St. Louis Game Time - Flames At Blues GameDay Storystream: Mulligan!We're one ugly bastard.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/10753/gt-fave.png2014-10-11T17:42:32-05:00http://www.stlouisgametime.com/rss/stream/67251022014-10-11T17:42:32-05:002014-10-11T17:42:32-05:00Steve Ott's On The Top Line Tonight<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="/rss/stream/6725102">Steve Ott's On The Top Line&nbsp;Tonight</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>Apparently putting Steen on the top line and playing Magnus Paajarvi is not an option.</p>
<p>This is just to start the game, remember that - I'm sure it'll be switched up. Still, it's an interesting decision.</p></p></div>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2014/10/11/6963123/steve-otts-on-the-top-line-tonighthildymac2014-10-11T17:30:02-05:002014-10-11T17:30:02-05:00GameThread for Calgary Flames at St. Louis Blues
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<figcaption>Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Blues couldn't ask for a better opponent to bounce back against.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.matchsticksandgasoline.com/">Calgary Flames</a> should be tired tonight, in theory. This is their third game in four nights. <span>Jiri Hudler</span> is sick with the flu, so it seems that <span>Jay Bouwmeester</span> isn't the only guy feeling a little under the weather. The Flames have lost their last four games at Scottrade, and are playing a goaltender with a career 1.80 GAA against them.</p>
<p>This may be the game that fans wished that they had on opening night, especially if the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">Blues</a> push right out of the gate. They need to get a good start, because most of the folks in Scottrade'll start checking their phones around 7:00 when the Cardinals play the Giants in the NLCS. Get that good hockey going while people are paying attention.</p>
<p>This is your GDT. We won't judge if you watch baseball instead, though I will personally advocate for some form of multitasking (NLCS on TV, Blues on iPad for me). If you're downtown tonight, be careful. I hear it's going to be crowded.</p>
<p>Let's do this. Let's go Blues.</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2014/10/11/6962957/gamethread-for-calgary-flames-at-st-louis-blues-oct-11-2014hildymac2014-10-11T16:12:40-05:002014-10-11T16:12:40-05:00Buy Flames At Blues Game Time Paper
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<img alt="Hey puck. High five!" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iM-H44dksBojAccxEFbfhoQfPjY=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/41634432/20141009_ajw_bv1_204.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Hey puck. High five! | Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Now you can buy the PDF of the paper we sell downtown outside the St. Louis Blues game. </p> <p>Hey there <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">Blues</a> fans. So that opening night game kind of sucked. The first two periods didn't seem like the St. Louis Blues we've come to know and enjoy. And when they finally got their act together, <span>Rick Nash</span> beat them. Go fucking figure.</p>
<p>It will be interesting tonight to see who starts in goal and what the line combinations look like. If Jaden Schwartz and <span>Vladimir Tarasenko</span> aren't playing together, Hitchcock will drive me to drink. Well, more than normal. Also, I don't care if <span>Alexander Steen</span> and his teenage friend can play together, they better play with David fucking Backes. Just two demands. keep those pairs together. And don't suck.</p>
<p>So you know, we sell this little publication that we sell outside every Blues home game. In January it will be 20 years that a fan-run paper has been sold outside the Kiel Center/Savvis Center/Scottrade Center/Your Name Here Center. This season we're making every edition available via PDF from the comfort of your couch. All you have to do is go to our <a href="https://sowl.co/0GcML">secure vendor</a> and pay $3. It's just that simple. And if you like it, email me at gtbradlee at gmail dot com and you can get details from me for an email subscription where you'll receive the paper several hours ahead of time.</p>
<p>If you haven't given the paper a try, it's almost completely different than the website (we have two common stories in 24 pages of stats, analysis and jokes). And that's for a reason. Here at the site, you can interact and comment and contribute. With <a href="https://sowl.co/0GcML">the paper</a>, we're focused on the game at hand and giving you a complete look at both teams.</p>
<p>Thanks for paying attention. And Let's Go Blues.</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2014/10/11/6962827/buy-tonights-game-time-paper-blues-vs-flamesBrad Lee2014-10-11T14:00:03-05:002014-10-11T14:00:03-05:00Flames At Blues Game Preview: Shooooooooooot.
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The season opener wasn't the game that many fans were hoping for. Tonight is a perfect chance for the team to get back on the right footing.</p> <p>I am not usually the kind of person to side with the drunk fan who, on the power play, screams "shooooooooooot." They drive me insane. Thursday night, I was that guy. Not drunk, not screaming, but someone who was very frustrated by missed chances and golden opportunities.</p>
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<p>General consensus from players that commented is that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stlblues?src=hash">#stlblues</a> passed up on shooting the puck. That needs to change quickly. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stlblues?src=hash">#stlblues</a></p>
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) <a href="https://twitter.com/lkorac10/status/520435029806034944">October 10, 2014</a>
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<p><span>Vladimir Tarasenko</span> missed quite a few golden chances, but he wasn't the only one. The guys seemed to be already buying in to the storyline that they were more mobile this year, that they were going to move the puck so well that other teams'd need to have their head on a swivel. You can't pull that against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/">Rangers</a>, and it also doesn't matter how many times you pass or how well you move that puck if you don't direct it at the net.</p>
<p>Tarasenko shouldn't be scared to shoot against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.matchsticksandgasoline.com/">Flames</a>. Last year, as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">Blues</a> won the season series 2-0-1, he had two goals and two assists.</p>
<p>The Flames would like a winning streak behind new goaltender <span>Jonas Hiller</span>, but their last win came against a completely different level of team: the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.coppernblue.com/">Edmonton Oilers</a>, who dropped an embarrassing game Thursday night to the flames 5-2. People haven't started throwing jerseys on the ice in Edmonton yet, but they have started with hoodies (and cell phones).</p>
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<p>An Oilers fan threw their hoodie on the ice WITH THEIR PHONE IN IT after the FIRST GAME? My god. <a href="http://t.co/S2V7d1nrVS">pic.twitter.com/S2V7d1nrVS</a></p>
— Jeff Veillette (@Jeffler) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jeffler/status/520441156073955330">October 10, 2014</a>
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<p>Yep, it's hockey season in Alberta.</p>
<p>Need more evidence of that the Battle of Alberta may be more like a minor skirmish? T<a href="https://twitter.com/lkorac10/status/520972962238070785" target="_blank">he Flames will be without Jiri Hudler, who is ill, as well as David Jones. Brian McGrattan and Devin Setoguchi will be in instead</a>.</p>
<p>The Blues should go with the same line-up that they iced on Thursday, though I would be surprised to see Pietrangelo and Cole pared together again. I think we may be able to pencil that in as a failed experiment. <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/jprutherford/status/520644018041262080">Brian Elliott is in goal again tonight</a>; some people are quick to already point and laugh at the Blues' "failed goalie experiment." I like to rebut that with the fact that it's been one game, one of the goals against Ells was a breakaway because no one was paying attention to <span>Chris Kreider</span>, and one was a flukey bounce. Let's give the season at least a month before we start our annual goaltender freak-out, shall we?</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2014/10/11/6962045/flames-at-blues-game-preview-blues-need-to-rebound-and-shoothildymac2014-10-11T11:00:02-05:002014-10-11T11:00:02-05:00Memorabilia Memoirs: Autograph Hound
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<figcaption>Game worn Blues jersey (1991-92, 2nd set with 25/75 patches) signed by Brendan Shanahan | Rick Ackerman</figcaption>
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<p>You might recognize the "Memorabilia Memoirs" (formerly "Lighting the Lamp") feature from the Game Time paper. Rick Ackerman has been nice enough to send over his column for the website. "Memorabilia Memoirs" will be featured every home game day.</p> <h1>Memorabilia Memoirs</h1>
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<p class="MsoNormal">with Rick Ackerman</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Perhaps the single most appealing aspect of collecting hockey memorabilia is the desire to approach a professional player and ask him for an autograph on a treasured collectible. Hundreds of people will wait in long lines at arranged public signings and even stand for hours in the rain or snow in a parking lot or by the entrance to a hotel for a chance to get something signed. Others will spend hundreds of dollars sending jerseys, sticks and other items in the mail to players, enclosing extra money for return postage or a sizable contribution to the players' favorite charities. Usual items include hats, jerseys, pucks, sticks, cards, books and pictures, although I have seen other unusual objects offered for a signature, such as a car (several players went out to the parking lot for that one), a dinner plate, a couple of iPhones belonging to giggling teenage girls, underwear (also belonging to giggling teenage girls), and body parts, including bald heads and even bare breasts. One un-named player would not sign a pro-offered bald head, yet had no problem signing a rather magnificent mammary in the back-room of a popular local drinking establishment.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Sometimes getting an autograph is simple and easy. A decade ago, all one had to do was go to the <a href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Blues</a> practice facility at the St. Louis Mills in early September and wait for the players to exit the ice. Because of the NHL lock-out and a terrible Blues team at the time, very few people were there and the players were more than happy to stop and sign. The same was true at the top of the exit-ramp at the players' underground parking lot at the TradeStocks Center. And the Blues sponsored a breakfast at the Missouri Athletic club at which players were readily available. However, as the team got better (and MUCH more popular), those opportunities vanished as the area at the Mills was roped off from the public and people were banished to wait outside by the southern exit of the players' parking lot (fenced), hoping some of the boys would stop to sign. The northern exit, which many players chose to use, was forbidden territory, firmly guarded by Mills' security and the Hazelwood Police. The top of the ramp on S. 16th Street was also ruled off-limits (and wisely so as fans would block traffic or jump in front of cars there). The MAC breakfast was cancelled two or three years ago.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>There are still several opportunities provided by the club, including Fan-fest, Dream Night and the KMOX radio shows hosted by Chris Kerber at various locations, including O.B. Clarks' in Brentwood. However, these are always well attended and crowded venues and long lines are part of the routine for those seeking an autograph from their favorite players.<span> </span>It is the same with scheduled player appearances during the season at various places around town, including Andy Strickland's radio show at Johnny Macs. And there are scheduled signings around the metro area at various card-shows, although there is a fee for signing items, up to $50 for a jersey or stick. I spent around $200 (on ten or so items) when "Mr. Goalie", Glenn Hall, made a rare appearance in St. Louis two years ago.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Sometimes it takes a great deal of ingenuity to get a needed autograph. The King of Autographs is my good friend Kevin Jones, who is now approaching 300 pucks signed by current Blues players and alumni, not to mention a vast array of goalie masks, sticks, jerseys, pads, gloves and blockers. When it was reported that <span>Brendan Shanahan</span> was coming to St. Louis to explain new NHL rules and procedures concerning major penalty reviews,<span> </span>Kevin quickly found out when he was coming in and where he was staying and then called me, well aware I have a game worn Shanahan jersey. We arranged to meet at the Ritz in Clayton around 7 a.m., not aware of the exact time Shanahan would be leaving the hotel to meet with the Blues. Wearing coats and ties with our memorabilia hidden away in attaché cases, we sat in the lobby as if we belonged there, waiting for Shanahan to come down. After almost three hours, Shanahan did indeed exit an elevator and went to the checkout desk. We approached him, introduced ourselves and politely asked if he would sign a couple of items for us. When security saw us and came over to kick us out, Shanahan waved them off and said he would be glad to see what we brought for his signature, especially my jersey (pictured). He even posed for a couple of quick photos. (Of course, now I have to go to Toronto and find a way to get my picture with him signed, or wait to see if he travels with the team when the Leafs visit on January 17, 2015.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The bottom line is that to seriously collect autographs, one has to have lots of time and patience and sometimes shell out some seriously hard cash. Do you like Wayne Gretzky? You can send a jersey to Gretzky to sign, but it will cost around $400, not including postage and handling. An authentic signed Gretzky Blues jersey (not game worn) averages $1900. Right now you can purchase a 1990 Gretzky signed All-Star jersey on eBay for only $39, 999.00 (+$250 shipping and insurance) if that tickles your fancy. Of course, you might get lucky and make an offer for $34, 750.00 and get it.</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2014/10/11/6961083/memorabilia-memoirs-autograph-houndhildymac2014-10-11T08:00:02-05:002014-10-11T08:00:02-05:00Flames At Blues Morning Open Thread: Mulligan!
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<figcaption>Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Let's try this thing again, shall we? The Blues will need three periods of play tonight to beat the Flames.</p> <p>Ok, so Thursday night's home opener did not go as planned. The <a href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Blues</a>, ever the third period team, kicked it into gear like the Cardinals seem to do in the seventh. Unlike baseball, however, one good period isn't enough to win a game. One of the tricks of hockey is being constantly aware, and I'm not sure if the team's defense was aware they were at a hockey game let alone playing in one last night. The only one with an excuse is Jay Bouwmeester, who is fighting the flu. Would it be ballsy of me to assume that <span>Ian Cole</span> will not be starting with <span>Alex Pietrangelo</span> tonight?</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/admin/entries/new?community_id=183&entry_type=Article">It's expected that Paul Stastny, who sat out yesterday's skate, will be back in tonight</a>. <span>Patrik Berglund</span>, who suffered an upper body injury, should also be in today to play, so the line-up should be the same. When the offense began to click, they began to click. No use in messing with that already; the biggest issue is the same thing that was an issue last season: consistency.</p>
<p>If you were planning on going to the <a target="_blank" href="http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=733970">Face Off Block Party tonight, that's been canceled due to weather</a> (or whatever, like the overwhelming crowd of people downtown for the NLCS). Doors will be opening at 5:00 for the 6:00 puck drop.</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2014/10/11/6961011/flames-at-blues-morning-open-thread-mulliganhildymac