"That's the spirit, MarkHaversham."
-Atlanta Braves fans.
-Atlanta Braves fans.
I've been wondering about this myself, especially with the serious attendance issue the Blues seem to be having:dweebe wrote:The Kansas City thread got me thinking about the Scottrade Center and it's relative age to other NHL arenas. So I looked on wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Na ... gue_arenas
That list has the Scottrade Center as 8th oldest out of 30. But in just a few years the Blues could be in the 3rd or 4th oldest arena.
-Madison Square Garden just had a complete renovation so the 1968 open date doesn't count
-the Islanders are supposedly moving to the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn
-Edmonton will start construction soon on a new building
-Calgary wants a new arena
-the Redwings are mulling a move to a downtown arena
I know the place is decent and just 20 years old. But you have to wonder how long before Blues ownership asks for money to renovate the arena or start talking about a replacement?
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... 6d718.html
If they aren't making any money in the current arena, how long before they ask for a new one? The reason the Rams moved here was because their owner claimed she wasn't making enough money at Anaheim Stadium. In fact, wasn't it one of the main reasons the Blues sought a new arena in the first place when they moved out of Dogtown?
I perused the STLtoday Blues Talk forum, and found this thread, which is an amusing read that pretty much confirmed my suspicions that the vast majority of Blues fans are from either St. Charles or South County; pretty much every post shows extreme disdain for the city, a desire for a new facility in the Earth City/Hazelwood/Bridgeton area, a desire for a new facility in Fenton, or some combination thereof:
http://interact.stltoday.com/forums/vie ... &t=1001141
I think that's probably reading a lot into one thread on a message board that is referred to by the fan base as the "asylum". Blues fans are probably pretty well distributed in the region, with plenty in the city. I'm in that boat.
And I've never head anybody want them to build a new arena outside of the city until you shared that link.
And I've never head anybody want them to build a new arena outside of the city until you shared that link.
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I don't know what that means, but I'm not saying people shouldn't go to Blues games or anything. Just that "Blues dominate the regular season" isn't anything to get terribly excited over. The Blues sucking has been the exception rather than the rule; they've almost always been a fun team to watch.blzhrpmd2 wrote:"That's the spirit, MarkHaversham."
-Atlanta Braves fans.
Basically, that's what happened to the Braves' fan base. They won their division umteen times in a row, but only made the Word Series in the mid-90s and only managed on championship. After that it was a lot of playoffs and no World Series appearances.
Fans got tired of it and attendance slipped during the regular season.
That said, the Blues, in reality, are a long way from falling into that trend. And St. Louis on the whole is a more dedicated sports city than Atlanta has ever proven to be.
Fans got tired of it and attendance slipped during the regular season.
That said, the Blues, in reality, are a long way from falling into that trend. And St. Louis on the whole is a more dedicated sports city than Atlanta has ever proven to be.
attendance is going up, first half of the year they had to compete with Cards, Rams and Mizzou, and a lingering feeling of frustration with the fan base - but things are rolling now - these guys look good, and they have not even been all healthy at one time this year, I am optimistic about this team, the Olympic break will play havoc with them, but hopefully Steener will be back soon. they need a deep run this year and for the first time in a looooong time they look like they believe it.
Looking forward to Spring
Looking forward to Spring
It sure is frustrating to get a glimpse into what the playoffs will be like as we get handled by the conferences best teams this week. A lot can change by spring, but goalkeeper issues look like they will linger in some form.
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Don't forget we blasted the Kings a few weeks ago 5-0 and beat the Blackhawks already this year. We also beat the suites this week.
The week didn't turn out as we would have liked but no reason to get bummed too much.
The week didn't turn out as we would have liked but no reason to get bummed too much.
Blues have yet to lose to the Blackhawks. They are 3-0 against Chicago. To be fair, the only regulation win came with a goal scored in the final minute, and the other two wins were shootouts. It's still notable.
The losses to the California crew of LA, Anaheim, and SJ (I think the win a couple weeks ago over LA is our only over that trio) is disappointing, but not something I'm terribly worried about.
The losses to those teams are generally all for the same reason, and it's not the same reason it's been in past years, which was we can't score, and they're strong than we are.
This year it's pretty simple. You can't beat really good teams, when you play flat for most of the game. It's a frustrating issue that the Blues continue to come out flat against the toughest teams, but it's really as simple as that. In almost every one of those games, the Blues have nearly pulled off a great comeback, because once they play with urgency, they're the better team. Unfortunately, that urgency has been hard to come by. Hopefully they'll figure it out by the playoffs.
As for goaltending, the Blues have good enough goaltending to win a Cup. Both goalies had some tough goals in the past two games, but generally speaking, Halak and Elliott are above average goaltenders, with Halak being a bit better. (Elliott's numbers are better, but he's usually been given the lesser assignments.)
The NHL has changed. You no longer need a stud goalie to win a Cup. You need a hot goalie, and a great and/or hot team. Both of the Blackhawks' recent Cups came with utterly mediocre goaltenders. (The fact they just gave the latter of them a ginormous contract is hilarious.) The Red Wings have had a knack for winning Cups in the same fashion.
All of that said, a world class goaltender is available in Ryan Miller of the Sabres. Upgrading to that level can only help. And the Blues have the organizational depth to put forth a legitimate bid for him. And with a bit of finagling, they also have the money to fit him long-term within their budget and under the cap.
I am a big proponent of that move.
For example, Brian Elliott was a far cry from being the reason the Blues lost last night. But he let in one horrible goal (and maybe could have saved another). He also made some great saves.
But I'd suggest Ryan Miller makes those same great saves and keeps the bad goal out. Suddenly on a night when the team in front of the goaltender deserved to lose, a stud goalie still steals the game. I think that's what Ryan Miller could add. Hope we do it.
The losses to the California crew of LA, Anaheim, and SJ (I think the win a couple weeks ago over LA is our only over that trio) is disappointing, but not something I'm terribly worried about.
The losses to those teams are generally all for the same reason, and it's not the same reason it's been in past years, which was we can't score, and they're strong than we are.
This year it's pretty simple. You can't beat really good teams, when you play flat for most of the game. It's a frustrating issue that the Blues continue to come out flat against the toughest teams, but it's really as simple as that. In almost every one of those games, the Blues have nearly pulled off a great comeback, because once they play with urgency, they're the better team. Unfortunately, that urgency has been hard to come by. Hopefully they'll figure it out by the playoffs.
As for goaltending, the Blues have good enough goaltending to win a Cup. Both goalies had some tough goals in the past two games, but generally speaking, Halak and Elliott are above average goaltenders, with Halak being a bit better. (Elliott's numbers are better, but he's usually been given the lesser assignments.)
The NHL has changed. You no longer need a stud goalie to win a Cup. You need a hot goalie, and a great and/or hot team. Both of the Blackhawks' recent Cups came with utterly mediocre goaltenders. (The fact they just gave the latter of them a ginormous contract is hilarious.) The Red Wings have had a knack for winning Cups in the same fashion.
All of that said, a world class goaltender is available in Ryan Miller of the Sabres. Upgrading to that level can only help. And the Blues have the organizational depth to put forth a legitimate bid for him. And with a bit of finagling, they also have the money to fit him long-term within their budget and under the cap.
I am a big proponent of that move.
For example, Brian Elliott was a far cry from being the reason the Blues lost last night. But he let in one horrible goal (and maybe could have saved another). He also made some great saves.
But I'd suggest Ryan Miller makes those same great saves and keeps the bad goal out. Suddenly on a night when the team in front of the goaltender deserved to lose, a stud goalie still steals the game. I think that's what Ryan Miller could add. Hope we do it.
^Being in Virginia, I get my hockey fix by watching the Caps on Comcast (though, I just updated my TV package to include NHL Network so I may not watch as much as them anymore). I was able to watch both of their recent games against Buffalo and Miller is unbelievable. The first game I watched, in Buffalo, he stopped 49 of 50 (or 48 of 49?) in regulation and overtime before stopping all 6 in the shootout. Back in Washington two weeks later, he stopped 28 of 29 before stonewalling the Caps again in the shootout.
Interesting that you mention the popularity and focus on goalies' hot performances in the playoffs being the driving factor for teams now, as Halak getting hot in the playoffs with Montreal was a major reason for the Blues signing him. Both him and Elliot are solid goaltenders and a great duo for a team to have in goal, as when they're on I think they're two of the best in the league. Unfortunately, they have yet to show that they can be "on" consistently, and that's required for the Blues to take the next step.
Interesting that you mention the popularity and focus on goalies' hot performances in the playoffs being the driving factor for teams now, as Halak getting hot in the playoffs with Montreal was a major reason for the Blues signing him. Both him and Elliot are solid goaltenders and a great duo for a team to have in goal, as when they're on I think they're two of the best in the league. Unfortunately, they have yet to show that they can be "on" consistently, and that's required for the Blues to take the next step.
"Mediocrity by committee" in goal last night.
"We came out flat" ....might have to put these lyrics to W.C.'s tune to truly capture this season.
Their inexplicable inconsistency is approaching Cards' vs lefties lore.
"We came out flat" ....might have to put these lyrics to W.C.'s tune to truly capture this season.
Their inexplicable inconsistency is approaching Cards' vs lefties lore.
But they just weren't moving their feet.
And they didn't play a full 60 minutes.
Nor did they play a 200 foot game.
Yep. The excuses are getting tiring. It's weird saying that about a team that is one of the top 5 in the league and a legit Cup contender. But that's what makes these "flat" games so inexcusable.
And they didn't play a full 60 minutes.
Nor did they play a 200 foot game.
Yep. The excuses are getting tiring. It's weird saying that about a team that is one of the top 5 in the league and a legit Cup contender. But that's what makes these "flat" games so inexcusable.
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So the Blues pulled the plug on Halak and Stewart and we get Miller and Ott .. Way to go Blue's I sure hope they can bring the cup here this year.. This is true commitment in winning not just for this season but for the future of this franchise...
Predictable outcomes so far against familiar foes. Can Ryan Miller score goals, too?
The Blues haven't had an issue scoring goals this year. These last two games are not the norm, although unfortunately losing to these opponents seems to be.
The first game back vs. Vancover was all kinds of sloppy. However, the Blues were dominant last night. Unfortunately on 18 of about 83 shots made their way on goal. That's unacceptable, but they'll get it straightened out.
I feel truly bad for Jaro Halak, but I'm really excited about yesterday's trade.
The first game back vs. Vancover was all kinds of sloppy. However, the Blues were dominant last night. Unfortunately on 18 of about 83 shots made their way on goal. That's unacceptable, but they'll get it straightened out.
I feel truly bad for Jaro Halak, but I'm really excited about yesterday's trade.
There are things to be really excited about this season, and there are things like our record against Anaheim, LA, Vancouver and San Jose. 1-10-1. Thats season-ending ugly right there. EIther they fix it or we're done in the third round, and fast.
I'm hoping our offensive troubles before the Olympic break were largely due to Stewart getting moved around on the top lines in an effort to get him going, and the two shutouts are a result of our system-dependant offense not being in sync yet.
Hoping. Because man, 1-10-1 is not pretty.
I'm hoping our offensive troubles before the Olympic break were largely due to Stewart getting moved around on the top lines in an effort to get him going, and the two shutouts are a result of our system-dependant offense not being in sync yet.
Hoping. Because man, 1-10-1 is not pretty.
Just watched the replay of last nights game in Phoenix. Looked like an extremely entertaining game. Also, did you all notice the hundreds of Blues fans there? Was there a trip planned or just a large following in the southwest?
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I believe it's common practice for people in cold climates to retire to areas in warmer climates.rheights wrote: Also, did you all notice the hundreds of Blues fans there? Was there a trip planned or just a large following in the southwest?
The game itself was absolutely terrible for the first two periods. 1st wasn't good, 2nd was a disaster. Worst hockey I've seen them play this season, at least. 3rd they woke up and started scoring again.
Hope that continues.
Hope that continues.
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Hopefully this acquisition will prove to be great for the Blues ....
St.Louisans are hungry for the cup so theres lots of pressure on this team ...
some reason i don't think they feel pressure they seem to be up for the challenge ..
St.Louisans are hungry for the cup so theres lots of pressure on this team ...
some reason i don't think they feel pressure they seem to be up for the challenge ..
At what point do we at least get a marketable curse to blame this on?
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Im starting to believe that this team is truly cursed and the trade has jinxed this team ..Now likely having to face Chicago in the first round to a very proven team i don't like the Blues chances at all in fact i don't like there chances against any of the teams. Oshie Burglund Backes Morrow Teresenko Sabotka wow amazing ... If this team wins in the first round i'll eat my words
They now have lost 6 in a row and been shut out 2 consecutive games.. I watched the game on NBC and it's disturbing i really feel like this team has truly been cursed and worse they play the BlackHawks ..I'll keep fingers crossed but right now it aint pretty 
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Stay optimistic. Hopefully they can regain their health by Thursday.