Mike In Illinois Posted April 4, 2009 Posted April 4, 2009 I don't want to take any thunder away from the Sabres and their fans, but wanted to show some support for the hottest team in the NHL since January 1st: The St. Louis Blues. They've gone from dead-last in the Western Conference to 8th-place and on the verge of a playoff berth; seemingly impossible a more than a month ago. They have a good balance of veterans (Keith Tkachuk, Andy MacDonald), young talent (David Backes, Brad Boyes), three of the best rookies/2nd year players (TJ Oshie, David Perron, Patrick Berglund) and solid goaltending (Chris Mason). The franchise hit the skids after the lockout and has slowly built the team through the draft and good acquisitions. A tip of the hat to Dave Checketts, John Davidson and Coach Andy Murray. I know many on this board live in the east and don't follow much of the West, but I encourage you to keep an eye on the Blues as they fight for the postseason this year and in the coming years. They're shaping up to be a very good team. GO BLUES! (Go Sabres, too!)
The Dean Posted April 4, 2009 Posted April 4, 2009 NHL Hockey. duh St. Louis Blues. That's what you're selling, here?
The Dean Posted April 4, 2009 Posted April 4, 2009 So, you figure there are probably a lot of potential Blues fans here. Is that where this is going?
Mike In Illinois Posted April 4, 2009 Author Posted April 4, 2009 "Never assume" I'm just making people aware of how well my favorite NHL team is doing. There's a few Bills fans on this board from the Midwest, so I thought I'd see if I could drum up some support for the Blues.
Mike In Illinois Posted April 4, 2009 Author Posted April 4, 2009 At least you're helping keep this thread alive!
Dante Posted April 4, 2009 Posted April 4, 2009 I was shocked the other night how good they were playing the Wings. 4 goals by Backes! Should be pretty interesting in the first round. Especially if we have to play them
Mike In Illinois Posted April 12, 2009 Author Posted April 12, 2009 The Blues have made the playoffs! Now it's a matter of seeding: who will they play in Round 1? And will Paul Kariya be activated and play for them, after missing most of the season due to surgery on both hips?
The Dean Posted April 12, 2009 Posted April 12, 2009 The Blues have made the playoffs! Thanks, that's a load off of my mind.
PromoTheRobot Posted April 12, 2009 Posted April 12, 2009 Thunder from the Sabres? More like the plop of a turd. At least St. Louis had enough respect for themselves and their fans and started trying early enough to make the playoffs. Our guys wait until there's only a c*nthairs chance of making the playoffs before they start trying. PTR
Alaska Darin Posted April 12, 2009 Posted April 12, 2009 The Blues have made the playoffs! Now it's a matter of seeding: who will they play in Round 1? And will Paul Kariya be activated and play for them, after missing most of the season due to surgery on both hips? They're a very entertaining team to watch and play harder than any team in the league on a nightly basis. They could be ridiculous in a couple of seasons when Johnson is healthy and experienced and the other draft choices (Eller, Pietrangelo, Junland, etc) starting working their way into the lineup. That's implying that Mason is the real deal and one of the multitudes of netminders in the system actually pans out. There isn't anyone on the planet who'd have picked the Blues to make the playoffs after seeing Legacy would lose "it", Brewer/Johnson/Kariya miss most or all of the season, and the team losing nearly 500 man games to injury. Now they're the team no one wants to play.
Dante Posted April 12, 2009 Posted April 12, 2009 Mid Feb they were last in the Western conference. To make the playoffs is quite an accomplishment. Congrats to them. Sharks are getting their people back and the playoffs are going to get them interested again. They've played like crap the last 3 months but I really think it was because they had too much success too soon. In the end, the Sharks will have just too many horses for the Blues. Thats if they end up playing them.
Mike In Illinois Posted April 12, 2009 Author Posted April 12, 2009 Blues beat Colorado, they finish 6th and face Vancouver. Blues lose, they finish 8th and travel to San Jose. They cannot finish 7th due to tiebreakers. I'd like to see them face San Jose because they've played them well this season. Win or lose, I think that would be a good series to watch.
Gordio Posted April 13, 2009 Posted April 13, 2009 I don't want to take any thunder away from the Sabres and their fans, but wanted to show some support for the hottest team in the NHL since January 1st: The St. Louis Blues. They've gone from dead-last in the Western Conference to 8th-place and on the verge of a playoff berth; seemingly impossible a more than a month ago. They have a good balance of veterans (Keith Tkachuk, Andy MacDonald), young talent (David Backes, Brad Boyes), three of the best rookies/2nd year players (TJ Oshie, David Perron, Patrick Berglund) and solid goaltending (Chris Mason). The franchise hit the skids after the lockout and has slowly built the team through the draft and good acquisitions. A tip of the hat to Dave Checketts, John Davidson and Coach Andy Murray. I know many on this board live in the east and don't follow much of the West, but I encourage you to keep an eye on the Blues as they fight for the postseason this year and in the coming years. They're shaping up to be a very good team. GO BLUES! (Go Sabres, too!) There is a guy in my office who is on 1 year project here & he is from Vancover. He is a hockey fanatic like most fans around here are bills/nfl fanatics. Knows everything about the NHL. I could tell you this from talking to him the last week, he did not want to see the Blues in the first round. He wanted columbus. Says it is going to be a really tough series. Says if it goes back to Vancover for game 7 he is flying there for it. Does not care what the cost is.
Stl Bills Posted April 13, 2009 Posted April 13, 2009 I'm with ya Mike.....I was at Friday's game and it was nutts. Finished 9-1-1 to close out the year and make the playoffs. LETS GO BLUES!
Mike In Illinois Posted April 13, 2009 Author Posted April 13, 2009 I think the series against Vancouver is going to be a blast. The Blues' playoff run began a couple of months ago. If they play the same as have down the stretch they will give the Canucks fits- I don't know if they will beat Vancouver, but they can beat them. It appears that Versus will broadcast all the games in this series nationally.
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