It would appear that the St Louis Blues hockey team is headed in the right direction and should be a force to be reckoned with this season. Personally, I really enjoy watching great young American players like Erik Johnson (UMN) David Backes (MSU-M) and T.J. Oshie ( UND) play hockey.
Fans haven’t been this jacked up since the old President’s Trophy days, when the Blues finished first overall in 1999-2000 and then reached the Final Four the following spring.
Those were heady times. Blues fans believed Bill and Nancy Laurie and their big Wal-Mart dollars would power this franchise to its first Stanley Cup.
But the Lauries lost tens of millions of dollars during their Cup quest. They threw their support behind the NHL lockout, then decided to abandon the team when the league resumed play.
Now Blues fans are hopeful again. They are a bit uneasy about David Checketts’ quest for an NFL team, since his ownership group hasn’t quite finished its job with the Blues.
Otherwise, all is well in Blues Nation. This team commands league-wide respect again. Kariya’s return adds star power to an already entertaining group.
The franchise has developed its best corps group of young players since the Bernie Federko/Brian Sutter days. Johnson is legit, as are David Backes, David Perron, T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund and Roman Polak.
If Chris Mason falters in goal, Ty Conklin will be a worthy stand-in. Our Town’s Ben Bishop offers huge long-term potential in the nets and numerous other top prospects are toiling for the team’s AHL affiliate this season.
The hockey operation is in great shape. Good organizational depth extends to the low minor league, junior hockey, the college ranks and Europe. The Blues are good now and they should remain good for many years to come.
[stltoday.com]
I donknow, E. Johnson has the physical skills, for sure, but every time I ever watched him play, he just didn't have the sense of tempo, the immediacy, that an NHL player really needs. Maybe I'm saying that he's slow, or has slow reactions, or whatever, but he didn't act like he had great anticipation. Big shot, though. Keeping off the golf course (and golf carts) will help.
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