WINTER CLASSIC AND ALL THINGS NHL
Before we break into the debut article of one half of the Puck Buddies (note, Puck Buddy Mike wrote an article last week, but it wasn't really about hockey), Tonyonball has some new sponsors for the 2017 year. Get ready for some shameless advertising! Most of these items are obscure (it's not like we are sponsored by Coca Cola), so don't judge. Product #1:
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Now to the article:
The St. Louis Blues finally had the honor of hosting the most prestigious event of the year in the NHL, The Winter Classic. One might wonder, how an even put on by a league sponsored by Coors would work in Busch Stadium. Well I don’t know anything about Event Management (I actually has a bachelor’s degree in Entertainment Management) or how the agreement came to be (research is frowned upon at Tonyonball.com). Editors note: This is a fact.
The 2017 Winter Classic drew rave reviews and the city of St. Louis received an abundance of positive press, and as someone who was present at this event, I can say it is deserved. Although this is the NHL’s baby and one has to wonder how much input the city had.
I am was a big fan of the uniforms worn by the Blues and one can’t blame the Blackhawks for not going off the board with their design (it’s their fifth outdoor game). The Blues will wear these uniforms six more times this year and will certainly receive pressure to make these their permanent home jerseys (along with the alumni game jerseys as their new road jerseys). The Blues would silly not to at least consider cashing in on this. Never mind, I’ve just been informed 99% of the fans in attendance have already purchased one, carry on.
Of course I was grateful to Gary Bettman and the league for bringing this event to St. Louis. They saw an opportunity to take advantage of a city that was “reeling” from losing an NFL team (is anyone upset they’re gone at this point?) and took advantage of it. By all accounts this decision is paying off in spades. But I do have one complaint. Every time Bettman would do an interview on St. Louis radio his explanation for awarding the city this game he made it seem like he was almost doing St. Louis a favor because he felt sorry for us. There, that is my one complaint on what was a great week for hockey fans.
Patrik Berglund had another strong game furthering the likelihood that Doug Armstrong will sign him to a contract extension that will inflate his already bloated salary. This event will be immediately followed by approximately 75% of the fan base’s heads exploding. Personally I don’t share the majority of Blues fans feeling towards the big Swede, I think he’s a solid player. What is he supposed to do reject a contract that pays him more than he’s worth?
-Speaking of Doug Armstrong, can anyone make a strong argument as to whether he has been good or bad for the Blues? This past offseason was a tough one for the team. He made some shrewd moves by letting playoff hero Troy Brouwer and longtime captain David Backes walk in free agency not to mention the trading fan favorite Brian Elliott. While fans may not have cared for these moves, they were necessary for the team moving forward in the salary cap era. Would fans rather have an aging and overpaid Backes and Brouwer and risk not being able to afford Colton Parayko and Robby Fabbri once they are due for a big raise (that’s a rhetorical question)? Not to mention, Brian Elliott was set to become a free agent after this year and was due for a big raise. The second round pick the Blues got in return for Elliott seemed modest at the time but based on his performance with the Flames so far it may actually be a steal (he had been much better of late before giving up 4 goals on 13 shots last night…yikes). One might argue the worst move Armstrong made over the offseason was the one he didn’t make. Kevin Shattenkirk is set to become a free agent at season’s end and many thought Army would cash in before losing him for nothing like he did with Backes and Brouwer. The team already have two solid options from the right side in Parayko and Pietrangleo making Shatty expendable, one would think. However, trading your powerplay quarterback at this point in the season seems unlikely when you’re competing for a playoff spot. (Editors note: Tonyonball has expressed his annoyance with cross sport analogies. You're on thin ice Puck Buddy #2...yes that's a hockey pun...you're welcome.)
o The Good: Armstrong has been able to re-sign some free agents before they were set to hit free agency in Tarasenko and Schwartz while the jury is still out on Allen (he obviously needs to be better but the Blues have much bigger issues this season than goaltending). For the first year after the Erik Johnson trade he looked like a genius, Shattenkirk has not disappointed and Stewart was going to be a 40 goal scorer (the only downside was they traded Jay McClement a few months after I got his jersey). However, Stewart didn’t live up to expectations and got traded so at this point it’s a debate on whether you would trade Shattenkirk for Johnson straight up, I still would but it’s closer than I thought it would have been.
o The Bad: The first place to start on this one is the notorious Ryan Miller trade. I was a big fan of this trade at the time and when you consier what the Blues gave up. The worst part about it is the fact that the Blues made a move that made them worse. The Blues goalie situation at the time was more than adequate and Miller grossly underperformed leading to another first round exit. Then there is the Jori Lehtera contract. Lehtera was coming off a solid first season in the league so Armstrong decided to extend his current contract for another three years for nearly $5M per. As it turns out, Lehtera isn’t much more than a third line center whose only real value is that Tarasenko likes playing with him. Let’s not forget that Army also basically ended up with a third round pick and a mid-level goal prospect for TJ Oshie.
o The Meh: The Blues essentially traded a first round pick for Jay Bouwmeester and then re-signed him for more than he was actually worth. I personally think that J-Bo is solid shut down defender who probably makes a little more than he should but I think most fans disagree with me here. (Editor's note: Bouwmeester always seems to be falling down and out of position. He reminds Tonyonball of former captain Eric Brewer, can't believe he's even in the NHL. He belongs in some sort of over 30 rec league) He also signed Paul Stastny to a 4-year, $28M contract in 2014. The point totals from Stastny have been modest but he is the Blues’ top center and has developed into a solid two-way forward. I could really go on forever discussing Army’s moves but this section has really gotten away from me and I need to wrap this up.
As I am typing this the Columbus Blue Jackets are losing 5-0 to the Capitals meaning they will fall a game short of tying of tying the all-time record. It’s a cool story but it’s basically the equivalent of the Seattle Mariners winning 20 games in a row. I’m sure they’re a good team, but does anyone actually believe this team is a legit cup contender?
That’s all I have for now, I’ll check back in a couple months.
-Puck Buddy #2 (Dragon)
