Tuesdays With Hildy: T Minus Four Days Till Puck Drop - How Do You Approach The Season?

by hildymac on Oct 4, 2011 5:26 PM CDT

It's finally, blessedly almost here: the start of the NHL season is upon us! And with it, as Blues fans, there are all sorts of things we have to learn to deal with. Alcoholism, for one. The injury bug. The inevitable rivalries with Detroit and Chicago and their invading fans. Big power forwards plowing over folks and scoring goals. TJ Oshie knocking over players ten times his size, then sleeping through his alarm.

So much stuff to brace yourself for, right? Good and bad, we know we're in for another season. Which do you prepare yourself for? Or do you find yourself of the more neutral persuasion?

The Eternal Optimist: What You Believe

David Backes and Chris Stewart are cracking 30 goals each again. Matt D'Agostini wasn't a fluke last season - he'll score 25 goals this year. Sophomore slump for Kevin Shattenkirk? What IS this madness?

Jaroslav Halak will make it through the season without another hand/wrist injury, and he'll find the starter position to be more to his liking. The injuries to BJ Crombeen and Carlo Colaiacovo will be IT for the season - or at the very least will be the only huge injurieis all year. Evgeny Grachev'll stick at the NHL level and be a 20 goal scorer.

The Blues'll return to the playoffs and maybe, just maybe, win a series.

The Negative Nelly: What You Believe:

The Blues' luck since the lockout has been so terrible (with the exception of 2009 which was merely a happy accident) that you expect everything that has happened all of those other seasons to continue. Best franchise start? That'll happen again with an even rougher stretch afterwards. Every one of the team's defensemen will get injured and Peoria's kids'll get called up. Sure, that'll come with the silver lining of "NHL experience," but at the cost of the team making the playoffs. Heck, those tiny smidges they missed it by the last two seasons? They'll miss it because of a tiebreaker this year.

Patrick Berglund won't live up to the promise of his performance at the World Championships. Chris Stewart'll get into an ill-advised fight and break his hand. TJ Oshie'll get into an ill-advised scrum and break both ankles.

Heck, Davis Payne'll mis-manage the books, have a typo that makes Dave Checketts think the sale price for the Blues is $19 million instead of $190 million, and some PowerBall winner will buy the team and lose it in a poker game to a Detroit fan.

Playoffs? Where's not talking about playoffs.

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Happy Mediums People.

Crombeen and Cola will not be our only injuries, not every single player will have the season we hope they have, and most likely at least 1 player we expect to be a decently big part of the team will finish the season wearing a different uniform. And we will complain about these things. A lot.

But the big difference to me is we are more equipped to deal with things like that happening. Let’s say a top 9 forward gets hurt at some point of the year, and Vodka has been such a solid 4th line forward and great PK guy we want to keep him there. So we go to Grachev. If he doesn’t work, we go to Cheecho. Or McRae. Or Sterling. Or Hensick.

What I’m seeing is we have outstanding organizational depth. While we don’t want the worst case scenario, I think we actually can play through it this season, and still be a damn solid team. That’s why I’ve been so high on this team this off-season. For the first time, I think we are can have a season were a lot goes wrong, and still be a playoff contender, or just a playoff team.

Is willing to go to the mattresses with the lot of yous.

by Novacain on Oct 4, 2011 5:51 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

The Eternal Optimist::

David Perron makes an incredibly quick return, and suits up in early December. He goes on to score 15-20 goals and scores at least one goal to make the goal he scored against the Islanders look like trash.

The Negative Nelly: We are going to be teased with news of David Perron’s progress on a regular basis only for him to experience a series of setbacks that keep him out all season, forcing us to endure the same will he/ wont he play next season BS for another summer.

"At least we aren't Cleveland." - every team that's ever sucked that wasn't from Cleveland.

by blunatic on Oct 4, 2011 8:29 PM CDT reply actions

Missing the playoffs?

I’ll let Sheamus say it for me:
http://youtu.be/XQZm10eHVSs

Baltimore Blast - 6-time MISL/NISL Champions
Let's go Blues!

by UIWWildthing on Oct 4, 2011 8:58 PM CDT reply actions

Sir Barret of Jackman, Esq. agrees with your optimism thusly:

Let's Go Blues!
Support your local NAHL team. Seriously.

by Paperwork Ninja on Oct 4, 2011 11:38 PM CDT up reply actions 4 recs

He even has that look on his face in the off-season.

This is why I love this man.

Thrashing the Blues - No, I'm not re-naming it.
SB Nation St. Louis
St. Louis Game Time - We turn the F bomb into an art form.

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by hildymac on Oct 5, 2011 9:14 AM CDT up reply actions

The Cubs Fan Channeller

“THIS IS THE YEAR! JUST WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR!”

>:D

Let's Go Blues!
Support your local NAHL team. Seriously.

by Paperwork Ninja on Oct 4, 2011 9:50 PM CDT reply actions

75% the former, 25% the latter.

Though losing the Blues in a poker game seems far more likely with every passing day.

Fight Club writer for the print edition of St. Louis Game Time . . . I need another beer.
The Throwdown Lowdown Report, only on The Bluenote Zone.
And I can also write things in 140 characters or fewer.

by Donut King on Oct 4, 2011 9:52 PM CDT reply actions

I should brush up on my poker skills then.

I’ll also plan to win the lottery. There’s a chance I could buy the team! YES!

Let's Go Blues!
Support your local NAHL team. Seriously.

by Paperwork Ninja on Oct 4, 2011 11:22 PM CDT up reply actions

I'll play along..

What I’m hoping for:
Backes blows up Jennifer Toews and her vagina explodes.. shelving her for the season.
Twennycent gets picked up by Chicago PD for screwing a 15 year old at after waking up after a drunken stupor..(I swear officer she told me she was 18.. yeah right!)
Jimmy Howard shows us the same 5 hole thats as wide open as a Vegas hooker on convention night that he seems to show everyone else.
Datsyuk, Zettterberg and the other Dead Thing douchebags get bit by the same injury bug that seems to bite us like.. every year.
Shea Weber decides since he’s making serious bank now that he doesn’t have to try to blow the puck thru opposing defenses and goalies.. and that no other douchebag wearing a sabre-toothed tiger sweater decides to be the Blues killer that Steve Sullivan decided to be his whole damn career.
As for the BJ’s.. they’ll still suck but a good Reaves beatdown on Umberger for his BS last season would be a start.
For the boys in Blue.. A kickass return for DP57.. Berglund going into beast mode,, 15-20 goals each for Arnott & Langenbrunner.. Osh staying on the West Side of the river and focusing on the game in hand instead of hangin with the dancin girls on the east side… Stewie being the beast he showed he was last year.. no sophmore jinx for Petro & Shattie.. and Jaro being as advertised (and you better since I have you in my hockey pool)

The negative.. let’s not go there. A repeat of last year’s injuries will have me looking for rusty razor blades and I can’t afford the cost the amount of alcohol that it would take to get me though something like that again. Not to mention the money I spent on Rivs tickets this year.. I want to see an AHL contender if I’m making the 90 mile one-way trip.

Whoever came up with the "Decatur: We like it here" slogan was apparently on crack and never asked my opinion. And FUCK SHITCAGO & DETROIT!!!

by DecaturBluesFan on Oct 5, 2011 12:22 AM CDT reply actions 4 recs

Holy shit.

Rec’d simply for use of “Jennifer Toews”

That might be my new favorite.

SWYD

by gallagher on Oct 5, 2011 12:34 AM CDT up reply actions

feel free to use at your leisure in future writings.. I'd be honored!

Whoever came up with the "Decatur: We like it here" slogan was apparently on crack and never asked my opinion. And FUCK SHITCAGO & DETROIT!!!

by DecaturBluesFan on Oct 5, 2011 12:42 AM CDT up reply actions

Thats even better than Camel Toews

Well done, well done

St Louis Blues - Season Ticket Holder - Sec 106
SUTA
Twitter: @jdandturkelton
What Exactly is a God Wand?
Anyone who says "Nuff said" or "Need I say more?" needs to be elbowed in the cock.

by I_AM_SPARTACUS on Oct 5, 2011 6:37 AM CDT up reply actions

As a Blues fan of 30 years...

…it would be insane to EXPECT anything good to happen. I’ll just roll with hope like usual.

by forgetyerskatesdream on Oct 5, 2011 11:45 AM CDT reply actions

35 years here Bro,

And I hope this year I’m glad I got the N.H.L. package , not wondering why I did. I think this year we have a good chance to hit the playoffs but the team MUST stay healthy. I know I’ll be sitting here at 8000’ in the snow (forcasted here for Sat.) watching the game and doing “Snakebites” (Yukon Jack and Rose’s lime juice shots) every time they score! Hope they score a dozen.

by Wyoraider on Oct 5, 2011 1:46 PM CDT reply actions