Tuesdays With Hildy: Performance Anxiety - There's a Pill for That.

by hildymac on Dec 8, 2009 10:41 AM CST

Norm Sanders tweeted the question, and Panger, Bernie, and DK were discussing it during the 3rd period last night - what is wrong with us at home?

The Post-Dispatch hopped onto the "Good God, seriously?" bandwagon this morning as well, questioning what is going on that puts the Blues in such a chipper, goofy mood during road games. 5-9-2, either home or away, does not a playoff team make, but there's a home ice advantage that is supposed to play into this. It's psychologically proven (it's in my psych book, I swear!) that positive crowd reinforcement encourages better play. No one wants to do something amazing and not have anyone care, good or bad. The Teej claims it's people getting too comfortable. I don't know about you, but comfort doesn't mean score less than 2 goals a game. Comfort means knowing you're supported, so get out there and try.

Is it the last second goal that threw them off? Is a goal with less than 30 seconds in a period a viable reason to go sit in the locker room, pout, and then come out and play flatter than a pancake? Did getting scored on make them stop and go "Wait, awww, we're letting the fans down here! Let's do it more!" I really, honest to God wish that there were some way to bug the locker room to hear what's really being said, because canned responses and "I don't know, really"s aren't worth anything, and the guys know it.

They're not getting heckled by their own fans, I didn't hear any big booos (though I wasn't there - if you were and it happened, please correct me). There isn't a hostile atmosphere. Maybe that's the issue. Perhaps if the opposition didn't feel so comfortable in our barn it wouldn't be so bad. Both teams aren't really impacted much one way or the other by where they're playing. That needs to change.

Poll

What's up with the performance anxiety?

Gotta make sure all of those pieces of the puzzle fit... but it's not looking like the picture on the box.

58 votes

Crowd environment - fans heckling poor performances are hurting their feelings.

14 votes

They need to crush the hopes and dreams of as many people as possible - Blues fans at home, the opposition fans on the road. It makes them feel like men.

68 votes

140 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

plain and simple...

its just physically impossible for us to win 3 games in a row..

If you have a donkey and i have a chicken and youre donkey ate my chickens feet what would you have.... 2 feet of my cock in youre ass!! haha

by bleedblue2009 on Dec 8, 2009 11:15 AM CST reply actions

Maybe too many bandwagoners jumped aboard last year and the crowd has been diluted with fair-weather fans. No idea. It does seem to be a much less rowdy atmosphere than last year.. not a lot of energy.

http://www.stlouisgametime.com/

by cold on Dec 8, 2009 11:55 AM CST reply actions

thats cuz

they arent givin us anything to be energized about.. just building is gonna be quiet until we do somethin.. there sure wasnt alot to cheer about last night

If you have a donkey and i have a chicken and youre donkey ate my chickens feet what would you have.... 2 feet of my cock in youre ass!! haha

by bleedblue2009 on Dec 8, 2009 12:07 PM CST up reply actions

no, the crowd has pissed me off ALL year

after the shootout loss to Detwat, there were idiot walking around talking about how “worthless our youth is, and that we should have traded Osh”. Hey bandwagoners, he missed, it happens and he is still an amazing talent and asset to this team.
Last night there were boo’s coming after a brilliant rush and long possession in their end. I know they were frustrated, because obviously we did not score, but what made our fans “the best” was they did not pull crap like this, they were acting like Chicago fans, and it was disgusting . . . there was no hope for the team after that.

by breibird on Dec 8, 2009 2:25 PM CST up reply actions

they were booing the no call when McDonald was takin down

Some days you live some days you die and some days you just want to create a redwing just to kill it......

by Go_Blues on Dec 8, 2009 6:38 PM CST up reply actions

the booing I am talking about had nothing to do w/ Andy Mac

and i am doubtful it had anything to do with the lack of calls during the game either

by breibird on Dec 9, 2009 12:03 AM CST up reply actions

I was surprised

at the lack of crowd energy and the empty seats at the Detroit game.

I remember the energy from two years ago that almost blew the roof off the building the night the dude yelled, “Let’s trade Brewer!” into Angellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllla’s microphone/lover.

That type of energy was missing from the first faceoff at the last Detroit game. What a disappointment.

The team bought the hype. In selling the hype, the front office alligator mouths overloaded their squirrel asses.

Rest assured, “Yuppie Heaven” is back. Fuck.

Let's go Blues!!!

by Milo. on Dec 8, 2009 8:05 PM CST up reply actions

Rest assured, "Yuppie Heaven" is back. Fuck

No truer words have been spoken. I’ve been downstairs for three games this year and it is the place to “see and be seen” more than I’ve ever witnessed before.

Upstairs isn’t much better. In my usual section there have been a bunch of instances where fans are turning on each other and yelling at one another about Brewer, Towel Boy and the Power Play Dance. I’ve never seen anything like it.

SWYD

by gallagher on Dec 9, 2009 12:45 AM CST up reply actions

you mean the ones that understand when they see a piss poor product on the ice and wonder where did all that hope go

I think it might of crawled back up the PR departments ASS

Some days you live some days you die and some days you just want to create a redwing just to kill it......

by Go_Blues on Dec 8, 2009 6:44 PM CST up reply actions

If DK is on Twitter . . .

then that’s one hell of a comeback.

One day, David Backes and Albert Pujols will combine forces to become the most awesome piece of violent force known to man.

by Donut King on Dec 8, 2009 12:42 PM CST reply actions

there is occasional booing

against the entire team after a partiullary sloppy period or poweplay. not sure if that occured last night, but i’ve heard it this season. and honestly, what do they expect? even checketts mentioned (and rightly so) that the fan base has been more than patient. when that patience expires tough, it will probably get pretty ugly, and I’m guessing it will bcome a fire murray movement (for those who missed it, the anti-keenan sentiment was so strong towards the end of his tenure that the blues staff were not allowed to show his image on the jumbo tron).

I mean if we all start booing who would we target? brewer ain’ there. no love for pk, i’d think, but hatred? don’t see that. eh.

look

the every hockey team needs to:

work hard at home

win at hme

and

maketheir home ice a placeoter teams do not enjoy visiting.

bues are STILL 0-3 on those, and it is the work on that REALLY cheeses m off. how can their even be an excuse for that?

A strong anvil fears no hammer

by Childhood Trauma on Dec 8, 2009 1:12 PM CST reply actions

Work hard at home is a understatement

this team has no concept of that at the moment

Some days you live some days you die and some days you just want to create a redwing just to kill it......

by Go_Blues on Dec 8, 2009 6:32 PM CST up reply actions

Last night

The crowd did not boo or heckle the team. The fans showed the same amount of enthusiasm as the Blues did, which is virtualy none.

From section 315 we could hear section 307 ask Tom Calhoun “How much time is left”. We are almost fully on the other side of the arena.

The team didn’t care and the fans are starting to give up as well.

If it don’t turn around soon I fear the Blues will be playing in front of 8,000 fans again and the coach will be the least of their problems.

by Bleedbluecp2 on Dec 8, 2009 1:28 PM CST via mobile reply actions

there was one big group of boo's

at the end of the 2nd period they got it pretty good and that was it.. if you ask me they got off pretty easy.. cuz i know i sat there and bitched and moaned for about 60 mins and im usually the loudest one there is (if you sit near 326, you know who i am).. i was quiet virtually the whole game.. there was nothing exciting about last night.. ive been to almost 200 games (considering im only 18 i think its respectable) that may have been one of the worst games ive seen.. not the worst but its gotta be bottom 10 or so

If you have a donkey and i have a chicken and youre donkey ate my chickens feet what would you have.... 2 feet of my cock in youre ass!! haha

by bleedblue2009 on Dec 8, 2009 3:21 PM CST up reply actions

again wasn't there

but i have heard that kind of boo at some games i’ve attended. and again. what would they expect?

that second period deserved being booed. hell the players should have all skated to center ice, and booed themselves before going to the locker room.

A strong anvil fears no hammer

by Childhood Trauma on Dec 8, 2009 4:59 PM CST up reply actions

You are excatly right these guys dont get a free pass

we love it when someone puts their ass in gear and “works” it made TJ a star here…but there are to many guys taking plays off or gliding on the ice to get to a certin point or back to the bench. I will Boo this team as soon as they quit giving a 100% at home but I may be to late. Still isnt worth the price of admission

Some days you live some days you die and some days you just want to create a redwing just to kill it......

by Go_Blues on Dec 8, 2009 6:36 PM CST up reply actions

i was at the game we lost 5-0 to detroit.the only excitment in that game was polak almost killing hossa

Somliga tänker på framtiden och upprörd. Fheiceáil de börjar raket och skyddsrum. Fheiceáil De TJ Oshie, börja ett nedfallet tak. "

by Oshie#74 on Dec 8, 2009 4:07 PM CST reply actions

that was great

Hossa comes back from injury and Polak destroyed him into the boards reinjuring Hossa

Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat

by DESTROYER on Dec 8, 2009 4:55 PM CST up reply actions

During postgame radio...

… every single talking head was absolutely adamant that the coaching is not the problem.

Then they brought up the power play, and how it’s dead last in the league.

I’m having a hard time getting those two statements to coexist in my head. When your team has the worst power play in the league, and you don’t have the worst power-play personnel in the league, then the difference HAS to be coaching. Doesn’t it?

(And no, last night’s game can’t be blamed on the power play; but with a league-average PP, the team would be much closer to the playoff contenders and stinkers like last night could be blown off much more easily.)

by BleedBlue42 on Dec 8, 2009 4:17 PM CST reply actions

the coaching on the PP

has already been changed this season.. and since AM handed off PP duties to Shaw and Bennett there has been no improvement.. so no its not coaching.. its hard to score goals when there is minimal effort more times than not

If you have a donkey and i have a chicken and youre donkey ate my chickens feet what would you have.... 2 feet of my cock in youre ass!! haha

by bleedblue2009 on Dec 8, 2009 4:51 PM CST up reply actions

Well, if coaching on the PP has changed, it sure hasn't shown.

I still see us D&C. I still see a complete lack of anything resembling an organized attack. I see the same grabasstic shit I’ve seen all fucking season, and it’s growing tiresome.

Look at the stats. We’re in the top half of the league in pretty much every other aspect of play, EXCEPT PP. We get even a mediocre PP, and we can start talking playoffs.

Now, if Mase/Conklin start going through a rough patch and our offense continues at it’s 1.8/game clip or whatever dismal number it’s at….that could be a different story.

by Washoo on Dec 8, 2009 4:54 PM CST up reply actions

the blues do on the power play what they do off it

first option… miss the net, if that doesn’t seem likely they go for option number two, hit someon’es shin pad aqnd there is the fall back "hit the goalies crest.

i’ve looked, the blues, on average, miss more shots per game than their opponent, get more shots blocked, and have more shots saved. its a trio of epic fail.

you do ALL three of them and vbasically you gotta shoot about 20 extra times a game to pick up that one goal you need to tie you opponent, nevermind pulling ahead of him. sheesh!

A strong anvil fears no hammer

by Childhood Trauma on Dec 8, 2009 4:57 PM CST up reply actions