David Backes

Blues Captain David Backes Fights to Save Phineas the Dog, Salem Pet on Death Row

As we reported yesterday, Phineas the Dog, who lives in Salem, could be put to sleep -- after a long, bizarre battle in the south-central Missouri city. In response to a biting incident a year ago, Salem officials ruled that the three-and-a-half-year-old labrador retriever must be euthanized, sparki ... More >>

First Look: Takaya New Asian Rolls Out Modernly Plated Sushi and Fusion Dishes

On a moderately busy Friday evening about a month after its opening, general manager Simon Rhim of Takaya New Asian (634 Washington Avenue; 314-241-5721) explains that owner Eric Heckman just rolled some sushi himself before heading out to tend to his other businesses. Heckman lends a hand filling i ... More >>

A Big Blue(s) Preview

Tonight, at the Scottrade Center, the fated, the long-awaited, the eagerly anticipated 2013 Blues season will get under way. Okay, so it was really supposed to be the 2012-2013 Blues season, and all the Don King hype and rhyming in the world isn't going to entirely take the sting out of this la ... More >>

The Rams Play To a Beautiful Tie

You know, I have never been on the Jeff Fisher bandwagon. From the beginning, I thought it was an uninspired hire by the Rams, bringing in an overrated coach who probably won't let the team be quite as mind-meltingly awful as they've been the past couple seasons but isn't going to win the big one an ... More >>

Blues Give Chris Stewart a One-Year Deal

Late last week, the Blues came to terms with forward Chris Stewart on a one-year deal worth $3 million, a slight pay cut from his salary of $3.25 million last season. And with the way he played last year, the only real shock could be how modest the pay cut actually was. It's funny to look back ... More >>

Twitter Follies: Brian Elliott Finds a T-Shirt He Likes

If you're not periodically checking with Blues' goalie Brian Elliott via his Twitter (@KidElls1), you're missing his relentless hyping of Badgers hockey and the occasional corny joke in which the punchline is always a photo of something with his name on it. Last week he discovered the existence of a ... More >>

Blues Push San Jose to The Brink

You know, I really love that phrase. The Brink, I mean. On the brink or to the brink, I really like it. Although On the Brink sounds suspiciously like a movie from the 80s to me, maybe with Moira Kelly in it or something. Still, it's a cool word, and I don't think it's used nearly often enough.  ... More >>

Blues Take 2-1 Lead With Brilliance in San Jose

In the first game, the Blues dominated most of the way, minus occasional lapses, but were unable to solve Antti Niemi. They lost in double overtime 3-2. In the second game, the Sharks dominated the first period but put one in their own net. Jaroslav Halak stood on his head early, then was force ... More >>

Three Keys to Victory: San Jose Sharks at Blues

The Blues play tonight at the Scottrade Center, opening up their first-round playoff series against the San Jose Sharks. Of the potential draws the Blues could have pulled, the Sharks would seem to be the most favorable for the Note; the Blues absolutely dominated San Jose this year, winning all fou ... More >>

The Five Best Sushi Restaurants in St. Louis

Selecting Riverfront Times' Best of St. Louis 2011 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this Gut Check series, we are chewing our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. To see hundreds more winners and finalists a ... More >>

The Blues Go Down in Chitown -- Again

​The Curse of the United Center strikes again. Okay, as scary story, there-was-a-hook-on-the-car-door-handle material goes, the United Center's sinister ability to prevent St. Louis Blues victories isn't exactly grade A terrifying. But as team-headed-to-the-playoffs-considering-possible-match ... More >>

Everything's Coming Up Blues

Well, almost everything, anyway. If Winnipeg didn't suck so much it would have been everything. The Blues won again last night, slowly choking the life from the Anaheim Ducks over 60 minutes of grind en route to a 3-1 victory. Jaroslav Halak was nothing short of brilliant, saving 24 of 25 goals ... More >>

The Blues' Big Letdown in Columbus

​Everything was going so well, too. The Blues had won four in a row, were coming off a shutout of a very good San Jose team, and were headed to Columbus, Ohio, home to one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League. How bad are the Blue Jackets? They're the NHL's designated team this se ... More >>

Blues Score Three, Take Two Points From Senators

David Perron, wicked handsome, wicked awesome. And no longer singing for the Eurythmics. ​David Perron, you magnificent bastard. Perron scored twice last night, helping the Blues to a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators, who have suddenly gone from playoff contender to Tom Petty. (As in they ... More >>

Blues Shut Out Canadiens, Take Over Division Lead

​The story line going into last night's matchup was supposed to be the return of Jaroslav Halak to Montreal for the first time since the Canadiens traded him to the Blues in 2010. There was plenty of buildup, plenty of anticipation. Enough, in fact, that there was really almost no way the game its ... More >>

David Perron to Return as Soon as Saturday?

​The Blues under new coach Ken Hitchcock have been nigh unstoppable, winning four games in a row, going 8-1-2 in his first 11 games at the helm, and picking up 18 of a possible 22 points over that time span. Suffice to say, things are looking pretty rosy around the Blues' clubhouse right now.  ... More >>

Hitchcock's Historically Hot Start; Blues Reel In Victories Under New Coach

​Boy, the alliteration in this headline really bugs me. But you know what? There are no synonyms for the word start that begin with the letter H. It's maddening, I tell you. I thought about going with the first name, something like Ken's Capital Commencement, but that sounded a bit fey, even for m ... More >>

St. Louis Shelter Pets Have Spokesman in Blues Star David Backes

Rescue dogs and kittens: This guy has your Backes.​Daily RFT had the opportunity yesterday to talk with David Backes, the All-Star winger for the St. Louis Blues, prior to the launch of his new media campaign with Adopt-a-Pet.com. Beginning today, you'll start seeing billboards of Backes and his w ... More >>

A Quiet All-Star Weekend for St. Louis Sports

City of a thousand sites, but only two all-stars. ​There were two all-star games going on in the sporting world this weekend: the NFL's Pro Bowl, a.k.a. The Least Interesting Thing Ever, and the NHL All-Star Game, a.k.a. Whoops, I Totally Forgot About Hockey For a Second There, This Might Be Less ... More >>

In Missouri, it's one puppy mill down, and how many more to go?

Coyote’s Back on the Menu

The Blues' Best Win of the Year?

The Blues and their new head coach, Davis "Bring The" Payne got a little bit of revenge last night on the Chicago Blackhawks. ​A month ago, when Payne took over as interim head coach of the Blues, replacing Andy Murray, his first game was against the Blackhawks, on home ice. It did not g ... More >>

Breaking Down the Blues' Slow Start

Sadly, it's become an annual tradition here in St. Louis, it seems: the Blues' Slow Start. Happens every year, right around this time, when we look at the record of our beloved boys in blue and notice they aren't doing so hot. ​This year, though, this seems a bit different. Oh, sure, they wer ... More >>

Kind of Blue

The Blues' Next Big Thing Debuts Tonight

Tonight is an exciting night if you're a St. Louis Blues fan. The team's top prospect, Lars Eller, will make his NHL debut at the Scottrade Center against the Calgary Flames. Eller will also become only the sixth player in NHL history of Danish descent. Personally, I'm hoping Eller can com ... More >>

Let's Drop the Puck Already

Blues End-of-Season Awards

To get your mind temporarily off last night's loss to the Canucks in Game 1 of the playoffs, and your cursing Roberto Luongo's name for the ridiculous saves he made, I wanted to hand out the regular season hardware. Mostly, I want to give out the awards before the playoffs have a chance to cloud my ... More >>

David Backes Goes Crazy in Detroit

Photo: flickr.com/photos/inelAn artist's represenation of David Backes' performance Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings.Now that's more what I'm talking about. The Blues looked overmatched in Chicago. They looked much, much better on Thursday night in Detroit. Of all the players we've s ... More >>

The Blues' Best Weekend Ever

Oshie earlier this season.At the start of the weekend, the Blues were one of the chasers, a team on the outside looking in. Now, we get to see just how well they can play while being chased. After beating the Columbus Blue Jackets twice in less than 24 hours, the Blues are, as of right now, the fina ... More >>

Blues Update: The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Over the weekend, we may have finally seen some real reason to be optimistic for the Blues' future. In the NHL's YoungStars Game, the Blues had two players participating, and both showed well for themselves. Don't get me wrong; there have been plenty of reasons to be optimistic before now, but ... More >>