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50 Photos from January 2013: Seized Cash, Sexy Plumbers, Craft Beer and More

Pics, pics, pics, pics: They make the Internet run. Here are some our favorite photos from the month of January, published within the pages, deadtree and digital, of the RFT.

Vladimir Tarasenko and the Defenders: State of the Blues Offense

The other day, I wrote a quick little piece about the Blues looking tired and hitting a bit of a wall in their last game Sunday night. Thanks to an error in utilizing the calendar function on my phone (I would like to blame Samsung for a grand conspiracy to make me look foolish, but it probably has ... More >>

The Blues Back at It Tonight

Sunday night, it looked like the Blues might have hit a bit of a wall. Right about the time the second period opened, the Minnesota Wild just seemed to start pushing the Blues around. Watching the game, I thought to myself, "Wow. I knew it was going to happen at some point, and here it is." The 'i ... More >>

Game Notes: Blues 3, Predators 0

It was a night of important rebounds for the Blues -- two of them, to be exact. The first is relatively easy to spot, as the team rebounded from their first loss of the season, a tough 3-2 defeat by the Blackhawks in Chicago, by beating the Nashville Predators last night 3-0. Back home at the ... More >>

The Blues Through Two: Woo!

The St. Louis Blues have played exactly two games this season, which is more than enough for me to say this, without equivocation: The 2013 St. Louis Blues are the greatest hockey team in the history of having a history of hockey teams. No, no. Don't argue with me. You can't. After the shellack ... More >>

"I Bitched About It a Lot on Twitter" and Other NHL Lockout Coping Strategies of Blues Fans

The most recent NHL lockout became a memory on Saturday as the Blues blanked the Detroit Red Wings 6-0 at the Scottrade Center. While covering the first of this 48-game season, photographer Jon Gitchoff asked these fans how they spent the lockout. Here are their responses, which include crying, curs ... 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 >>

What to Like in Shortened Blues Hockey Season

The powers that be in the National Hockey League finally got together, pulled their collective heads from their collective asses, and got a new collective bargaining agreement hammered out. (You like the repeated use of collective there? That's the kind of topnotch journalism you pay for with the RF ... More >>

Southie Bound

NHL Lockout 2012 Update: Mediation Fails, Everyone Still Kind of Being Dicks

It looked as if some real progress might actually be made this week in the ongoing lockout of the National Hockey League (hey, remember hockey? No? I don't blame you.), as the league and players agreed to mediation. In case you aren't familiar with the process, mediation is basically when you a ... More >>

Blues Off to Mediocre Start in Simulated NHL Season

The NHL lockout may stopped professional hockey in North America, but in the virtual world of EA Sports the game plays on.   The maker of the popular video game NHL 13 is simulating the NHL season online, and so far the St. Louis Blues are off to a less-than-stellar first half. As of Sunda ... More >>

Where Are They Now: Current NHL Players Edition

You know those Where Are They Now specials they have on VH1 from time to time, where they pick a bunch of has-been celebrities and tell you what they've been up to since the last time you cared? (Spoiler: It's usually cocaine.) Well, this isn't one of those specials. Actually, that's not true. ... More >>

How To Get Your Hockey Fix

You know, it's really tough being a hockey fan right now. The league isn't playing games, has cancelled all the preseason, looks ready to lose another regular season, and just flat-out isn't smart enough to recognize that this is the exact same situation that nearly killed the National Hockey League ... More >>

Is Lockout History Repeating for the St. Louis Blues?

So the NHL has apparently failed to learn its lesson. In a big, big way. See, the National Hockey League has this problem, wherein all the owners say they're not making any money, while the players all go, "Nuh-uh!" and everybody just keeps yelling at the other to quit being such a bunch of gre ... More >>

The Paul McCartney St. Louis Presale is Happening Now!

Paul McCartney has just announced a St. Louis show -- it's on November 11 at the Scottrade Center. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster, BUT the presale started at 10 a.m. this morning! Show some hustle! Update: 9/13/12, 10:30 a.m. We've done some cursory ... More >>

Blues' Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot Named Top NHL Goalie Tandem

I wrote yesterday about the Blues' brain trust of head coach Ken Hitchcock and General Manager Doug Armstrong both winning awards for themselves at the NHL Awards this week. And certainly, having those two names out there as the tops in their respective jobs brings plenty of prestige to the Blues or ... 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 >>

The Stanley Cup: Sports' Greatest Trophy, or Shiny Disease Vector in Disguise?

Peter King's "Monday Morning Quarterback" column is the last place I'd look for a hockey tidbit (it's predominantly a baseball, coffee and beer nugget depository), and yet a co-worker forwarded an interesting fact from this week's installment. It seems that St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke had an u ... More >>

A Stanley Cup Prediction -- And a Question of Interest

The Stanley Cup Finals begin tonight in New Jersey, with the Devils of the Garden State taking on the Los Angeles Kings, a hockey team we Blues fans are all too familiar with. I've actually watched a ton of the playoffs this year, even after the Blues were eliminated, which is a little unusual ... More >>

Tom Stillman Finally Owns the St. Louis Blues

At long last, the Blues ownership matter is settled. The NHL board of governors unanimously approved the sale of the team yesterday for an estimated $130 million to the ownership group headed by local businessman Tom Stillman. Other local luminaries in the group include former Senator John Danforth, ... More >>

The Blues' Final Stand

The word 'unceremonious' comes to mind at times like these. It's a good word, unceremonious; it is perfectly evocative of it's intended meaning. Whatever it is you're describing, whatever it might be that has happened, you know that there was no pomp, no circumstance, no fancy, no schmancy, no party ... More >>

The Blues Get Embarrassed at Home

It's been a great season for the Blues. A really, really great season. They started off slow under Davis Payne, but ever since making a coaching change and bringing in Ken Hitchcock, the Blues have been among the best teams in the NHL. For long stretches of time, in fact, it looked like the Blu ... More >>

The Blues Dig Themselves Into a Hole -- Again

For the second series in a row, the Blues have put themselves behind the eight ball by coming out and playing one of their worst games in the opener. Worse yet, they've done it both times while playing at home in the Scottrade Center, where they were the NHL's best home team this season. Of cou ... More >>

Ken Hitchcock Nominated for Jack Adams Award

St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock was today officially announced as a nominee for this year's Jack Adams Award, which is given to the NHL's head coach who has "contributed most to his team's success." Considering the dramatic turnaround in the team's play once Hitch was hired in early Novembe ... More >>

It's St. Louis Blues Day, And Actual Useful Hockey Information

Mayor Francis Slay officially proclaimed today to be St. Louis Blues Day, because the Blues won the Central Division, their first round of playoffs, and set a new franchise record for home wins. It's a nice honor, sure, but it seems kinda premature. Let's say the team wins this next round -- do we g ... More >>

St. Louis Blues Go Full Wonka, Hide Free Playoff Tickets for You to Find

The first two games of the Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings second-round playoff games don't have set dates yet, but they're guaranteed to be at the Scottrade Center. They'll set you back a tidy $65 to $442 a pop, plus service fees of course, and they're going fast. You could, however, win a pair if you' ... More >>

Up Next For the Blues: Quickly Come the Kings

The St. Louis Blues, having defeated their aquatic foes in round one of the playoffs, are now resting quietly, recuperating mind and body to prepare for the next challenge. It's a little like the dialogue screen from Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, where the opponent would hurl some insult at Little Ma ... More >>

The Blues Go On, The Sharks Go Home

Ah, the sweet smell of victory. The air this lovely Sunday morning seems a little fresher, a little cleaner, a little...well, sweeter. Birds are chirping, squirrels are, um, making whatever noise it is squirrels make, hungover hockey fans are groaning and moaning as they smack the snooze button for ... 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 >>

The Blues and Sharks Gear up For a Pivotal Game 4

You know, most of the time when you're talking about a seven game series, the odd-numbered games are the really big ones. Game one sets the tone for the series. Game three could put a team up 3-0 or break a 1-1 tie. Game five often breaks a 2-2 tie and puts one team on the verge of victory. Game sev ... 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 >>

Blues and Sharks Knotted at One Game Apiece; Head to San Jose

The Blues will be in San Jose tonight, continuing their first round playoff series against the Sharks, with the series tied up at one game apiece. The first game took over 80 minutes to be decided, finally ending in the second overtime period when the Sharks snuck a goal past Jaroslav Halak to steal ... 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 >>

Brian Elliott Injured; Panic Ensues Just in Time for the Playoffs

The Blues have been hit hard by the injury bug this year. Not that that's exactly anything new, of course; we've seen too many times the last few season this team derailed by players hitting the training table. But this year, it's been rough. The usual assortment of bumps and bruises, both uppe ... More >>

Blues vs. Coyotes

The St. Louis Blues Clinch on a Low Note

​Ladies and gentlemen, your 2011-2012 Central Division champion St. Louis Blues! It's been quite a ride getting here, but the team has really shown some growth, and the young players have come into their own, and the future is really bright for the squad, and yadda yadda yadda. Actually, ... 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 >>

Blues Suffer a Setback in Anaheim

​The Blues needed to win that game last night. They really did. Not because they're hurting in the standings, of course; they are still the NHL's points leaders, though the lead over the New York Rangers has shrunk to just a single point following last night's loss. Even so, the Presiden ... More >>

St. Louis' Ten Best Sports Bars

Late March is a magical time of the year, isn't it? We're midway through the NCAA Tournament (with St. Louis hosting the Midwest Regional this weekend); baseball's Opening Day is right around the corner; the NHL playoffs (featuring the Blues for the first time in three years) start in a few weeks; a ... More >>

The Blues' Sprint to the Finish Line

The NHL season is coming to a close, and the St. Louis Blues -- excuse me, that should be Your First Place St. Louis Blues -- are getting ready for their final push to the finish line. ​There's plenty on the line for the Blues, who currently sit atop both the Western Conference and the NHL as ... More >>

Blues Lose Second in a Row; Local Columnist Weeps Quietly in Darkened Living Room

​The Blues were riding high as recently as this past weekend, having taken a home-and-home from the Columbus Blue Jackets and leading the NHL overall in points. Since then the Note have suffered through a series of calamities the likes of which haven't been seen since god looked down at a man name ... More >>

The Blues Lose a Heartbreaker in Chicago

​All the streaks came to an end for the Blues last night in the United Center as they lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Chicago Blackhawks. It was one of the more painful losses I can recall seeing this season, as the Blues through the first two periods looked poised to steal a road game from the 'Haw ... 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 >>

Road Warriors: Blues Win Fourth Straight Away Game

​What was that thing? You know, the thing the Blues have so much trouble with. The, the thing? That one thing everyone kept saying was really the biggest thing that might keep the Blues from winning that cup thing? Oh, that's right. The winning-away-from-home thing. That thing. Well, the ... More >>

Blues and Canucks: Headed for a Showdown

The road doesn't get any easier for the Blues. In fact, it's just about to get real. Tonight the Blues travel to Vancouver to play the Western Conference-leading Canucks, the Blues' fifth game in seven days. The Canucks are skilled, they can score, and they have Roberto Luongo. In other words, ... More >>

Blues Stand (Mostly) Pat at the Deadline

​The NHL trade deadline came and went yesterday without the Blues making a big splash. They didn't go out and pry Rick Nash from the cold, dead fingers of Columbus; they didn't add either a goal-scorer or playmaker. Honestly, it was a bit of letdown. That is not, however, to say I think the B ... More >>

Blues Get Back on Track; Finally Beat Predators

​So far this season it had been all Nashville, all the time when the Blues and Predators get together. Nashville's defense, at times capable of being as smothering as the Blues' own, had kept the St. Louis attack under control, and Pekka F. Rinne keeps doing this really spot-on but incredibly ... More >>