By Brad Lee
I like random thoughts. Try to keep up.
Has any other team in the NHL changed their sweaters and colours (I love Canadian spelling) than the Yotes? First they were green and then black with the hideous checkered border. Then they dropped their main logo and went to a howling coyote and bloody red. Why? It bugs me, just like the Astros going from black to maroon hats or the Texas rangers going from blue to red to blue again. Make your own woman decorating the house joke here. Or here, or over there next to the window.
So normally it takes much longer for the play of the Blues to cause an arena to be evacuated. And that's usually at home, not on the road. Danny Boy reported a small kitchen, not Mike Kitchen, was on fire. So the alarm went off and everyone decided to leave quietly. NHL fever, catch it!
On the first goal the Blues allowed, young Bacashihua made a nice save on the initial shot, but he left the puck at his feet. LOVED how Steve Poapst just skated by before turning to look as the puck got shoveled over a splayed Bacashihua. Maybe I'm being too hard on Poapst. Maybe figuring out where the puck is and having a little sense of urgency around your own net isn't important for a defenseman. On second thought, that was a nice Sasha Khavanov impersonation. Did you notice the blank look on his face and an obvious aversion to physical contact with another player? Vintage Sasha.
When Matt Walker comes back, does he or Wideman go down to Peoria, or does Poapst take a hike? Maybe Weinrich goes on the trading block. Just a thought.
By the way Gallagher, possibly the only reader of this blog right now, I love the "how the teams were built" section of Game Time. Is it not shocking to see Jamal Mayers as the longest tenured Blue? He's a grinder with speed who always showed enough promise that you constantly hope he's turning the corner in his career. He's freaking 31 now! How can this be? He's never had double digits in goals and his highest point output for a season is 21. He only had83 points in his whole career before his 13 this year. He played in 368 NHL games coming into this season. Holy Larry Pleau, how is this guy still in the NHL? Sure he can skate pretty fast, but what else can he do?
After the Mike Sillinger power play goal in the first period tonight, did Bernie Federko say something to the effect of "he was breaking wind when he got hooked?" Huh? And speaking of Silinger, I love how he plays. He would be a valuable piece for a contender. I'd hate to see him go, but the little things he can do like winning big faceoffs and penalty killing will make him a decent addition sometime this year. And as soon as I typed that, he scored his second power play goal of the game. Man that guy has a nose for the puck and findng the right place to be at the right time.
I just hit the mute button on the old Sony Wega to avoid hearing that damn coyote cry when Glendale goes on the power play or scores a goal. I think my ears are bleeding.
I think when Eric Brewer stays healthy, he's going to become a fan favorite. His aggressiveness and his shot will become an asset. He'll never be a Chris Pronger, but that shouldn't be expected of him. Pronger is so tall and his reach so long, he can clear the crease just by being in the vicinity. The Blues defense, accostomed to that space in front of their own net, took awhile to adjust to that. Brewer is a different kind of player and will be respected for what he brings to the rink.
Is it just me, or is deflecting a puck in front of the net in traffic as hard or harder than hitting a baseball? If you've never tried, it feels impossible. The puck almost has to hit you for it to work. And your natural reaction is to get out of the way, not hit the puck out of mid air.
Love how I slam Jammer and then he scores an insurance goal. Note to self: make snotty remarks about players on the blog during games more often.
So after the win, you must realize this is a game they normally lose this year. I was expecting the tying goal late in the game. Good first win for the rook, and a great start to the road trip. Let's see where this thing goes. Disney on ice should beware, the Blues have a one-game winning streak.