Weekly Links - Rocket Bluegrass

WHAT DID WE MISS LAST TIME?:

• We’re less than a week away from NHL games actually counting and shit. Past that, nothing. [SLGT]

GAME RECAPS FOR THIS WEEK:

• Starting next week! (Actual hockey yay!)

SLGT THIS WEEK:

• Tying up a loose end from last week’s links . . . Niklas Hjalmarsson was suspended for the remainder of the preseason and for one NHL game for his high hit on Ty Rattie on October 1st. [SLGT FanShots]
• Barret Jackman—who is a mere 20 days older than me—signed a one-day contract with the Blues and retired from the National Hockey League earlier this week. I am officially older than dirt. [SLGT]
• One of our readers has a specific memory of a Barret Jackman event and wonders if anyone can help him out. If you can . . . please do! [SLGT FanPosts]
• The Blues made a small yet possibly significant trade Friday, acquiring 2012 first overall draft pick—forward Nail Yakupov—from the Oilers in exchange for prospect Zach Pochiro and a conditional draft pick. [SLGT]
• Yakupov seemed to enjoy the deal. [SLGT FanShots]
• The deal is low-risk high-reward. Damn right it is. [SLGT]
• Alexander Steen came back from injury earlier than expected and played in the Blues’ preseason game at Sprint Center in Kansas City (which . . . I attended!) [SLGT]
• Jake Allen was injured and had to leave the Blues’ final preseason game Saturday. A whole fan base holds in its’ collective shit. [SLGT]
• Let’s have a look at the NHL 17 Blues and see if they look anything like their real counterparts. In some cases, sure! In others, not at all! [SLGT]
• Three questions facing the Blues this season. [SLGT]
• And a more expansive preview. [SLGT]
• Dan reviews Ice Guardians, a new film about the role of the hockey enforcer. [SLGT]

OTHER BLUES NEWS:

• Puck Daddy had a write-up on the Yak trade. [Puck Daddy]
• Ty Rattie is doing what he can to make the roster. [StL Today]
• Patrik Berglund is a Goddamn treasure, and other things that came from the Blues’ own analysis of their NHL 17 characters. [Blues]
• Scott Cullen takes a look at the Yakupov trade. [TSN]
• Barret Jackman’s retirement signals a continuance of the end of the prototypical “stay-at-home” defenseman, as Ryan Lambert noted in his latest Trending Topics post. [Puck Daddy]

OTHER HOCKEY NEWS:

• Check out SB Nation’s newest hockey site, The Ice Garden. It’s about women’s hockey at all levels. [The Ice Garden]
• The Penguins had their White House visit, at which the President proudly proclaimed that Phil Kessel is a Stanley Cup Champion. Yes he is, sir. Yes he is. [Puck Daddy]
• Martin St. Louis will become the first Lightning(s) player to have his number retired by the team. I would guess Vincent Lecavalier will soon follow? I hope? [CBS Sports]
• Buffalo Beauts forward Harrison Browne is the first openly transgender athlete in a professional North American sports league. [USA Today]
• Right before trading Yak to the Blues, the Oilers named Connor McDavid their new Captain. He is (and probably now will, going forward for a long time, be) the youngest Captain in NHL history. [The Sporting News]
• Dan Boyle officially retired this week. Fear The Fin thanked him. [Fear The Fin]
• Right after the Blues acquired Yak, there were rumblings that Kris Russell was going to sign with the Oilers (using the cap room saved in the deal). [Sportsnet]
• And yep, that happened. Oh, Oilers. Never change. [The Copper & Blue]
• The Flyers will be without defenseman Michael Del Zotto to begin the season. Hope he doesn’t get too thirsty while he’s gone. [TSN]
• “‘Coyotes 2.0’ Isn’t A Tagline?” [Deadspin]

OTHER SHIT:

• The Notre Dame-North Carolina State was made quite special—and quite fascinating—by Hurricane Matthew. [Deadspin]
• Oregonians love marionberries so much that not many of them make it out of the state. What’s behind the obsession? [NPR / The Salt]
• Check out this base jumper falling through clouds. [Nerdist]
• 50 bars worth traveling to around the world. [Travel+Leisure]
• The story of a former top-secret hospital in Budapest nested inside a cave. [Mental Floss]

BEER OF THE FORTNIGHT:

• If you can find yourself a Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale by Boulevard Brewing, pay whatever you must to get a glass/bottle/keg. It is amazing. Strong (8.5% ABV) and VERY tasty. [Untappd]

VIDEOS:

First . . . I, uhhhhhhh . . . what is this? (S/T to Chase):

I . . . don’t get it. Anyone care to explain?

Next . . . back when they worked for the KHL, Steve “Dangle” Glynn and Andrey Osadchenko followed around new Blues forward Nail Yakupov (back when he played for the OHL’s Sarnia Sting . . . back before the NHL!) . . . it’s a good view:

Welcome aboard, Nail!

And finally, a bluegrass version of a classic Bernie Taupin Elton John tune:

Not bad at all.

THE CLOSER:

BluesMay has your links next week. You know the drill by now:

• @BluesMay
• slgtlinks AT gmail DOT com
• Or post your links in the comments below, and we'll link to those comments next week.