St. Louis Game Time - Avalanche At Blues GameDay Storystream: Roy Not?We're one ugly bastard.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/10753/gt-fave.png2015-01-20T21:56:26-06:00http://www.stlouisgametime.com/rss/stream/75727302015-01-20T21:56:26-06:002015-01-20T21:56:26-06:00Blues Honor 91 Year Old Veteran Nurse
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6zwyc5JrF_glxcihaNL0lLdW7e0=/101x0:709x405/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45505818/HarrietMcGuire.0.0.png" />
<figcaption><a href='http://www.foxsports.com/midwest/story/st-louis-blues-present-harriet-mcguire-a-veteran-of-the-greatest-generation-012015'>FoxSports Midwest</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The ceremony was part of a drive to raise awareness for the Greater St. Louis Honor Flight.</p> <p><iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="http://player.foxfdm.com/sports/embed-iframe.html?videourl=https://link.theplatform.com/s/BKQ29B/l9aJJDuMxLXA?mbr=true&policy=51457" height="360" width="640"></iframe></p>
<p>The Blues honored Harriet McGuire, a World War II veteran, Monday evening at their game against the Colorado Avalanche. They honor a different vet from the Greatest Generation every month as part of a way to raise awareness for the <a target="new" href="http://www.gslhonorflight.org/">Greater St. Louis Honor Flight</a>.</p>
<p><a target="new" href="http://www.foxsports.com/midwest/story/st-louis-blues-present-harriet-mcguire-a-veteran-of-the-greatest-generation-012015">The spry 91 year old Navy veteran had this to say about the evening: </a></p>
<p><a target="new" href="http://www.foxsports.com/midwest/story/st-louis-blues-present-harriet-mcguire-a-veteran-of-the-greatest-generation-012015"></a> "Everyone congratulating me for what, you know?" McGuire asked. "I went in and was a nurse and that's what I did and I enjoyed every minute of it."</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your service, Ms. McGuire, and thank you to the Blues for honoring her and other WWII veterans. As Blues owner Tom Stillman said: "I am just glad that there is a realization in this country for how much this generation did and that we are honoring them. That generation won't be around much longer, so I am glad that they are getting their due."</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/1/20/7864103/blues-honor-91-year-old-veteran-nurse-harriet-mcguirehildymac2015-01-19T18:30:02-06:002015-01-19T18:30:02-06:00GDT for Colorado Avalanche at St. Louis Blues
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/t1GoU9ppBNMVmghJYn2Oh4GLm_c=/0x0:3432x2288/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45498516/usa-today-8300051.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tonight is the last Blues' game before the All-Star Break. Let's go into the time off with some more momentum.</p> <p>Whatever you do, don't ask <span>David Backes</span> his opinions on the All Star Break. <a href="http://blues.nhl.com/club/blogpost.htm?id=36089&navid=DL%7CSTL%7Chome">Chris Pinkert of the Blues Overtime Blog learned that the hard way</a>:</p>
<blockquote> <p>"We’ve got one task to finish before we get there, and that’s get two points tonight against Colorado," <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">Blues</a> captain David Backes said. "We’ve seen they can lay it on us if we don’t bring our A-game. Before the last break we had for Christmas, we played them and it wasn’t very pretty. So maybe you (media) guys can stop talking about a break and start talking about the game tonight and we’ll stay focused on it and get two points.</p> <p>"You can call me (tomorrow) and we’ll talk about the break all you want."</p> </blockquote>
<p>Well, ok then. To be honest, the thought of no games over the next nine games doesn't do much for me, especially with the Blues playing as well as they have been. Oh well - let's get two points and focus on the last game of the homestand against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ontheforecheck.com/">Predators</a>.</p>
<p>This is your GameDay Thread. Comment like you can't wait for the break to be over. Let's do this. Let's Go Blues.</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/1/19/7854835/gamethread-for-colorado-avalanche-at-st-louis-blues-jan-19-2015hildymac2015-01-19T15:00:02-06:002015-01-19T15:00:02-06:00Avs At Blues Game Preview: Win Before The Break
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zl63dw-bT3i_-p5wrd6CdcckW-8=/0x0:3444x2296/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45497754/usa-today-8299603.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tonight is the Blues' last game before their nine-game All Star break. </p> <p>The last time these two teams met up on a national broadcast, it was in the middle of the <a href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Blues</a>' worst stretch of the season. It was punctuated by a 5-0 loss to the <a href="https://www.milehighhockey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Avalanche</a>, where the team looked somewhere between disinterested and lost.</p>
<p>Hopefully the national broadcast jinx won't be on the Blues tonight. They're playing excellent hockey, geting wins in four of their last five and taking nine of a possible ten points. They've leapfrogged the <a href="https://www.secondcityhockey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago Blackhawks</a> for second place in the Central, and a win tonight places them two points behind the <a href="https://www.ontheforecheck.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Nashville Predators</a> for the division lead.</p>
<p>No, it's not a must-win game, but it sure is a "would be nice if they did" win.</p>
<p>The Blues shut out the Avalanche 3-0 on December 29th. They not only shut them out, they shut them down, helping <span>Martin Brodeur</span> to the easiest shutout he's probably gotten in his career. <span>Brian Elliott</span> is a shutout away from tying <span>Jaroslav Halak</span> for tops all-time on the Blues' list; if the Blues play tight defensive hockey again tonight, tying that record is well within reach.</p>
<p>The Avalanche are finishing a five game road trip tonight, much like the <a href="https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Maple Leafs</a> were Saturday night. Unlike the Leafs, they have managed to win one of those games, going 1-1-2 for four out of eight points. They're slowly clawing their way out of the Western Conference's basement, and are three points behind the <a href="https://www.matchsticksandgasoline.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Calgary Flames</a> and Los Angeles KIngs for the last wild card position.</p>
<p>The Avs' bright spot this season has been their penalty kill, which is slightly better than the Blues' (84.3% to 80.8%) thanks to goaltender Semyon Varlamov's solid work in net.</p>
<p>Word of advise to the Blues: keep your eye on former teammate and 2015 all star Erik Johnson. He has 12 goals and 11 assists and has been an absolute thorn in the Blues' side this season (3G, 2A).</p>
<p>What does Ken Hitchcock think of the Avs? <a target="_blank" href="http://blues.nhl.com/club/blogpost.htm?id=36089&navid=DL%7CSTL%7Chome">Nothing but praise for their recent play</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>They’re a good team, they’ve got a great spirit. They play hard…they make you earn it," said Blues Head Coach Ken Hitchcock. "It seems one team gets the other team on their heels and it can’t get back up off the mat. They’re playing really well right now, this is the best I’ve seen them play.</p>
<p>"We’re going to get their A-game and hopefully we give them ours."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Hopefully there's no "hopefully" about it.</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/1/19/7853925/avalanche-at-blues-game-preview-a-win-before-the-breakhildymac2015-01-19T14:34:11-06:002015-01-19T14:34:11-06:00Ken Hitchcock Tinkering With Lines Again<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://lkorac10.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/1-19-15-avalanche-blues-gameday-lineup.html">Ken Hitchcock Tinkering With Lines&nbsp;Again</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>From Lou Korac:
<br /><br><br>
<br />Hitchcock tinkered with his lines again Monday.
<br /><br><br>
<br />He switched Jaden Schwartz and Patrik Berglund, putting Berglund with Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko and Schwartz with Paul Stastny and Dmitrij Jaskin, who will return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for two games.
<br /><br><br>
<br />Hitchcock called it an "experiment," and with T.J. Oshie (ankle) taking another morning skate off (he will play), it enabled the coach to work on some things.
<br /><br><br>
<br />Of course, he made no guarantee that the changes will stick.</p>
<p>________</p>
<p>This may be tonight's game lineup, it may not be. Who knows? Let me say that I'm happy Jaskin is probably back in; Berglund with Lehtera and Tarasenko? Less so.</p></p></div>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/1/19/7854031/ken-hitchcock-tinkering-with-lines-againhildymac2015-01-19T11:00:03-06:002015-01-19T11:00:03-06:00Memorabilia Memories: Sweden, Part 6
<figure>
<img alt="Swedish Blues Brothers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/k-6EoGFeWYfaeOE6Q70DI893cPw=/0x232:2816x2109/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45496186/day4shop_003.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Swedish Blues Brothers | Rick Ackerman</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>You might recognize the "Memorabilia Memories" (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 Memories" will be featured every home game day.</p> <p><span>Memorabilia Memories, </span>with Rick Ackerman</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span></span>Part 6<span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>The passengers on two jets leaving the Stockholm Arlanda Airport on October 4, 2009, had high hopes and great expectations for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">St. Louis Blues</a>' chances for success for the rest of the 2009-10 NHL schedule. One plane carried a contingent of 100 or so avid hockey fans from St. Louis, and the other transported the Blues' players, coaching staff and management. There was plenty of room for excitement and anticipation for all these international travelers as the Blues won both games of the Premiere event in Sweden and looked primed to end years of frustration by finally joining those teams in the NHL considered to be elite, or at the least, having a good chance to win the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nhl-playoffs">Stanley Cup</a>. </p>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Two games does not a season make, yet at the time it was more than encouraging that the Blues came from behind twice to defeat their long-time nemesis and arch-rival. Detroit had won 20 of 30 previous games since the lockout of 2004 and embarrassed the Blues several times over that span, including a 5-1 shellacking on home ice on Brett Hull's jersey retirement night in 2006. Joining this edition of the Note was heralded rookie defenseman <span>Alex Pietrangelo</span> from juniors, as well as the return of<span> </span>defenseman <span>Erik Johnson</span> and forwards <span>Paul Kariya</span> and <span>Andy McDonald</span> from severe injuries. Promising youngsters such as <span>T.J. Oshie</span>, <span>David Perron</span>, <span>Lars Eller</span> and <span>Patrik Berglund</span> were developing nicely and joined veterans <span>Keith Tkachuk</span>, <span>Brad Boyes</span>, <span>Alexander Steen</span> and <span>David Backes</span> to give the Blues a potent offense. A checking line of "Silent" <span>Jay McClement</span>, <span>B.J. Crombeen</span> and <span>D.J. King</span>, along with St. Louis native <span>Cam Janssen</span>, looked good to shut down other teams' top scoring lines. <span>Barret Jackman</span>, <span>Roman Polak</span>, <span>Eric Brewer</span> and <span>Mike Weaver</span> added toughness and grit to the defense, while veterans <span>Chris Mason</span> and <span>Ty Conklin</span> were more than capable in goal, backed up by rookie Ben Bishop. Things were indeed looking good for the Blues and their fans as they headed home after an exhilarating adventure in Stockholm.</p>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>The team had four days to rest and recover from jet-lag before opening at home in the TradeStocks Center against the Atlanta Thrashers. Adding<span> </span>to the hoopla of a home-opener in St. Louis was the celebration of the unveiling of the Al MacInnis statue before the game. A sell out crowd awaited a repeat of the Blues' performance in Sweden, yet the Thrasher's Ilya Kovalchuk scored two goals to pace an Atlanta victory. The Thrashers scored on two of their first three shots on goal against Mason (who would leave the Blues to sign a free-agent contract with Atlanta during the summer of 2010), and for the third time in three games, the Blues were forced to play catch-up. Unlike the games overseas, however, they just couldn't come back to win. Two nights later, the Blues yet again fell behind the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.jewelsfromthecrown.com/">Kings</a> and suffered another loss at home, 2-1. Fans were willing to blame fatigue and jet lag for the poor performances by the Note, yet it would turn out to be a harbinger of things to come.</p>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>The Blues were thankful to leave town after these two disasters at home, yet did not show it on the ice, losing two of three games on the ensuing road trip. Back at the TradeStocks Center, they split two games, defeating Minnesota, but losing to Dallas. A quick trip to the east coast resulted in a nice victory over Carolina, however the next three home games were all losses against supposedly weak teams Phoenix, Florida and Calgary, and it was clear there was trouble a brewin' in River City. By New Year's Day, the Blues had only won six of 22 games in St. Louis, although they did manage to win 11 of 18 on the road. Sitting in 12th place in the Conference with a 17-17-6 record, quite below expectations, Andy Murray was relieved of his coaching duties on January 2, especially when the Blues blew leads after two periods in several games and played especially poorly in December. Davis Payne was recalled from Peoria of the AHL to become the Blues' interim head coach, and he led the troops to 23 victories and four ties in the remaining 42 games of the season. Alas, 90 points was not enough to qualify for the playoffs as the Blues finished fourth in the division (only ahead of the hapless <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.jacketscannon.com/">Columbus Blue Jackets</a>) and ninth in the conference, five points behind the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.milehighhockey.com/">Colorado Avalanche</a>. </p>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Yes, much to our chagrin, the Blues went from the penthouse on October 4, 2009 after sweeping Detroit in the NHL Premiere series to the outhouse on April 6, 2010, when they were eliminated from post-season play after the Avalanche achieved 93 points and locked up the eighth and final playoff spot. It wasn't the first hockey season in which high expectations for a Blues' team ended up with let-down feelings of disappointment and regret, nor will it be the last. It has become an integral part of being a Blues' fan, something we can all hope has become a thing of the past after this current season. </p>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>As we did five years ago, Blues' fans started this season with great expectations and high hopes. However,<span> </span>just after the half-way point of this regular season, the Blues are still one of the elite NHL clubs with realistic aspirations to qualify for the playoffs and truly compete for Lord Stanley's Cup. </p>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Let's keep 'er going...Let's go Blues!</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/1/19/7852773/memorabilia-memories-sweden-part-6hildymacAckermania2015-01-19T08:00:02-06:002015-01-19T08:00:02-06:00Avs At Blues Morning Open Thread: Full Steen Ahead
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tLp33NkRRr2meEGTVeDVJPVmZsM=/0x161:1579x1214/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45453868/usa-today-8329294.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Alexander Steen is en fuego while the Colorado Avalanche are starting to climb up the standings. Tonight should be a fun one on NBCSN.</p> <p>You could say that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">Blues</a>' homestand has been kind of successful. They've gotten 9 out of 10 possible points, Ken Hitchcock passed Pat Quinn to be the fifth winningist coach of all time (four out of the top five have coached for the Blues), <span>Brian Elliott</span> is one off of the franchise lead for shutouts, and <span>Alexander Steen's</span> scoring streak is up to eight games. And hey! They finally caught the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.secondcityhockey.com/">Blackhawks</a> and passed them for second in the division. It's nice to gain ground for once.</p>
<p>So far, so good. Tonight's game is the last before the All Star Break for the Blues, and the second to last on this season-long seven game homestand. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.milehighhockey.com/">Colorado Avalanche</a> have started playing reallly decent hockey as of late, going 6-2-2 in their last ten games. They've hit the same problem that the Blues have had this season, though - the teams in front of them keep winning. Still, this isn't a lost season for the Avalanche anymore. They're right on the cusp of that last wild card spot.</p>
<p>This is your morning open thread. Check back later for the final piece of Rick's Sweden Saga, your preview, some other gameday stuff, and your GDT. Head over to <a href="http://www.milehighhockey.com/">Mile High Hockey</a> while you're waiting to see if they're just excited for the national broadcast as the rest of us are.</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/1/19/7804225/avalanche-at-blues-morning-open-thread-full-steen-aheadhildymac