Beware The Blues...An OBG Production NHL 10

[onlybygrace]

Keep Your Head Up, TJ Oshie Has Arrived


There are a plethora of skills that make up an NHL hockey player. Some players do it with skill, some with heart, some with grit…but TJ Oshie has proven in his 1^st season that he is the total package.

In his first season in the NHL, Oshie has become the most popular hockey player in St. Louis while leading the Blues with his unmatched tenacity and passion for the game. It can be argued heavily that the Blues playoff run, which saw the Note rack up the best record in the NHL in the second half of the season, would not have been possible if not for the fire and determination of #74. Despite missing 25 games due to injury, Oshie managed 14 goals and 25 assists for 39 points, playing to a tune of +16 in just 57 games.

All of this, however, is a surprise to many scouts. Oshie was met with much skepticism because of his size as he stands at 5’ 11’’ and just 190lbs, but as the cliché goes--its not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.

“The kid is the real deal. We consider ourselves very lucky to have him. For his size he is just unbelievably solid on his feet and he never quits on a shift. He is a great player and a great example on what it means to leave it all on the ice”, said Blues President John Davidson of the 22 year old 1^st round pick in the 2005 draft.

If you plan on chasing TJ Oshie for a loose puck, you’d better be prepared…

With Oshie leading the brightest core of youth the St. Louis Blues have ever iced, the future for the Blues and TJ Oshie is full of promise.

[onlybygrace]

Season Preview Coming Soon...

[Bolts_26]

Awesome! A Blues dynasty is going to be great.

Can't wait for this one.

[kzoz21]

i love oshie. i wish nash played like oshie did

[shinderhizzle84]

damn, OBG, great intro! I've been wanting to see a dynasty from you on a REAL MAN'S game, and now that you're doing one with your all-time favorite team, this should be even more fun for everyone here, including you!

[onlybygrace]

2009-2010 St. Louis Blues Preview

Blues look to build on 2^nd half miracle as youth continues to play huge role.

It seemed impossible. With just a few minutes left in regulation the Blues were on the road trailing the Bruins 4-2 in a midseason match-up. The Blues would score a PP goal at 1:24 to bring the game to within a goal before scoring again with 0.1 seconds left to force OT with the Bruins as David Backes would bat the puck out of the air to lead the Blues to an eventual shootout victory. It was an amazing show of determination and the game the Blues point to which bonded them together, spurring them onto a 2^nd half tear which catapulted them from 15^th to 6^th in the Western Conference over the seasons final 3 months.

The Blues were

The Blues, however, would not be shaken as the core of youth stepped up and the remaining veterans played with rekindled fire in front of an inspiring Chris Mason who took over after Manny Legace was sent down to Peoria after struggling to be an effective stopper for the 1^st half of the season.

“It was something really special to see…I’ve never seen anything like it the way these guys came together and played every night like it was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for an entire 3 months. It’s hard to find that kind of passion these days”, said Blues head coach Andy Murray

The second half surge revived the franchise in St. Louis as the Blues now rank top 10 in customer satisfaction around the NHL and after TJ Oshie destroyed Rick Nash on consecutive nights…10,000 Oshie jersey’s were sold over the next couple of days as the 22 year old first round pick would become the new face of the franchise around town.


Rookie Sensation TJ Oshie Is The Total Package

When it comes to youth, however, TJ Oshie is just the beginning of the story. The St. Louis Blues have perhaps the deepest pocket of youth in the NHL as solid drafting has put the Blues in position to be a powerhouse for years to come as they could have as many as 11 of their own picks playing this season.

Lets take a look at the youth movement of the St. Louis Blues.

David Backes
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David Backes had a breakout season in 08-09, posting 31 goals and 165 penalty minutes as he is quickly becoming one of the best power-forwards in the NHL at the tender age of 25.

Patrik Berglund

Patrick Berglund garnished much attention for the Calder Trophy as he would tally 21 goals and 26 assists with a +19 in 76 games. The 6-4 SwedishCenter was the 25^th overall pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Erik Johnson

The only thing disappointing about Erik Johnson was his offseason injury which caused him to miss the entire 08-09 season after a stellar rookie year in 07-08 when he tallied 33 points while demonstrating amazing ability and potential which made it obvious as to why he was the number 1 draft pick in the class of 2006.

David Perron

David Perron totaled 15 goals and 35 assists last year and may be one of the top unknown stick handlers in the entire NHL. His wizardry with the puck was instantly noticeable during his rookie season in 07-08 when the 1^st rounder totaled 13 goals in 62 games with somewhat limited ice time.

Alex Pietrangelo

Alex Pietrangelo is the 2008 4^th overall pick of the NHL Entry Draft and is just 19 years of age. The youngster stands 6-3 and 210 lbs and is highly regarded by scouts in terms of size and skill and could either end up in St. Louis or in Peoria for another year to gain seasoning before becoming a permanent fixture on the St. Louis blueline

In addition to the depth of young players with high end potential, the Blues also boast a solid group of young role players who do more than an adequate job of fulfilling their role on the squad.

BJ Crombeen

Crombeen was a consistent contributor last season as he would play 81 games and amass 148 penalty minutes while contributing on the scoresheet with 12 goals and 10 assists.

Jay McClement

Jay McClement will be entering his 5^th season in the NHL at the age of 26 and has been a consistently solid checking forward who is disciplined, amassing just 55 penalty minutes over the last two seasons in 163 games

Cam Janssen

St. Louis native Cam Janssen is just 25 and plays the game with grit, fire and fists as he picked up 131 PIM’s last season and has totaled 354 PIM’s in 163 games in the NHL between NJ and STL.

Roman Polak

23 year old Roman Polak blocked a shot in 53 of his 69 games last season and is a sold stay-at-home defensemen that rounds out the list of key Blues under the age of 26.

In addition to the thick nucleus of young talent boasted by the Note, the Blues are also blessed with a good group of veteran players who lead the young guys with example and class.

Andy McDonald

Andy McDonald missed most of the season last year but was able to rack up 44 points in 46 games tallying 15 goals while showing great speed and creativity as he became more comfortable through the stretch run of the season.

Brad Boyes

In his first two full seasons with St. Louis Brad Boyes has tallied 43 and 33 goals with his lazer wrist shot and impressive dangles in tight spaces. Despite his high goal totals, he was -20 last season.

Paul Kariya

Signed as a free agent in 07-08, Kariya played just 11 games in 08-09 registering 15 points with 13 assists. Hopefully a healthy Kariya will help the Blues but one has to wonder if he is expendable with the success the Blues had in his absence.

Keith Tkachuk

Despite being relegated to the 3^rd and 4^th line and as a Center, Keith Tkachuk still totaled 25 goals and 24 assists, showing at the age of 37 he is still a valuable asset. Many also credit Tkachuk with the emergence of David Backes as an up and coming elite power forward as Backes lived with Tkachuk and his family during his rookie season after KT had taken Backes ‘under his wing’.

Barret Jackman

Despite winning the Calder Trophy in 02-03, Barret has had just one season comparable since when he was a +20 in 06-07. Jackman has taken a lot of criticism from Blues fans and hopes to improve upon his 08-09 campaign in which he was -17 in 82 games

Eric Brewer

The skates of Chris Pronger are hard to fill, both literally and figuratively, and its safe to say that Eric Brewer hasn’t come close since coming over from Edmonton in the trade many Blues fans remember with resentment and anger as the Laurie regime left the Blues a team depleted of its talent and its cornerstone chip, Chris Pronger. Brewer was -14 last season in just 28 games and is a combined -59 in four seasons with the Blues, two of those seasons he played less than half of the campaign

The Blues Biggest Question Remains Between The Pipes

Chris Mason


Goaltender Chris Mason was a godsend for the Blues in the second half playing nearly every game and posting a 27-21-7 record with a 2.41 GAA and a .916 SV% and despite losing all four games to the Canucks in the first round his numbers improved to a 2.34 GAA and a duplicate .916 SV% as Roberto Luongo dominated the series. Mason is the biggest question as many wonder and scoff as to whether or not he is really starting goalie material after being a career backup in Nashville before coming to the Blues in 08-09. That said, he was 9^th in the NHL in GAA and 6^th in Shut Outs with 6. Many Mason supporters point the fact that his career SV% is .914 despite the role he has been assigned in the NHL. Who is to say but Father Time?

Ty Conklin

Many don’t think of Ty Conklin when they think of the 08-09 Redwings but the 33 year old netminder played 40 games for Detroit during the regular season putting up a 25-11-2 record with a .909 SV% and 2.51 GAA while posting 6 shutouts. The Blues, between Mason and Conklin have two goaltenders that went a combined 52-32-9 with 12 shutouts.

At The Helm

Andy Murray

Andy Murray has coached the Blues to a record of 101-85-34 since taking over the squad in 06-07 after Mike Kitchen had run the team into the ground. Murray was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for leading the injury riddled Blues through an amazing second half as the team would climb out of the Western Conference cellar into the 6^th playoff spot.

John Davidson and Al MacInnis



President of Hockey Operations John Davidson and Vice-President of Hockey Operations Al MacInnis have done an A+ job bringing the St. Louis Blues back from the descent that the left the team on life support following the end of the Laurie regime. John Davidson is a former NHL goaltender who spent most of his years in the NHL with the Rangers as well as a couple seasons with the Blues. After retiring he made a name for himself in broadcasting before taking up with the Blues in 07-08.

Al MacInnis is a Hall of Fame defensemen who split 21 years between the Flames and Blues while racking up over 1200 points in the NHL while 15 times being elected to the NHL All-Star Team. MacInnis is a class act and is an outstanding mentor to the youth the Blues have collected over recent drafts.


Larry Pleau

Larry Pleau has been the GM for the Blues since 1997 and kept his position through the ownership change, but handed most of his responsibilities over to John Davidson, the Blues President of Hockey Operations.

Jarmo Kekalainen

Jarmo Kekalainen is the Assistant GM and Director of Amatuer Scouting for the St. Louis Blues and is largely responsible for the depth of young quality talent the Blues have heading into the 09-10 season. Kekalainen is a high expectations kind of guy who gets to the core of who they are scouting and looks for players who combine high skill with a strong worth ethic and sense of character.

The question remains, who are the true Blues? The Blues of the first half or the determined squad that tore up the NHL in the last half of the season. Time will tell but there is one thing we can say for sure...

GO BLUES!!!

[kzoz21]

i'm jealous of your team. and i love the unis

[onlybygrace]

Holy Jumpin', Panger On Board For 09-10 Season



The St. Louis Blues announced in a press conference this evening that Darren Pang will be joining the broadcast team this season as the color analyst, replacing Bernie Federko who will be staying with the team, but doing analysis from ice level as the Blues look to push their broadcast team toward a higher standard.

"We are looking to improve everywhere. We want to be as good as we can be and that doesn't just pertain to the team on the ice, but the team bringing you the action at home as you relax and cheer on the Blues", said President of Hockey Operations John Davidson.

Pang will be with the Blues full-time except for a few jobs that will be done for the national media like the Winter Classic to be held at Fenway Park later this season.

Blues Announce Pre Season Schedule

9/15 Minnesota @ St. Louis
9/18 Colorado @ St. Louis
9/19 Dallas @ St. Louis
9/20 St. Louis @ Colorado
9/24 St. Louis @ Minnesota
9/26 St. Louis @ Dallas

Thanks for the comments, guys. I too am very excited.