SB Nation St. Louis: All Posts by Brad Lee

Want To Subscribe To Playoff Game Time Editions?

2013-04-30T00:51:58Z

We mentioned the other day that we've got the paper, an almost completely different edition than what's on the website. Really, there is hardly any overlap. And we do that on purpose, to make the paper unique and a value for our readers.

We offer a subscription to the paper during the regular season that has the playoffs built in. Now that we're past the playoffs, we are offering for the first time ever subscriptions for just the playoffs. Here's how it works. The paper is $4 an issue at the games. For the entire first round, no matter how many games they play, it's $10 for the series. They play three home games, you save $2. They play four home games, you save $6. And there are other advantages.

We send the paper in pdf format via email as soon as it's done. Tuesday night's edition will be finished sometime after midnight tonight. You'll have access to the paper for well more than 12 hours before game time. Slow day at work? Read a few pages of the paper. Have a slow meeting, print it out, slide it in a folder. It'll look like you're looking at the quarterly results/grading papers/reviewing performance charts. Just be careful not to laugh out loud.

How do you do it? Glad you asked. Send two emails. One to me at gtbradlee at gmail to let me know that you're jumping on board and I can make sure you get your paper in a timely fashion. And then paypal the $10 to gametimehlee at gamail. That's my wife. Yes, I put her in charge of the money. I'm a writer, not a banker. Be nice to her. Me, you can tell off anytime.

And you're done! It's just that simple.

Questions? Email me. Want to get the paper? Email me.

We're hard at work on the paper right now. Make sure you don't miss out.

Thanks for reading.

The St. Louis Game Time Paper

2013-04-27T17:01:09Z

We did it.

Tonight marks the end of the regular season for the St. Louis Blues. That means we pulled it off, printing 24 issues of Game Time under new management.

When Gallagher quietly told people last fall that he was probably going to stop running the paper, he asked a few of us if we wanted to do it. We all told him to stick that offer up his ass. Sure, we all loved this deranged thing, but who would be crazy enough to commit to putting it together for an entire season?

And then January hit and it sure seemed like the players and owners were making
progress. And then there was that one time a few of us sat down with some of the brass of the St. Louis Blues. And we saw up close and personal the commitment and passion they have for this franchise. I looked across the table at Tom Stillman and I saw a man who was as frustrated as I was that his team wasn't playing. I saw a guy I could relate to with how he feels about the Blues. He was all-in with this thing. He couldn't wait for them to get out on the ice.

And something stirred in me.

Dammit.

***

That's the beginning of my editor's column for tonight's game against Chicago. We'll have more issues for the home playoff games. But we usually treat this last regular season game as kind of a time to say thanks. Because you never know when the next paper is the last for the season.

I wanted to stop by here today to say a few things. One, thanks to Hildy and the others who write stuff for the site. Gallagher and I started this thing back in 2006 on an old Word Press template. It was ugly and little read and we loved it. We joined SBN a few years later. We spread a few fucks around on the Internet and passed the torch. The paper is such a huge commitment, I couldn't spare a lot of words for this place. And that's a shame because there are a bunch of quality people here who have good opinions and routinely make me laugh.

The end of my column is a little melancholy. I have no idea if the paper is continuing next season. When we started back up in January, I said I would make no promises until this summer. Three and a half months has been a huge grind. Six months plus playoffs...well I just don't know.

What I do know is that I appreciate everyone who reads the paper and either subscribes online or buys it at the game. You folks are the reason I want to think about doing it again next season. Thanks for reading.

And if you don't know about the paper, where the hell you been? We sell the paper in four spots (most of the time):

By the driveway leading into the Kiel Garage (no, they never changed the name).
By the 14th Street entrance to the building, by the dividing line between the arena and the Peabody Opera House.
On the northeast corner of 14th and Clark, just outside the fence of the City Hall parking lot.
In front of the main entrance, between the Al MacInnis and Bernie Federko statues.

I'm considering what I can do for a playoffs email subscription. If we come up with something, I'll let you know. If you're interested, email me at gtbradlee at gmail.com. That might help persuade me in putting something together.

It appears the Blackhawks are trying to hand the Blues the fourth seed with half their AHL roster up with the Hawks for tonight. Which means a home playoff game probably Tuesday or Wednesday. Come on Wednesday.

I have no idea about the future of the paper or what the playoffs hold for this hockey team. My suggestion is we try to enjoy it as much as possible for as long as they both are going this year.

Blues Comeback Falls Short In 3-2 Loss At Canucks

2013-03-20T05:09:41Z

You can't win them all. Especially when you give the Vancouver Canucks a 3-0 lead.

Well that was a lazy way to start this story. Which is fitting because that's what the Blues looked like in the second and obviously decisive period Tuesday night in Vancouver. St. Louis got the best of play in the first period and was rewarded with no goals. The Blues out-played the Canucks in the third and improved the score from 3-0 to 3-2. But it was too little, too late. I could write this entire thing using lazy cliches.

While Jake Allen allowed all three Vancouver goals, his teammates allowed the Canucks to buzz him. There was a lot of standing around with the team in white while the team with pretend TVs on their chest with a stick hockey stick (you know, a stick figure, just trust me) were flying around.

Some other things happened. Chris Stewart got into a fight. So did Ryan Reaves. Neither seemed to really fire up the Blues. And while some Game Time staffers (like the guy who writes the fight page in the paper) think Stewart fighting is a great thing. I think it keeps the Blues' best player off the ice for five minutes.

So I got into a little dispute on the Twitter tweets. Someone said that Vladimir Sobotka has been the MVP for St. Louis so far this season. And I thought it would be pertinent to reply with some sarcasm that of course he's more important than the dude who leads the team in goals and points because one guy has a hat trick and the other doesn't. Duh.I'm curious what you all think. Sure, No. 17 is versatile, but he's better as a defensive/energy source and too inconsistent to play on say the second line. Agree?

The power play was noticeably more active and dangerous and just a bit out of sync. With Andy McDonald coming back Tuesday and Vladimir Tarasenko on Saturday, there are some old faces who haven't been out there for awhile. It will take a bit of work for everyone to be back on the same page.

Hope you noticed Jaden Schwartz's goal. Not him. He just had to be in the right place for the puck to ricochet off his arm. No, I mean Tarasenko. The youngster found the quiet space on the ice where he could get his feet and stick setup to receive the puck and get his shot off quickly. Reminded me of a guy who used to wear No. 16 around these parts. It was pretty.

There was some hesitation shooting the puck. Alex Pietrangelo twice on the power play. Kevin Shattenkirk on the point. Chris Russell on the point. I could go on. But every time there was a pause, the defense rotated into position and Cory Schneider was square to the puck. The releases have to come faster, shooters need to be more aggressive.

It was a game the Blues could have won but probably didn't deserve to so don't sweat it. Just don't look at the standings. Because they are fucking frightening. The Blues are four points in front of Columbus. Who is in 10th place. Columbus. Yeah, we're going to be fucking sweating this thing until the end of April.

You, yes you. You can't leave a comment if you don't eat your meat.

Blues Blow Three-Goal Lead To Kings, Lose 6-4

2013-03-06T08:01:28Z

The Blues had that game won. They were in control in the second period with a 4-1 lead. They scored a couple of freak goals and a couple of strong tallies. They looked aggressive and crisp and like winners. And then they allowed five unanswered goals to lose 6-4 at the Los Angeles Kings, the team that killed them in the playoffs last year. Next fucking verse, same as the fucking first.

Both teams chased their goaltenders. The move worked for one of them. The body language on the Blues bench at the end of the game told the entire story: shoulders drooping, shell-shocked expressions, a pissed off coach pacing behind them. Demoralizing is being kind in describing this loss.

It was an old-fashioned first period in Los Angeles Tuesday night. Some pent-up frustration from a frustrating game in Dallas and last spring's playoff sweep spilled over with three fights and 40 penalty minutes in the first period.

The Blues chased Kings starting goaltender Jonathan Bernier after scoring three goals. Jonathan Quick allowed one not long into his time in the game in the second period. Jaroslav Halak looked pretty good. And then he allowed five goals before letting Brian Elliott add one more stick to the fire.

I know that on the Twitter tweets, some have been given to call well performing games #peskyblues. Well they were pesky the first 30 minutes of the game. And then they were #zombieblues.

The camera in the Blues' penalty box got a lot of use. At one point there were four guys in the box and one of them had to stand. When Roman Polak (who got his ass knocked the fuck down in a fight) was sent to the box, we confirmed that while his English might be halting sometimes, he sure knows the word fuck.

Alex Pietrangelo is heating up. He hadn't scored a point in eight games. Then he created a goal by pinching in, staying behind the net and getting aggressive. He wrapped around and tried to pass to the slot, but the puck hit a defender and bounced in. The Blues' third goal was created by Pietrangelo putting a quick shot on net that was redirected in front. If he gets going, the Blues' offense will as well.

The bottom line is that the Blues have struggled to play a full 60 minutes. Tonight was no different. And the Kings made them pay the price. It was an ass-kicking that I bet thousands of fans actually missed because they went to bed with a two or three-goal lead. Good morning, sunshine! The loss kept the Blues tied with like half the Western Conference, but the tiebreakers have sunk the Blues to ninth.

Anybody got a panic button to push around here?

Blues Lose Late In Overtime; Vladimir Tarasenko Injured, Didn't Return

2013-02-21T06:03:35Z

After a well-played game by Jaroslav Halak, he came away as a hard-luck loser in overtime at Colorado in a 1-0. Defeat. The Blues still got the charity point. The Blues deserved better after controlling much of the action and outshooting the Avalanche 33-20 for the game. But Halak was fooled on a simple wrist shot from David Jones that fluttered after deflecting of Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk's skate boot. The puck, moving end over end, caught the upper corner on Halak's glove side. Who the fuck is David Jones? I thought it was Doug Jones. He looks like a Doug (no offense, any Dougs out there).

The clock had less than 17 seconds left in the overtime period.

The story for the Blues at Avalanche Wednesday night the first 48 minutes of the game was the return to the ice of Halak. And then with just under 12 minutes to play in the third, Vladimir Tarasenko was helped back to the dressing room after a blind-side hit by Mark Olver.

Tarasenko was near the boards in his own end and was backhanding the puck back to a teammate. He was facing down the ice, but was turned, looking over his shoulder. Coming from his front side, Olver laid a hard...mostly clean hit on the rookie Russian. Tarasenko never saw him, got knocked flat backwards and possibly hit his head on the ice. When he rolled over, cameras caught a dazed look on his face, his eyes rolling back in his head. He was spitting out blood. It took a minute for him to gather himself and then he was helped back to the dressing room, at first to address the blood in his mouth and then probably to assess a possible concussion.

On the slow-motion replay, it looked like Olver's shoulder hit Tarasenko in the head. Front row Blues fans behind an arguing Ken Hitchcock were pointing their elbows. While Olver raise his hand on the hit, he didn't stick his elbow out. It doesn't mean that the the next time the Blues and Avalanche play that Olver won't have to answer for the hit. He probably will. That's how these things work. But it's not like the guy will be suspended or fined.

Of course Tarasenko didn't return to the game. We'll say it: He's day to day with an upper body injury.

Back to the goaltending. Jerry looked sharp in his first game back since he was injured in a Feb. 1 game at Detroit. He had to be anxious to get back out there and show the struggling Brian Elliott and upstart Jake Allen that this is his team, No. 1 goaltender is his job. He was quick, he was smooth, he looked rock solid.

There is a theory out there on the internets that Halak plays better when he has legitimate competition for playing time. Allen is giving him that. It will be interesting if they keep the three goaltenders on the roster or if they send Allen back to Peoria for playing time. I don't want to see Elliott again for a long time, so I hope they don't make a change.

The save of the night came in overtime. A tw0-on-one for the Avs led by Paul Stastny came down. Stastny put the shot on net, Halak closed the pads on his knees and then turned to look for the puck behind him. It was in the crease, right in front of him. The Avs poked at the puck twice before Halak knew where it was. Without even knowing it, he made the saves.

Around here, we used to shoot some bullets after most games. Ready, fire, aim.

It seemed like Matt D'Agostini had some energy late in the third period. He had a couple shifts the last six minutes of the game and sparked some offensive chances. He doesn't want to take up residence in the press box. He has to be thinking that every shift is a possible audition for a trade considering he doesn't seem to be a big piece of the puzzle here anymore.
A little birdie told us before the season started that in 1995, the New Jersey Devils used 33 players over the course of the 48-game regular season on the way to winning the Stanley Cup. The Blues so far have used 24 players. So expect some additional faces to get playing time this season.
I know there are more offensively talented forwards than Vladimir Sobotka, but that dude is playing well right now. I don't think he can keep it up. I don't think he's going to really deserve third-line minutes much longer, but he's been dangerous the last 10 days.
So there's the fucking airplane drama in Vancouver and flying in the middle of the night after waiting 15 hours. They had a letdown at home against San Jose. I'm sure it was a quiet flight in the middle of the night to Colorado. And then they outplayed the Avalanche the first three periods and then let it slip away after almost five more minutes of hockey where the Avs actually outshot them 4-2 in the extra period. I'm not making excuses, I'm just saying it's been a brutal three days for this team and we shouldn't be shocked they didn't have the strongest overtime finish.
Hey Pitbull, you make me not want to drink Bud Light. Go fuck yourself.
I feel bad that Erik Johnson didn't play and has a hurt head. But should we be surprised that a guy who somehow blows his knee out on a golf course (drunken demolition derby, anyone? Allegedly.) doesn't have the most sterling of careers? We should have known then what we know now: Eeeej can be a good NHL defenseman; he will probably never be a great one.
Seriously Pitbull. Get off my TV. I might go find some Miller Lite. Gotta support the Stillman anyway. And I hate you.
Snow and ice are coming. You got your milk, bread and eggs? French toast is the absolute best thing to eat while watching it snow.

I miss anything, assholes? I'm a bit rusty with this online shit. The future is all about the printed word, sold on street corners by people bundled up like the homeless. Anyway, you have an opinion, let me know down below.

Subscribe To St. Louis Game Time The Paper

2013-01-19T02:22:42Z

So instead of writing a preview for each individual player this year and posting one an hour (wow, that was dumb) like last year, I decided to become the co-publisher and editor in chief of St. Louis Game Time, the paper edition.

Hopefully you know that we started out as a game-day paper sold outside the arena back in the fall of 2005. Gallagher started the thing. That spring he started a little wordpress page that later became this thing. Well we still have the paper. Gallagher is spending more time with his kids or something. And Gift and I didn't want it to die. So we're picking up the torch and stumbling forward in the darkness.

If you come down to a game, make sure to check out our vendors. You can find them at the entrance of the parking garage, inside the parking garage, on 14th Street next to the entrance near the Opera House and on 14th and Clark by the City Hall parking lot. We're a small, independent operation. We pack a lot of stats, observations, jokes and the like.

Say you're out of town. Or you don't have season tickets and you'd like to get your hands on the couple dozens of inspired brilliance we sell outside the building. That's cool. You can subscribe via email as well -- at half the price of what you pay at the stadium. Plus the playoffs are free.

So I need to go back and actually finish the paper. Sleep, ah, I knew thee well. Seriously, thanks for all your support, for continuing to make this the best and longest running Blues website ran by fans for fans. We're honored we're still here. A little surprised too. And excited for the season. In less than 23 hours from now many of us will be at the home opener.

Top 11 Things I Miss About St. Louis Blues Hockey

2012-10-24T13:01:17Z

11. Development of young players. We all know the Blues didn't add any talent to the roster from outside the organization. Inside, the Blues were set to add Vladimir Tarasenko and give more playing time to other guys like Ian Cole and Jayden Schwartz. We should be watching these guys get better, growing on the ice. I'm sure they're getting better, playing in Peoria and Russia. It's just hard to see it. And prove it.

10. The chill in the rink. There's something about walking through the tunnel, past the curtain and into the arena. And the air conditioning hits you right in the face. On the back of your kneck. You know where you are and why you're there.

9. The call of the scalper. "Who needs tickets? Tickets! Yo, you need tickets, sir?" Not hearing these hard working entrepreneurs out on the street making a mostly honest buck to put food on the table for their families reminds me that there are hundreds of people who make at least part of their income from hockey games.

8. The big blue bear and all his friends. And when I say all his friends, I mean Charles Glenn singing the anthem, Angelllla doing the Lucky Puck Shuffle and Towel Boy waving his rags and teaching the masses to count. Sure I'm not a huge fan of all the personalities with the game experience. But damn, I miss the game experience.

7. The call of the beer man. Yes, I miss paying for $8 beers. Never thought I'd say that.

6. Seeing my kids get excited about something that excites me. Last month my family went to see Disney on Ice. The kids loved it. They lost their shit. Now, I had a good time, but it was mostly watching them and enjoying their enjoyment. I had to play along that the show was awesome. It was not awesome. I get geeked up for hockey games. My kids are the same. Now that's a truly awesome experience.

5. Wearing a hockey jersey. I'm a dork. I own too many of these things. They're in the closet taking up space. They're great for a hockey game. They aren't the most practical thing to run to the grocery store. Plus, who wants to advertise to the world that I'm a fan being held hostage by the fourth most popular professional league in North America. I'm not wearing a jersey in public until this thing ends, minimum.

4. Seeing my hockey friends. Game Time isn't a site, a weird-ass hobby or underground paper waiting to be published again. It's a movement. When you go to games, there are people you see and great and hang out with that are part of the GT crowd. Through this thing, we've met dozens of people. Most of you are cool. Some of you need stronger medication. That's cool. We all have that one thing. But there are a bunch of people I enjoy seeing at games. There are no games. I don't see those people. Sucks.

3. Rush of the game. There's nothing like a breakaway goal. The puck is turned over. A player makes a mad rush. The puck joins him. By about the red line, 19,000 people start to stand and there's a sudden jolt of energy. Anticipation! The skater is in on net, there's a shot...dramatic pause...GOAL! Jubilation. I've never done cocaine. It can't feel as good or have as big a rush. I realize cocaine is a helluva drug. So is hockey.

2. Yelling things. I don't shout a lot of things at games. But when I do, it feels good.

1. A part of me. I'm a hockey guy. I love baseball. I could talk your arm off about football. Hockey is a part of me. It's part of my identity now. It's what my family does for enjoyment. My son is obsessed. He's 3. I'm moderately well known on the Internet (regionally) because of hockey. I've given 1,000s of hours of my life to Game Time and following this team. It feels like a part of me is missing.

Sure, I miss it today. Talk to me in April if this season gets cancelled.

What do you miss? How long will you miss it before something replaces it? Let us know down below.

Top 11 People In The NHL That Need To Be Laid Off

2012-09-27T14:02:02Z

It finally was confirmed by local media on Tuesday that the St. Louis Blues laid off about 20 people last week from sales and other parts of the business operation. Remaining staff are taking pay cuts and working less hours. Makes sense. No games means no tickets to sell meaning no revenue.

Obviously the worst part is that these are working class stiffs like most of us. They have bills to pay, mouths to feed. They work (or used to) for a cool organization. I bet when they started there, they bragged to their friends and put it on their Facebook pages. And now they're either out of work or making less money. As fans we can complain about missing out on hockey, but this lockout is directly hurting these people. They didn't do anything to deserve this.

But you know, there are others who do deserve getting a pink slip. And you know us, we're not afraid to call them out.

Top 11 People We'd Like To See Get Laid Off

11. Pitbull. He's the musical artist who had a Bud Light commercial that played about 10 times every playoff game last spring. It was horrible. Have a pink slip, sir. And you might need some job retraining. I don't think this music thing is working out.

10. The Fratellis. That's the group that recorded the uber-annoying Blackhawks goal celebration song, Chelsea Dagger. Hate that song. It sounds like puppies in a wood chipper. It makes you a little dumber every time you hear it. That actually explains a lot about Patrick "Two Fives Equal A 10" Kane.

9. Patrick Kane. Someone go find him in a Madison, Wisc., bar and let him know HR monitors social media. He's giving the company a bad reputation.

8. Towel Boy. Children love the man who counts out the goals after each Blues score and then throws his self-autographed towel. Uninformed fans think he's an original Blues tradition. He's not. He got the idea watching a Rivermen game in Peoria. Look, the Blues can only have one real mascot and they've got the pantsless bear. He doesn't actually work for the team, which makes this so difficult.

7. NFL Replacement Referees. Did you see the Monday Night Football game between the Seahawks and Packers? Remember the ending of that game the next time you have a complaint about NHL officials. Which probably won't be for a long time because of the lockout and why we're in the middle of this list in the first place.

6. Gary Bettman's barber. Unless it's his mom who cuts his hair. Which would actually make a lot of sense.

5. Whoever banned jumbo beers at Blues games. I don't know if this is a league-wide rule or what, but the Blues used to have a large beer that was about $10. It was expensive, but it would last most of a period if you were careful. They were economical. They were delicious. And they were nowhere to be found last season. I want answers. I want the truth.

4. Glow puck. Back in the 1990s, when some of you might have been born, Fox television network broadcast NHL games. And to make it easier for uninitiated fans to follow the puck, they made it glow on your TV. And when it was shot very fast, it had a comet trail behind it. Very high tech. Very annoying for fans who didn't actually have a hard time following the puck. Here's the thing. TV graphics have only gotten better. The technology is there to help this idea. Coming out of the lockout, can't you see NBC trying to boost awareness by making the puck glow? How about 3-D glow puck? Oh, it's out there lurking, ready to make a comeback. Like NKOTB. Let's preempt it. Layoff the glow puck.

3. Mike Milbury. Because only the worst coaches and general managers in the league make the best commentators? And if he doesn't go because he's sometimes entertaining when he argues with Jeremy Roenick, how about Pierre McGuire instead?

2. Edmonton Oilers owner. Sure you want to move to Seattle. Uh-huh. Or maybe threatening to move is your only leverage in a city where you're already getting a sweetheart deal on a new building. I don't even want to mention your name, it's so pathetic. Sell the team to someone who isn't willing to stoop as low as you.

1. Gary Bettman. Does he take too much criticism for problems with the league? Absolutely. Is he only doing what his bosses, the owners, tell him to? Probably. Has he overseen more work stoppages than any other commissioner? I think so. If there is a face to the lockout, it's Bettman. Let's make his face go away.

Anyone you want to lay off? Tell us down below.