Pietrangelo is the 21st player in Blues’ History to Wear the “C”

A void that was left when former St. Louis Blues’ captain, David Backes, signed with the Boston Bruins this off-season. That void has now been filled with a competent and charismatic defenseman. General manager Doug Armstrong and head coach Ken Hitchcock officially named Alex Pietrangelo as the new team captain for the 2016-2017 season.

Alex Pietrangelo has become a cornerstone for the Blues both on and off the ice. His leadership within the team was somewhat thwarted by the affable – I really should have said laughable -- leadership style of David Backes. Many will argue that Backes was a great team captain, but one has to wonder if this changing of the guard, sort of speak, will be the boost that Blues need to slay their playoff demons once and for all.

It will be exciting to see how Pietrangelo’s influence, without Backes there, affects his teammates individually as well as a whole team. His steady presence the past few years has impacted younger players and made them strive to meet his stringent standards. 

Now he has the opportunity to embrace his captaincy and mold this new St. Louis Blues team into the playoff powerhouse that the city has dreamed they could become.

The only major hindrance I can foresee within Pietrangelo’s future is outgoing head coach Ken Hitchcock and head coach-elect Mike Yeo. There will be a power struggle happening this year behind the Blues bench and it is a shame that Pietrangelo’s first season as team captain will be marred by this unusual situation.

Is He or Isn’t He? Vladimir Sobotka to Return To St. Louis Blues

Vladimir Sobotka defected to the KHL two years ago; however, the St. Louis Blues still retain rights to his contract in the NHL. Last season Sobotka toyed with returning to the Blues but opted to remain in the KHL. The current off-season has been a game of is he or isn’t he coming back to the NHL and the St. Louis Blues.

Reports coming from “Camp Sobotka” have been conflicting, leaving Blues fans scratching their heads and coming to the point of just not caring anymore if he ever does rejoin the organization. Sobotka’s agent, Petr Svoboda has made remarks that Sobotka will be returning to the St. Louis Blues for the 2016-2017 season. The general manager of the Avangard Omsk, Victor Shalaev, has stated that Vladimir Sobotka will be returning to his KHL team, the Avangard Omsk, as soon as he is healthy for the 2016-2017 season.

While Sobotka was an exciting player to watch during his time with the St. Louis Blues, he really has not been missed. The hole that was expected to have been created with his departure was not as great as projected. Other players stepped up and filled the void, making his departure much less painful. I am a Sobotka fan, but even I have to admit that the Blues have become a better team in his absence.

Sobotka will be playing in the world cup for the Czech Republic beginning September 17^th in Toronto. After the World Cup, it is rumored that Sobotka will return to St. Louis to get ready for the Blues’ training camp.

Training camp is fast approaching. Only then will the rumors swirling around Sobotka’s eminent return will be laid to rest. Will it be great to see Sobotka back in a Blues’ sweater? Sure. However, I would not want to see him back at the expense of losing a younger player who has been dedicated to the team and working towards building a stronger, play-off contending team. Sobotka is an exciting player but he is also a player who seems a little selfish and not fully committed to the team.

St. Louis Blues Have Hired A Head Coach Elect in Mike Yeo

There have been some odd things happening in St. Louis this off-season. The Blues are boasting BIG changes within the organization and I have sat back and waited to see what BIG changes were coming down the pike. And I have waited and waited…nothing major has shaken the organization to its roots this off-season. Maybe I missed something but the only thing that I would consider major – and that is stretching it – is the fact that the Blues hired an assistant coach named Mike Yeo. Yeo should sound familiar to hockey fans since he has had his share of gigs around the league. Why is this major, you are wondering? Well, okay, you got me there. It is not really major except for the fact that general manager Doug Armstrong has proclaimed that Mike Yeo is the next head coach of the St. Louis Blues.

This interesting announcement came after signing a one year contract extension with current head coach Ken Hitchcock and announcing that Mike Yeo was simply an assistant coach. So, for the 2016-2017 season the Blues will have current head coach Ken Hitchcock and head coach elect for the 2017-2018 season Mike Yeo behind the bench. I think this might be just a bit confusing to the players, the media and the fans.

Ken Hitchcock has stated that after this upcoming season he will retire from coaching. This is one last hoorah for Hitch, one last chance for him to add another Stanley Cup ring to his collection of awards and accolades. Since Hitch is on record proclaiming retirement after one last season, is he grooming Yeo to take over the Blues and continue with his coaching style? I truly hope not. While I have been a champion of Hitchcock’s since he came to St. Louis, no two coaches have the same coaching style or approach to getting through to their team. Hitch is known for creating a cohesive team that lives and dies together during highs and slumps with little to no finger pointing. He is steady behind the bench and in the locker-room.

What will Mike Yeo bring to the St. Louis Blues as assistant coach? He will hopefully give support to Hitch and provide solid coaching to the younger players. Yeo needs to come in and prove that he is ready to work with the other assistant coaches and head coach towards building a winning franchise rather than settle for a playoff placement. But he is also walking the fine line of becoming the next head coach. He has to present that persona to the players, especially the players who will be with the team beyond this season.

While it has not been an off-season of BIG changes, it has been an off-season of interesting moves by the St. Louis Blues. The Ken Hitchcock/Mike Yeo saga could be an interesting sideshow as long as it does not have a negative effect on the players and the team as a whole.

So Long, Farewell….David Backes Leaves the Blues

So many of my readers sounded off, wondering why I did not post the most important St. Louis Blues update of the summer – captain David Backes signs with the Boston Bruins not the St. Louis Blues. Frankly, on a scale of one to ten this registered as a three in my book. I was never a huge fan of David Backes and I did not feel that he was a competent team leader.

Backes was always more concerned with the experience of being a professional hockey player and the perks it gave him and his family rather than the nitty-gritty get into the game and give everything kind of player that a team captain needs to be. Of course Backes could talk the talk with the media and gain their sympathy, therefore gaining the love and sympathy of the fans. But when crunch time came you could see the cracks in his façade and you began to realize that he was simply an average player without much leadership ability.

Did his leaving create a void within the team? Some would argue that yes, the team will not survive without the affable David Backes. I think the team has the ability to flourish without his narcissistic personality clouding the locker-room.

Even I can admit that Backes did do some good while in St. Louis. But does that make him an immortal leader that no future captain can live up to and therefore the Blues are doomed to mediocrity? I am laughing here because Backes contributed more to the city of St. Louis that he did to the actual hockey team that was paying him the big bucks.

The 21^st captain of the St. Louis Blues will step into Backes’ shoes and hopefully step right back out of them and forge his own path as team captain. The next captain of the St. Louis Blues is inheriting a legacy of emotional outbursts, media schmoozing and city flirting rather than a level-headed, team first, digging deep kind of player this team and city deserves.

Blues Fan

I saw this circulating around Facebook and I thought is was most appropriate for all the die hard Blues fans out there.

We all bleed blue and we all still love our St. Louis Blues!