instead the blues sign yan. of od “this cities” boys.
"Yan can play many roles within our organization," said Davidson. "He has skill, is great at faceoffs and can kill penalties."
and instead of lp giving the standard announcement about the greatness of rj, or eastwood [in fact it would probably be eerie to dig up a lp quote on any of eastwood’s 27 resignings with the team and have it sound different than jd’s lines], or whomever, jd does that now.
if dutchie wasn’t in the bank for 3 yrs I wonder if any of lp’s own personel choices would be on this team this season. he has two replacements already occuping his office space and jd doing most of his public job.
by Childhood Trauma on Jul 4, 2008 7:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Let me get this straight….the enemy signs one of our pylons to man the D, allowing one of our prospects with talent to move up and it’s a SAD day??? Walks on the blue for Chi makes them weaker. Just like he did us.
by StLooFrenchy on Jul 4, 2008 9:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Well, if history has shown us anything, Walker is due for a career year.
by Tim on Jul 4, 2008 10:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
yep, he’ll get TWO whole goals this year, bringing him close to Twist’s career total
by Dooks on Jul 4, 2008 11:15 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Jesus Christ. No one asked YOU to be sad.
New GT Rule: You must read beyond the headline before commenting.
by gallagher on Jul 5, 2008 1:01 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Man IT IS CHRISTMAS IN JULY!!! I can’t be happier. It’s like we signed three players better than anyone on the free agent market but we didn’t really sign in buddy on it. Good bye turds…when Wyno heals from his injury will Walker call for a trade there also? I’ve seen players have a harder time going around a pylon in practice than getting around Walker. There was some promise here and there but then you’d look up and realize it was just Dallas Drake that Walker kept in front of him, not someone with any speed or anything.
On the side note; Glad to know a kid I played hockey with once upon a time remains with the Blues for now. I think if it came to it he could score more goals in a season than RJ but I’m not placing money on any such wager. Unless we’re in for some more presents I don’t see Stastny making the team out of camp unless an injury occurs to someone. Be prepared to fall in love with Chris Porter.
by chris d. on Jul 5, 2008 3:44 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
sean, your post made baby jesus cry, i hope your happy!!!
by Childhood Trauma on Jul 5, 2008 8:08 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
In a Big County dreams stay with you
like a lover’s voice across a mountain side.
Stay alive
by Answer Man on Jul 5, 2008 9:25 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I liked Walker.
I’d have liked to have seen him get re-signed.
It’s always a positve statement for your player development staff when a guy that you draft makes it to the NHL for keeps.
B.
by Brian Weidler on Jul 5, 2008 12:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I think the person most depressed about this turn of events is the head chef for the press box …. he just lost his biggest fan…
by Tim on Jul 5, 2008 1:26 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
fyi, with all the player sigings it should be noted that the blues have signed a team. they re-bought their minor league team that the lauries had sold off during the lockout. checketts now owns (or will when it is finalized) the rivermen and the blues.
by Childhood Trauma on Jul 5, 2008 1:53 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Hawks/Wings got the bid for the 2nd U.S. outdoor game.
Fuck.
by Poor College Student on Jul 6, 2008 10:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
fuck detroit…
everything is their fault
by Christine on Jul 6, 2008 11:44 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Let’s remember the good times,
"Several of us were standing by the locker room door this morning, talking about movies we had seen recently…
Walker walked by us and said: "I don’t watch movies on the road. It’s too heavy carrying the VCR everywhere."
by Chia on Jul 7, 2008 1:52 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Chicago huh, still ten times better than Detroit.
by Nacho Philosophy! on Jul 7, 2008 2:11 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
we owned walker so long he used a vcr on road trips?
does his 8-track player record?
is his favorite candy those wax bottles filled with colored sugar water?
i hope he remember to pack a lunch in his space 1999 lunch box, that drive to chicago is 7 hours. and 1 buble up cola isn’t going to last either.
by Childhood Trauma on Jul 7, 2008 2:54 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Actually, Rutherford reported it in 2008, hence the hilarity of the Beaver Lodge native still using VHS.
Just imagine how much ammo we’d have if someone with talent had JR’s team privileges.
by Chia on Jul 7, 2008 4:26 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Rutherford in and of himself isn’t a bad reporter.
I believe it’s more the fact that he works for the Post-Dispatch.
And there was no better quote than the VCR quip earlier this year
by Poor College Student on Jul 7, 2008 6:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I love it. You think Ryan Johnson was no good, and yet you weep for losing one of the worst players on the team with the exception of brewer. He and Walker were single handedly responsible for 50% of the most bone-headed of plays the last 2 seasons.
by Dave on Sep 30, 2008 12:25 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Dave, read the fucking post before you comment. This isn’t lamenting the loss of Walker as a player, I just happened to like the guy.
Christ sakes.
by gallagher on Sep 30, 2008 2:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

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