BLUE NOTES Hello! Welcome to the restart of the Blues 2024-2025 season. The gang has a new coach, Jim Montgomery. Their do-over season began Monday night in New York with a frisky 5-2 win over the Rangers in Montgomery’s first game as the new coach – a debut that was...
Only one thing surprises me about the decision made by St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong to fire coach Drew Bannister to clear the way for the hiring Jim Montgomery: that this move surprised anyone at all. It was an obvious, smart, logical and easy shakeup by...
If Blues GM Doug Armstrong believes Jim Montgomery would be the best coach for the Blues as the NHL season moves into the holiday season, then he should do the deed, go ahead, and make the hockey club better. Take care of the beloved Blues. Would it be harsh to...
NHL coaches come and go so often, teams should keep a UPS truck parked outside the arena, waiting to haul the discarded gaffer to the recycling plant. There’s an old saying: coaches are hired to be fired. In the NHL, coaches are fired so they can be fired again at...
Former Blues coach Ken Hitchcock will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight. Congratulations to one of the greatest coaches in franchise history. Though it’s just a coincidence and nothing planned, the 2023-2024 Blues are honoring Hitch by doing a helluva...
When team captain Alex Pietrangelo left the Blues for a stratospheric free-agent deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, I didn’t participate in the blame game. My feelings could be summed up in four parts. 1. Petro was a fantastic all-purpose, indefatigable defenseman...
There was never a reason to worry about Craig Berube and the Blues continuing their relationship with a contract extension for the only coach to win a Stanley Cup in franchise history. This was going to happen, 100 percent. The Blues made it official Wednesday by...
The Blues open camp today, and that’s good. I’ll be more excited when they open the regular season on Oct. 14. For the time being, I’ll roll four lines on my own. First line: I don’t know who the Blues are. They aren’t the 2019 Blues. But then again, the 2019 Blues...
No St. Louis Blue cared more or worked harder than David Backes. I’m not saying Backes was more dedicated than the Plagers, Brian Sutter, Bernie Federko, Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Ryan O’Reilly or Alex Pietrangelo. I’m not saying Backes had a bigger heart than...
