Blues Fanatic

For  no reason at all, I’ve decided to put a few spectacular Chris Mason playoff beard photos in a post.

Enjoy.

Lots of beard goin’ on there.

After a dismal .500 record in the first quarter of the season, the St. Louis Blues are left with their hands in the air over the direction of the franchise.  Are we a playoff contender, or a regular season disappointment?

Here are some of the issues showing up on the message boards these days:

-There are rumblings of a growing rift between some of the young stars & head coach Andy Murray

-Patrik Berglund has been scratched in 4 games already this season, and is currently playing on a line with Cam Janssen as a “grinder”.

-Petro is sitting on 9 games played, forced to watch in the press box while guys like Mike Weaver & Daryl Sydor suit up every night.

-John Davidson, usually a very vocal presence in the media, has been uncharacteristicly quiet over the past few weeks

-Trade rumors have been rampant with the surplus of defenseman we have on the blueline

What is happening to our team??

 Ok, so it wasn’t exactly the NHL Playoffs, but it’s still true.  The Alaska Aces (St. Louis Blues ECHL Affiliate) just finished off the Victoria Salmon Kings (Vancouver Canuck’s ECHL Affiliate) in the 2^nd round of the Kelly Cup.

Backstopped by ECHL Goalie of the Year Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, a former North Dakota Fighting Sioux netminder who is sporting a .939 save percentage  and an 8-1-1 record in this year’s playoffs, the Aces decidedly handled the Salmon Kings in five games.

Well I tried, and I just can’t shake it. I’ve done just about everything I can think of, and it still hangs around like a tired old cough.

I’m talking about the dreaded hockey hangover.

I guess having your team ousted in the playoffs is sort of like suddenly quitting smoking; you can do it cold-turkey, but it sure as hell isn’t easy. At the torrential pace the Blues were on in the past three months, we were easily smoking a carton a day all the way to the very end. It would have been nice to be let down gently with a thrilling ride all the way to game 7, and at least *one* playoff victory.

Sure, I’m mad as hell that we had to draw Vancouver of all teams, or to be more specific, the Roberto Luongo show. San Jose was a more favorable matchup in my eyes, as their team really looked to be ‘coasting’ a bit after locking in the #1 seed.

The truth is, though; it didn’t really matter what happened in the playoffs, because we weren’t even supposed to be there this season. As others have said on numerous blogs, we are a fan base that is extremely proud of this franchise. Just the fact that they were in the playoffs was a miracle, let alone as the #6 seed!

I really hope that this season goes down in the history books as the year that the Blues began their long journey towards Lord Stanley’s Cup. Next season will be a year of high expectations, and I can only hope our boys can make their city proud once again.

The real test awaits the Blues in 2009/10. We’ll have a healthy Erik Johnson & Paul Kariya, a free agent acquisition or two, and a determined bunch of sophomore “veterans” chomping at the bit.

Will they rise above, or sink to the bottom?

With all that being said, my head still hurts. Damn hockey hangover.

Caught in the eye of the storm, the city of St. Louis lies in wait of a Vancouverian assault by nightfall.

Unbeknownst to our aggressor, up from the depths of the mighty Mississippi river rides King Aragorn of Middle Earth, as he furiously charges towards the home of the once-mighty St. Louis Blues franchise. 

Continue reading Aragorn Speaks – Pre-Game Inspiration