St. Louis' Hockey Secret: The St. Louis Bandits

by gallagher on Feb 28, 2009 11:00 AM CST

Did you know that St. Louis has a Junior A hockey team? Did you know that they are the current two-time champions of said Junior A league? Did you know that they're playing the US National Development Team Program tonight?

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I didn't. But I wound up out at the Chesterfield rink last night watching some of the US' best young players battling it out. The local team, the defending champion St. Louis Bandits defeated one of the best feeder teams in the States 2-1 with a goal in the last 10 seconds of the game.

Total cost to bring my family of five? $12.

You can see these guys go at it again tonight at 7:15 if you can get there. If not tonight, they have a few home games left on their schedule before they start the playoffs.

The Bandits currently have five players who have committed to D-I hockey programs already. Based on what I saw last night, there will be a few more to join the ranks.

The USNDTP (under 17) squad has 15 players who are committed to D-I college programs already.

We have no idea why this isn't better promoted or better attended, but if you want to see a great game and get to see players who will have a good chance of either playing in college or being drafted by NHL teams (Erik Johnson, for one, is a veteran of the USNDTP and Ryan Turek played for the Bandits before being drafted by the Blues), find your way to a Bandits game.

Need another reason? Fine, we'll give you two:

The players are always available for autographs after the game and are more than friendly to your kids. That's how you grow the next gen of hockey fans.
Jeff Brown is their coach.

Plus, they sell beer, which is always a plus in our book.

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Kelly Chase, Brett Hull, and Ben Bishop all own a piece of the team, too...

Their leading scorer is committed to Colorado College next year, and they have a big d-man from my neck of the woods (Edwardsville) who is going to Minnesota State (alma mater of Daid Backes and Dancin’ Stevie Wagner) next year.

This is all way cool… if Chesterfield wasn’t so far away from me, i’d get out there on a regular basis. As it is, I’m going to have to make a special trip very soon.

"If we do not prepare for ourselves the role of the hammer, there will be nothing left but that of the anvil."

-- Otto von Bismarck, 1851

http://www.tomorrowsblues.net

by Tomorrows Blues on Feb 28, 2009 12:20 PM CST reply actions

I thought you'd really want to go tonight, B.

Since the USNDTP U-17s are there.

SWYD

by gallagher on Feb 28, 2009 1:10 PM CST up reply actions

I'd love to, but Momma sez "nix."

She has a Saturday night off for the first time in, like, forever… and she has zero interest in spending it at a hockey game, and even less interest in spending it at home alone watching the “All Men Are Assholes” Movie Of The Week on the “Lifetime” channel…

"If we do not prepare for ourselves the role of the hammer, there will be nothing left but that of the anvil."

-- Otto von Bismarck, 1851

http://www.tomorrowsblues.net

by Tomorrows Blues on Feb 28, 2009 1:33 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah I did

When they won their first championship I was actually there. I had just gotten back from the sandbox and was stationed at Wainwright which is in Fairbanks,AK.

It’s good shit. They talk about it often with the Blues, at least they did last season and especially on the KMOX side. I would have mentioned but I assumed. I hate assuming. It makes an ass out of you and me.

by Henry Miller's Used Penis on Feb 28, 2009 1:44 PM CST reply actions