urbanSTL

jstriebel wrote:I've heard it from a few places that an ASG isn't a priority for the Blues. They do want to host an outdoor game, though.

Maybe they've been told they need to put a certain amount of money in to improve the building in order to get the All Star Game and that's what's tempering their enthusiasm?

jstriebel wrote:As for the team itself, it's been a very disappointing start. Tonight, yet again, they came out flat. They eventually worked their way into a solid effort, but the same old problems showed up. They couldn't hit the net. They couldn't score when they did have good shots at the net. And they gave up too many fast breaks.

Oh, and also, the attendance was very mediocre tonight. Do better, St. Louis.

Attendance doesn't pick up until closer to Thanksgiving. Except for top rivals October and early November games are always 15 and 16,000 crowds.

Saturday night the place will be packed with all the smug Blackhawks fans strutting around like they own the building.

Tarasenko is turning into an absolute stud.

That game last night was a great example of why I enjoy having hockey so much. A monday night where the MNF game is not so great, and we get a gem of a competition between the Blues and a major market contender. The Blues put up a solid effort in a tough environment. Agreed, Tarasenko seems to be coming into his own. I love hockey, however, don't know it technically very well, but it seems to me that he is becoming more comfortable with the identity of a scorer and so are his linemates. He doesn't seem as tentative to let it rip. however also looks to be a good distributor of the puck. Bouwmeester's goal was killer.
Entertaining game and great win. Go Blues.

shimmy wrote:So far this season the Blues have seen the third highest jump in attendance in the league at a 3.28%. Averaging 17,500 puts them right about in the middle of the league as well (ESPN stats puts them at 16 out of 30).

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014 ... &utm_tags=

Good to see. And those are honest numbers with not many discounts.

shimmy wrote:The Panthers really need to move. Giving the support of other Florida teams, and Tampa teams for that matter, it's surprising that the Lightning do so well for attendance.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance

They should be in Quebec City or the Toronto suburbs/Hamilton area.

TV ratings are also up.

http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=744481

The Blues' 5-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night scored the third-best TV rating ever for a regular season Blues game on FOX Sports Midwest

Overall, the Blues TV ratings are up 14 percent compared to the same point last season, when ratings finished at an all-time high

Having a blossoming star in Tarasenko is great for interest. With him and Oshie the Blues have two young, exciting, and very likable stars. Both are humble and don't shy away from the rough play, particularly Oshie, and that goes a long ways towards establishing respect among hockey fans. A lot of people hate Crosby because they see him as a p****.

From a completely unscientific standpoint, I've always viewed the Blues as having a much stronger fan base than the Rams. I understand the NFL is so much bigger than the NHL, so the Rams perhaps get more attention, but this forum is seriously the first place where I've seen people care more about the Rams than the Blues. I think the Blues have a much stronger identity with St. Louis, for obvious reasons. Maybe it's just my circle, but I have plenty of friends who are die-hard Blues fans, and I can't really think of any die-hard Rams fans. When discussing the Rams possible move, most people would think that would be terrible because it would be a stain on the city to have a team leave, not because they'll actually miss the Rams. Again, that's just my observation.

In any event, I agree that criticism of Checketts is misplaced. I remember the 06-07 season after the lockout going to Blues games, when the whole country was disgusted with the NHL and the Blues were stripped in order to sell and there being like 6,000 people in the stands. Then Checketts came in, turned it around and brought the fans back and made the team competitive again.

shimmy wrote:In any event, I agree that criticism of Checketts is misplaced. I remember the 06-07 season after the lockout going to Blues games, when the whole country was disgusted with the NHL and the Blues were stripped in order to sell and there being like 6,000 people in the stands. Then Checketts came in, turned it around and brought the fans back and made the team competitive again.

I disagree. Checketts knew the Laurie's abused the franchise and he could get the Blues for a bargain that he could then "flip" into something bigger. I felt he was a carpetbagger trying to use the Blues as a stepping stone to an NBA or even and NFL team.

Exactly. I don't really care what his intentions were. He bought the Blues after their worst season since the late 70's. As a result, in his first year the Blues finished dead last in the league in attendance, averaging 12,000 a game. The following season they were 13th, and then they were in the top 10 for the rest of his time. Was he the best owner in regards to winning the Cup? Probably not. But he definitely brought the city's support back to the team, even if it was through the likes of free food days (which were awesome), and it's that support that makes me confident that we will be able to lock up the likes of Tarasenko.

Where did they say that the would move to Louisville or St. Louis?

I think Kansas City makes the most sense for the NBA, being that they'd have their own arena. In Louisville, they'd have to compete with U of L, one of the most profitable college basketball programs in the country.

jstriebel wrote:I can't speak to his intentions, but the "flipping" thing wasn't a reality. His group purchased the Blues for $150 million, but sold them for $120 million.

The reason for the negative $30 million is the Checketts group sold the concessions contract for up front cash. As I understand it they only get a tiny sliver of concessions

For their solid fan backing and somewhat above average record: the Blues have never been on solid financial ground in their 47 year history. Sounds like the Stillman led group is finally has the passion and the backing to get things right. (Yes the Lauries had the money. I also don't think they cared one bit about hockey.)