St. Louis Blues’ Represented by Shattenkirk and Tarasenko at 2015 All-Star Game

2015 All Stars Announced

2015 All-Star Jersey

When the 2015 NHL All-Stars were announced earlier today, the line-up looked a little odd. Where were the greats such as Pavel Datsyuk, the Sedin twins, Henrik Lundqvist and Henrik Zetterberg? Okay, let’s go a little further and ask where is Joe Thorton, P.K. Subban, David Backes or Erik Karlsson? It is not surprising after seeing the amount of snubs this year that only two St. Louis Blues’ players made the list. Both of them are young, but definitely deserving of making the trip. However, are they the most deserving of the Blues players to have been chosen as All-Stars? Maybe everyone but Shattenkirk and Tarasenko got a sneak peak of the jerseys and let it be known that they would  not mind having a weekend off! These jerseys are truly bizarre and extremely ugly!

Kevin Shattenkirk and Vladimir Tarasenko will don the ugliest NHL All-Star jersey yet and represent their team in what should be an interesting skills challenge and All-Star game. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that Shattenkirk and Tarasenko are not worthy of being All-Stars, of course they are. What I am saying is why was David Backes, TJ Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo forgotten? All three of these guys have been on fire lately and have shown themselves to be worthy of being called All-Stars.

That being said, the big question is how will Shattenkirk and Tarasenko stack up against their fellow 2015 All-Stars? Shattenkirk has proven that he can stay cool under pressure. He was an Olympian last year so he is used to the glitz and glam that comes with being called an elite athlete, therefore, he should not become star-struck over his fellow teammates. The same can be said for Tarasenko. He was also an Olympian and although he is younger, he has a demeanor on the ice that speaks of maturity.

Both players should represent their team and their city well and they are two players that St. Louis should be proud to send off to Columbus. Congratulations to Shattenkirk and Tarasenko for a job well-done! 

St. Louis Blues Looking Forward

COMMENTARY | Many of my readers have been emailing me and asking why I have ignored the start of the NHL season, there is not some profound reason as to why I have been so quiet. Simply put, I have been very sick and the start of the NHL season was the farthest thing from my mind! I am very happy to report that after almost 6 weeks of being in and out of doctors’ offices and countless prescriptions later, I am feeling much better and cannot wait to get back into the swing of things.

That said, let’s talk hockey! The St. Louis Blues have been off to an interesting start. From key injuries to bacterial infections to uncertain coaching and inexperienced goalies, the Blues players have gotten off to a rocky start. First, let’s talk injuries.

Key Injuries:

Paul Stastny -- Paul Stastny was injured (shoulder) on October 18^th and has not played since then. Although, Stastny is currently participating in team practices doing limited puck handling it may still be a while before he returns fully to the line-up.

TJ Oshie -- Oshie is suffering from a concussion. With Oshie out for an indefinite amount of time due to the concussion as well as having a bacterial infection, the team has to look elsewhere for leadership both on the ice and in the locker room.

David Backes -- The fearless captain of the Blues has also suffered a concussion. Backes is out indefinitely. Since the Blues are near their salary cap so even the option of calling up talented players to fill the void is no longer an option!

Carl Gunnarsson -- Gunnarsson went through hip surgery and missed the start of the season. While I would like to say that he was greatly missed, he was not. The presence of Roman Polak on defense is what was greatly missed. I have to question how long he will remain active. He is an injury prone player and it is being hinted that he has to be babied along after games, missing team practices the day after a game.

Bacterial Infection -- As if the injury plagued Blues were not tormented enough, many players became infected with a bacterial infection that was picked up on the west coast. This left many with flu-like symptoms and swollen jaws. Not the ideal situation for any team to step out on the ice and face their opponents. It is suspected that TJ Oshie is one of the affected players with a bacterial infection.

Uncertain Coaching Situation:

I have been a proponent for Hitchcock since he arrived in St. Louis and I think that given the right combination, Hitchcock could help bring the Stanley Cup to St. Louis. It is my belief that Hitchcock was sabotaged last season. He had the winning combination that was needed to go all the way within his grasp, but then management decided to court disaster by making the infamous Miller trade. This disrupted the entire flow and feel of the team both on the ice and in the locker room.

The team has many new faces and it is Hitchcock and his staff that have to determine where these new faces fit. Not an easy task for such a short training camp and pre-season. He is still shuffling and trying to find the right combinations. Last season the Blues were a heavy favorite because they were able to work so well together. Hitchcock spent much of the previous year building that team into a winning unit. Then upper management shattered the bonds of the team and now Hitchcock is charged with re-building and doing so quickly to keep his head off the chopping block.

Inexperienced Goalies:

With the ungraceful exit of Ryan Miller from the Blues organization, which I have to say, “Thank God”, Brain Elliot was given the nod as the starting goaltender. Taking a back-up goalie and inserting him into the starting slot is a risky thing. Elliot spent the off season getting ready for his chance to shine. Since the start of the regular season Elliot has been good between the pipes and has shown the fans and his opponents that he really can handle the rigors of day to day play.

The Blues decided to promote from within the organization rather than go courting experienced goalies and gave Jake Allen the go-ahead as back-up goaltender. Allen is quickly becoming a fan favorite and helped his cause with a shut-out against the Anaheim Ducks. This was his second shut-out in his short NHL career.

Overall, the St. Louis Blues have not had the impressive start to their current season as they did last season. However, they are starting to pull together as a team and become the unified group of players with the ability to win hockey games. Once the team is able to fully get healthy and work together consistently they should produce a solid season of fun hockey for everyone to enjoy.

Professionalism: Where Has It Gone?

COMMENTARY | My first experience of talking with and getting information from executives of the St. Louis Blues organization were always positive. The executives were intelligent, articulate and excelled at customer service. With the changing of the guard, sort of speak; the newer executives that I have had the absolute pleasure to speak with are nothing like the courteous and mild mannered men and women of the past.

For the past three years I have been watching and dealing with certain people in executive roles during events and activities. The social graces and communication skills of most of the people I have encountered mirror those of a goat. When I do finally get someone on the phone, they start bleating out irrelevant information or pass me onto the next voice mail because they do not want to deal with me. Email communications, when they even bother to respond, could very easily have been typed by a chimpanzee, no salutation, one word or line body and no closing. The professionalism is absolutely astounding and something that they, the St. Louis Blues organization, should be so proud. Yes, that was intended as sarcasm.

There are of course exceptions – not every executive can be likened to a goat or chimpanzee. The Community Relations Coordinator, Hannah, has exhibited complete professionalism every time I have spoken with or emailed her. I am sure that there are others who also exhibit such professionalism.

It is the hope of the St. Louis Blues to have a world-class organization and be thought of in terms of greatness. Greatness begins on the inside and radiates outward. Right now, I’m not seeing an organization that can achieve greatness. I’m seeing an organization that needs to get back to the basics and learn a little social grace along with a lot of professionalism.

The actions of the employees directly reflect upon the organization that employs them. When you have people that achieved an executive level position who are not able to conduct themselves in a professional manner, you have internal problems that will eventually leak outward and affect the public’s perception of that organization.

2014/2015 Season Preview: St. Louis Blues

Check out my thoughts on the upcoming season. The Blues have a long road ahead of them and it will be an interesting season for the fans. Fans have stuck with the team through thick and thin, but they are starting to get restless and a little testy. Can the Blues come together as a team and produce the much coveted Stanley Cup for the city of St. Louis?

Read what I think on IceNationUK.

2014/2015 Season Preview Toronto Maple Leafs

While I do not follow the Maple Leafs as doggedly as I do the Blues. Since one of my favorite defensemen to cheer for is now a part of the Leafs, I felt it only right that I give my take on how their season should shape up. I also admit to being a closet Brendan Shanahan fan, when he played in St. Louis I remember him taking time to really be a part of the community.

So, thank you to Chris Hext and Sam Skelding of IceNationUK for allowing me the opportunity to sound off about the Toronto Maple Leafs' upcoming season. Maybe I was a little harsh, but let's face it, the Leafs have the talent but not the commitment or leadership necessary to go far.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

2014/2015 Season Preview - LA Kings

Although I do not normally write about the Los Angeles Kings, I could not resist doing a season preview from the perspective of a non-Kings fan. IceNationUK has published my 2014/2015 Season Preview for the LA Kings. Thanks to Sam and Chris of IceNationUK for giving me the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone!

St Louis Blues Make Changes to Improve Fan Experiences

So I’m reading through some of the news stories that I missed the past few weeks about the St. Louis Blues and I come across this interesting article that I had to stop and read fully, Blues Announce Changes to Executive Management. The Blues organization has re-vamped their structure to make them an even more fan and community friendly organization. A team of four successful executives are charged with the challenge of making the St. Louis Blues organization a “world class organization”.

Having followed the Blues since the mid-90s, I have never seen them able to be rightfully called a world-class organization. Fan experiences are severely lacking at games and if you do not have the right amount of cash, those in-game experiences are just a dream. For a large lump of cash, lucky fans can play games on ice between periods, visit the broadcast booth, fist bump the players or sit on the Zamboni while it cleans the ice. 

Their Jr. Blue Note Kids Club is at best pathetic. My daughter is disappointed every year when she gets a small gift pack and two tickets to a game. The highlight is getting to shoot a puck on the ice at Scottrade Center following the game. By the time the game has ended the little ones are so tired and just a little bit cranky that you pray the poorly run event goes quickly so you can head home.

The blue crew members are on hand, in their scantily clad “uniforms” – excellent role models for impressionable little girls, by the way – to help the children while on the ice. Louie, the team mascot is also on hand and it is sad to say that is probably the highlight of the event. The Blues staff that is in charge of working the event is always super helpful – notice my sarcasm here – and makes the children feel important.

Freedom is also a part of the St. Louis Cardinals Kids Club and that is a kids’ club that is run so smoothly by people who really like children and want them to have a good time. There is a kids’ party date set where every child gets to come and meet select players and coaches. They can play games and pig out on a buffet. They feel that they are important. The Cardinals have figured out they need to cater to the children as they are the future ticket buyers and fans who will carry the club through years to come.

Last spring I wrote an article about the fan experiences of three young men and how it varied from my experiences. I have gotten a lot of feedback from that article and have realized that if you are a male between the age of 18 and 25, you are essentially treated like a would-be criminal when attending a Blues game at Scottrade Center.

The Blues, I have noticed, pride themselves on their promotions throughout the season. Come for Star Wars night and purchase a t-shirt at a discounted price. Really? Why not, come for Star Wars night and we will give you a t-shirt for supporting us? Or, my favorite was come to Faith Night and fans get a free hot dog and soda along with hearing an inspirational message from local church leaders. I attended this and while I was happy to see them hosting an event that featured faith and family in hockey. But it was sadly lacking in things for the fans to enjoy. Other sports venues in St. Louis offer Faith Day or some such variation. They go all out and advertise the event as well as have a myriad of activities for fans to enjoy. The only reason I knew about the Blues’ Faith Night was because I stumbled across it on their promotions’ page. Pretty sad. if you think about it.

The fans that I have spoken with during Blues’ practices at the Ice Zone or during games are emphatically saying the same things. The Blues organization does not care about the fans or the community. The fans will support the organization until they turn blue…but what has the organization given back to the fans? The new executives in charge of turning the Blues organization into a world class entity has their work cut out for them.

I do not see how this is going to bring the fans closer to the organization. Those within the organization that I have spoken with and complained to – especially about the Jr. Blue Notes – do not see that there is anything wrong with how the organization is currently being run and see no reason to change a thing. The rudeness of the staff and the extremely limited activities for fans need to be the first things addressed for this upcoming season. In recent years, I have only had one usher at a Blues game act as if he truly cared that you had the best experience possible while sitting in his section. I would like to extend a thank you to Scott usher for section 126 for your commitment and caring while Freedom and I have sat in your section.

In closing, I raise my glass to Jeff Ajluni, Josh Bender, Phil Siddle and Jay Roberts as they tackle an enormous task this season. Best wishes gentlemen and please, I implore you, do something great for the kids this year.