Sunday Fun Day and Other Random Blues Thoughts

Well, I finally did it. I was able to figure out the password to the website and give myself full contributor status. They really should think about changing it to something better than Blackhawks suck. Oops, don’t tell anybody I told you.

Before I get into my observations from last night’s game I want to take a second and say a couple much overdue thank you’s. When I first started writing I had no clue what I was doing or how to go about doing it. All I knew is somehow, someway I wanted to write for St Louis Game Time. And not just the fan run paper they sell outside the stadium but for this website as well.

A more ambitious person may have set lofter goals but for me this is exactly where I wanted to be. This may not be the most respected Blues website on the planet but it is by far the coolest. This is were Blues fans come to have fun and can drop the occasional F-bomb.

I wrote about it in my Game Time article for last night’s paper (I think I’m going to see if I can post it here on the site) but I think it’s worth mentioning again. Game Time isn’t just a paper and it’s not just a website. It’s an idea, it’s a way of life, it’s a family.

So, after saying all that, the first person I would like to thank is @fltxrob. He has been my best friend throughout this whole thing and he has helped my introverted self meet some really cool people. Thanks Rob, I don’t know where this thing is headed but I pretty sure the journey is going too be a lot of fun.

To the Game Time crew, thanks for putting up with me and thanks for printing my very first article. You guys have always looked out for me even though some of you have never met me. That says a lot.

To Dan Buffa, thanks for giving me my start. You took me on when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and encouraged me every step of the way. I look forward to following you for a lot of years to come.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Alright, now that stuff is out of the way, lets talk about the game last night. I was one of the 19,000 in attendance but I was not one of the first 10,000 that received a free Blues hoodie. We arrived to TBD Center right at 4 o’clock and the line to get in was already around the freaking block. It was ridiculous. I wish I had taken a picture but I was so flabbergasted that I forgot. I would like to know how well the Game Time paper sold last night because there were about 5,000 people just standing around looking bored. If you couldn’t get some of them to buy one you might want to reconsider the quality of your product. Needles to say, we parked the car and then headed in the opposite direction towards our new favorite pre-game watering hole.

By the time we got our game face on and head up to the stadium the lines were pretty much gone. Alas, we did not receive the afore mentioned sweatshirt but we also didn’t have to stand in line for 45 minutes, so I’ll call it a wash.

Once inside I had to hit the pro-shop to check the prices on a few things for one of my friends who couldn’t make it to the game. HOLY COW. I understand the laws of supply and demand and I also understand there is a difference between authentic merchandise and knock off gear but Christ almighty I don’t understand how people can afford this stuff. The NHL is not doing itself any favors by pricing half the fanbase out of its merchandise. Not only are they alienating people but that is free advertising they are passing up. A kid wears his favorite Blues jersey or hoodie to school and the next thing you know ten kids are asking him all about hockey. I think you get my point.

Anyways, needless to say, I didn’t buy anything. Once I got to my seat a couple really cool things happened. First off, I looked down and the lady sitting in front of me was reading a Game Time and even better she was reading my story. I didn’t have the courage to ask her if she like what she was reading but I did tap her on the shoulder too introduce myself and thank her for reading Game Time. That single handedly made my night. Thank you pretty lady.

The other cool thing that happened is I got a follow from the elusive and wildly popular @hitchshat. This probably sounds like an insignificant nothing but in the world of Blues twitter it’s a big deal. His may not be the best Blues twitter account but he is right there in the running. I may not always agree with what he says but I can definitely appreciate the time and work he puts into it. If you aren’t following him already I strongly recommend you do so.

Its becoming increasingly hard for me to pay attention to the game when I’m sitting in my seat. There are so many people to talk to and so many things to do that I don’t end up actually watching very much of the game. But that’s ok, I can do all the analyzing I want when I’m in front of my TV at home. However, there are a couple of things I took away from the game last night. The Blues were actually able to stay out of the box, which is a very big step in the right direction. Second, all of the goals against were results of either broken coverage or a lack of urgency.

There are a couple different ways we can look at it. One, the Blues got caught playing down to their opponent and it came back to bite them. They got caught deviating from their game plan and failed to correct their uninspiring play which led to them once again giving away valuable points to a division rival.

Or you could say that the Blues made three mistakes and they resulted in the worst possible outcome. The offense was still able to score some goals even after that heartbreaking short-handed goal against. The Blues were able to stay out of the box which is always a good thing. And even though they weren’t able to get the win in OT they do have at least a point in the last 11 home games, so we’ve got that going for us.

Either way you look at the Blues still have somethings to improve on and they better get it figured out fast. After Tuesday the Blues head out on a four game road trip with a back to back in New York and New Jersey. If they play out there the way they’ve played at home its not going to be pretty.

Ok I’m out of words. See ya later skater.