Ken Hitchcock

Deliver Unto Them A Royal Beating

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 >>

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 >>

"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 >>

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 Blues (Cautiously) Extend Ken Hitchcock's Contract

The St. Louis Blues announced today that the team has extended the contract of head coach Ken Hitchcock. Which just makes sense -- with ownership finally settled and the reigning Jack Adams award-winner running the team, you kind of expected this deal to get done. Although the terms of the contract ... 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 Brass Take Home All The Awards That Matter

The 2012 NHL Awards were held last night in Las Vegas, Nevada, also known as The Hockey Capital of the Western World. (Note: this may not be entirely accurate.) There were dozens, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of awards handed out (also a little iffy factually, maybe), virtually all of which bo ... 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 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

The Return of The Halak-Ness Monster

​You know, awhile back I wrote a column about some win by the Blues or other, and I made a rather off the cuff remark about Jaroslav Halak. He's been a lot better since Ken Hitchcock got to town, I said, but the guy the Blues thought they were trading for just isn't going to show up. Halak isn't t ... More >>

Blues Close Out Homestand On a High Note

Rangers, yes, but not necessarily from New York. Blues probably could have beaten these guys too, though. Also, I had a huge crush on the pink one when I was like twelve. ​The Blues put a right ass kicking on the New York Rangers last night, posting a 4-1 victory to close out what looked like a pi ... More >>

Catch A Falling Star

Blues Get Back on Track With Win Over Detroit

​Over the weekend, the Blues faced perhaps their first real bit of adversity since Ken Hitchcock took over as head coach, losing two games in a row and struggling badly against Chicago in the second loss. Coming out of back-to-back letdowns, last night's matchup with the always-hated Detroit Red W ... 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 >>

Brett Hull's Hall of Fame Speech: The Word Cloud and Transcript

​One-time St. Louis Blue Brett Hull was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame on Monday in Toronto. Hull spent most of his career with the Blues, from the spring of 1988 to the summer of 1998, before he signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars. Although he spent the majority of his career with th ... More >>