but if a crazy man waved money bags in front of me, I’d be jumping out of my chair to grab ‘em from him (if it really were Bettman, following the cash grab I’d coldcock the sonofabitch . . . I’m a terrible first date). Then again, I’m not Super Dave Checketts, so who knows on that one.

All of this could happen as you suspect, Juan, and I will say that I understand where you’re coming from here, while also saying that I hope you’re wrong about it (you probably hope the same). Yet I also think that this could work out to be a team-building exercise. Let’s face it . . . with most of the team members being from North America and some of them possibly having never left the continent before, they’ll probably hang out together while overseas and make tours and trips out of the hotel into team events. That wouldn’t hurt. They could also use TechnoViking as a tour guide. Photoshop that picture how you will.

Also a factor . . . . What about Detroit? Same thing goes for them. And I sure wouldn’t be crying for them if they finished, say, 12th this year, fell flat on their faces and ended up having to fire Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s long-lost Canadian brother Mike Babcock. The problem is trying to figure out which of the four categories they fit here. It’d be too easy to lump them with Pittsburgh, but while they’re talented . . . they sure as fuck aren’t young.

1. It’s exposure. How many times this year will the spotlight be on the Blues on the national level? Can’t remember the last time they played on Hockey Night In Canada. So from that standpoint, it’s a good thing.

2. If they’re charging for FanFest, they need the cash flow.

3. Herring will help them score goals. And think about all the Ikea furniture they’ll be lounging on. Very ergonomic. Why do you think the Iceberg is so tall and yet skilled? It’s the Ikea.

4. Man I hope I don’t get sick next Friday afternoon.

5. Anything that will get me drinking beer at two in the afternoon is a good thing.

6. If anyone gets hurt or the team lays an egg after coming back, we need to tie Gallagher up, attach him to a stone and throw him in the river to confirm he’s a witch. If he floats, we burn him at the stake.

While you do make some valid points, I disagree to an extent.
I had the opposite reaction when hearing the Blues were opening in Stockholm as you.
“Oh fuck.” TB hated it, and several of the other teams never recovered the last few years.

Of course, I may be a bit biased now that I am part of the NHL Premiere, Sweden style… as
I am going with my wife and w/o the kid.

In looking at the schedule of the Sweden “Premiere Sports Travel” plan, it does look busy for not only the travelers, but the team as well. They have the preseason game against the Sweden local club (can’t remember right now, and too lazy to google), the practice for the “regular” season game, and then the meet and greet lunch with the folks that paid the 10 mortgage payments for the chance to travel to Sweden to be part of the “NHL Premiere” experience.

The Blues have from Sunday to Thursday to de-jetlag to play a subpar team (sorry hildy) for the home opener.
Then follow up vs another sub par team (LA). At least we aren’t coming back to play Chicago/SJ/Ana type teams…right?….

Of course, it doesn’t help the St. Louis Blues fans as the Cardinals (not Arizona, I had to check), are playing their final home games of the regular season. One of them WHILE the Blues are playing their 2nd Regular season game.

“Hey Ryan, guess what? There’s the Blues first home game is on your birthday!”
“No way! Against who?”
“The redwings”
“Double No way! Can we get tickets?”
“Sure but youre also gonna need a plane ticket because it’s in Sweeden”
“FUUUUCK!!!”(days later, michael jackson, billy mays, and Farrah Fawcett are all dead)

At nhl.com for the season opening in Europe, here is what I saw.
3 articles listed on a rotating “area” towards the bottom of the website.
All three fucking articles were about Helsinki or Finland.
FUCKERS ! ! !

Beyond my hatred for all things euro, this is fucking stupid. Why? Because the Blues fans located in St. Louis deserve to see this team play, not some mamby pamby euros (Sorry Marcus, you are a solid dude but this is business)

They don’t deserve it and there is just so much risk in the travel. Yeah the beloved Blues get the exposure but you know what else gets you exposure? Winning a lot of games in a regular old NHL rink.

I could go on and on but Answer Mom needs the PC to check in with her bookie.

Fuck Europe and their weird looking money and silly languages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL-BA86UhoE

its an excuse to start slow. jet lag, swedish bordello creeping sickness, yadda yadda yada, and any potential excuse= more people keep jobs longer.

the thing i don’t understad has nothing to do with sweden but with this money making extra thing…

Meet the Blues Packages

Want the best Blues hockey experience available? The following packages is available for $500 at most Thursday and Saturday home games at Scottrade Center. For more details or to order your Meet the Blues Package, call 314.622.BLUE. A limited amount of packages are available.

Each Meet the Blues Package includes:

4 Club Seats

2 Autographed Hockey Sticks

Meet & Greet with a Blues Star

ok. i’d be somewhat interested 1.25 per ticket. eh but what we doing with the sticks, halving them or playing quarters?

now what day. hmmmm

Saturday February 6 Chicago Barret Jackman & Eric Brewer

quick sign me up!!limited availablitly. will be the only time i see eric this season!!!! siiiiign me upppppp!!

“I don’t care what you say about me, as long as you say something about me, and as long as you spell my name right.”

George M. Cohan

The league picked the Blues because they consider St. Louis an up and coming team, and because ownership showed interest.

Look at the teams that have been getting top billing lately for NHL events-
’07 European Games- Los Angeles and Anaheim
’08 Winter Classic- Pittsburgh at Buffalo
’08 European Games- Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Rangers, Tampa
’09 Winter Classic- Detroit at Chicago
’09 European Games- St. Louis, Detroit, Chicago, Florida
’10 Winter Classic- Philadelphia at Boston

Tampa was everybody’s pick for a bounceback team last year, and Ottawa was supposed to be decent.

The Blues are now on the league’s radar. It is a good sign for the team.

They have four games in 17 days after they play in Sweden and before they go to Pittsburgh on the 20th, three of those four are against non-playoff teams (home for Atlanta, and LA, and at Phoenix), they should be fine by then.

Wasn’t one of the aims of the “overseas” games to raise the profile of hockey in the particular country they were visiting?

Well, I tell you…when the Kings and Ducks played in London, what press coverage was there over here in the UK? Zip. Or as next to zip as makes no odds. No television coverage or even mentions on any of the mainstream tv channels, nothing in the newspapers apart from the occasional 2 sentence byline somewhere. It was atrocious. The games sold out – but there were a hell of a lot of people from all over Europe making the trip.

It was here then it was gone. And it didn’t make a blind bit of difference over here because there was no support system in place to promote it to “newbies”. Only idiots like me in the UK who stayed up till the wee small hours watching games on a minority channel even knew it was happening.

Sweden will probably be different because of the larger hockey scene – it’s just a shame the NHL didn’t promote that event the way the NFL did when they came to London. Hell, everyone knew that was going on.