Hitch & Army Press Conference - Today, 11am

[STLADOGG]

Why was Hitchcock even there...completely useless press conference.

It shows a unified front and if he was absent it would send the signal he's been let go. The whole 'leaving it up to him to decide what he wants to do' is weak IMO.

We discusses this on the podcast last night.
It could very well be that he has been told he will not be offered a new contract and this is the team's way of letting him retire on his own terms so he saves some face publicly.

I fully expect him to announce he is taking another position within the organization, after he has "thought about it".

But we'll see.

Man I hope your right but it just doesn't seem like it. The only times he did speak, he talked about way to improve the team. I just didn't get that feeling. I'm sure next year it will be around the same team as this years which makes me sick.

[cardsfan04]

Why was Hitchcock even there...completely useless press conference.

It shows a unified front and if he was absent it would send the signal he's been let go. The whole 'leaving it up to him to decide what he wants to do' is weak IMO.

We discusses this on the podcast last night.
It could very well be that he has been told he will not be offered a new contract and this is the team's way of letting him retire on his own terms so he saves some face publicly.

I fully expect him to announce he is taking another position within the organization, after he has "thought about it".

But we'll see.

I wondered that too. It's a spot where Army can't be honest most of the time when asked about Hitch. If he hasn't decided, he can't say he's considering letting Hitch go. If he's decided not to retain Hitch, he might be letting Hitch save face. If he wants Hitch back, but Hitch hasn't decided, well, then he was honest I guess.

I think it's a little unrealistic for anybody to expect either of them to have a decision 2 days after the season though, so his answer was going to be meaningless before the question was even asked.

[Portland Blues]

New article:

Armstrong & Hitch envision a goalie competition next year
Armstrong wants Sobotka back
Blues want to sign Bortuzzo

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/p ... 93f93.html

[ecbm]

Why was Hitchcock even there...completely useless press conference.

It shows a unified front and if he was absent it would send the signal he's been let go. The whole 'leaving it up to him to decide what he wants to do' is weak IMO.

We discusses this on the podcast last night.
It could very well be that he has been told he will not be offered a new contract and this is the team's way of letting him retire on his own terms so he saves some face publicly.

I fully expect him to announce he is taking another position within the organization, after he has "thought about it".

But we'll see.

Why would it be his decision? If it isn't, what's the value of projecting the weak image that it is his? Sorry Curt, think you're wrong here.

I don't think the Blues need Sobotka. He is a good player, but he's a 3rd liner at best. He's likely not going to be the difference in having playoff success or going home. Sobotka bolted to Russia with one year left on his contract. He abandoned this team and is essentially demanding a trade. The Blues hold all of the cards here.

Hmph. Again, I think this is whistling past the graveyard. The way the blues have handled their personnel is PHENOMENAL and has them IN A GREAT POSITION!

If Armstrong is going to take a bit of a trip before "pushing this team forward" (and according to himself, shouldn't he be working on #91's new deal before chasing Boat?) and/or hasn't made a decision about Hitchcock, he's not fit for purpose.

All-Star defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk wanted his coach back, saying, "We're not in this position without Hitch."


What position is that? Watching 8 other teams advance?

Yeah, I appreciate 22's diplomatic response but objectively, it isn't true. With the amount of talent on this roster, one would have to commit malpractice of huge proportions not to make the playoffs-and that's all this team does, make the playoffs. Same with Army. The core of this team (for better or worse) is the creation of Kekalainen and JD. Armstrong has embroidered around the edges-his most impactful moves were drafting Rundblad who was then traded for the pick used on Tank (he didn't draft Tank) and picking Petro-ok, that was the right choice, I'll give him that. He hasn't had to work salary-cap magic (that's CHI's & NYR's GMs) or figure out how to deal with truly crippling rashes of injuries (that's CBJ) or work without top-level picks (that's DET).

Break up the DA/KH bromance indeed.

[ecbm]

Armstrong & Hitch envision a goalie competition next year

I keep saying it: someone tell me what team has been successful like this. Every cup winner I can think of from my 30-odd years following the sport had a clear #1.

Grant Fuhr
Tom Barasso
Mike Richter
Mike Vernon
Patrick Roy
Dominick Hasek
Cam Ward
J-S Giguere
Jonathan Quick

But yeah, Doug "I won a cup when next year's draft class was still in diapers" Armstrong and his trusty sidekick Ken "regular season" Hitchcock are going to reinvent this shit and show the rest of the league how it's done...

pfffffffffft

[cardsfan04]

I think it would be Hitch's decision in the sense that he gets to decide if he retires or not. If Army was being completely forthcoming, he's saying that his decision has already been made that he wants Hitch back.

I think it's reasonable to criticize Army for bringing Hitch back. There's a strong case that could be made against it (although I don't think it's as black and white as people are making it). But, I don't really need a decision on the coach in April. If they get to the draft, we have a big problem, but the week our season ends, I can still wait. And I expect them to be vague in their responses.

[cprice12]

Why was Hitchcock even there...completely useless press conference.

It shows a unified front and if he was absent it would send the signal he's been let go. The whole 'leaving it up to him to decide what he wants to do' is weak IMO.

We discusses this on the podcast last night.
It could very well be that he has been told he will not be offered a new contract and this is the team's way of letting him retire on his own terms so he saves some face publicly.

I fully expect him to announce he is taking another position within the organization, after he has "thought about it".

But we'll see.

Why would it be his decision? If it isn't, what's the value of projecting the weak image that it is his? Sorry Curt, think you're wrong here.

Why is that not feasible?
Instead of announcing that Hitchcock is not being offered another contract (fired, in a way), they let him save face and announce that he is retiring from coaching if that is indeed what he wants to do.

It's far more embarrassing to be fired than to say you are retiring. And that is important since Hitchcock will remain with the organization after he is done coaching. For his credibility and his reputation, it's better for everyone if he just announces he is retiring. It doesn't put the Blues in a weak position because they haven't made a decision yet. It's not like they are publicly begging him to come back and are waiting for his decision.

Hitchcock said just a couple weeks ago that he wanted to stay on as coach. But now, all of a sudden he has to "think about it"?
Nah. I think it's very possible he was told that he won't be offered another contract and they are giving him the opportunity to retire instead of the team announcing they aren't bringing him back.

So, not only do I think that's a feasible scenario, that is how I think it will indeed go down. Obviously I can be wrong, but it seems to be playing out that way.

I'm not sure many coaches could survive losing 4 straight series with home ice advantage and the last three of which being in the first round. That is a coach's death blow when the team is considered a serious cup contender.

I don't think the Blues need Sobotka. He is a good player, but he's a 3rd liner at best. He's likely not going to be the difference in having playoff success or going home. Sobotka bolted to Russia with one year left on his contract. He abandoned this team and is essentially demanding a trade. The Blues hold all of the cards here.

Hmph. Again, I think this is whistling past the graveyard. The way the blues have handled their personnel is PHENOMENAL and has them IN A GREAT POSITION!

[/quote]
I never said that.
I'm just saying that Sobotka isn't really what this team is missing...so bringing him back shouldn't be a priority this offseason. I'd love to have him back if he really wants to be here. I just think the last thing this team needs is a guy playing for us who doesn't really want to be here.

If Armstrong is going to take a bit of a trip before "pushing this team forward" (and according to himself, shouldn't he be working on #91's new deal before chasing Boat?) and/or hasn't made a decision about Hitchcock, he's not fit for purpose.

I think the decision with Hitchcock has pretty much been made...or at least mostly.
And it only makes sense to bring in a new coach first before making any player decisions.
I know fans want blood and they want it now, which is perfectly understandable. But management isn't going to make any quick/knee-jerk decisions with players when there is a lot of emotion involved. I just don't see that happening...it doesn't seem smart.

[dmiles2186]

Armstrong & Hitch envision a goalie competition next year

I keep saying it: someone tell me what team has been successful like this. Every cup winner I can think of from my 30-odd years following the sport had a clear #1.

Grant Fuhr
Tom Barasso
Mike Richter
Mike Vernon
Patrick Roy
Dominick Hasek
Cam Ward
J-S Giguere
Jonathan Quick

But yeah, Doug "I won a cup when next year's draft class was still in diapers" Armstrong and his trusty sidekick Ken "regular season" Hitchcock are going to reinvent this shit and show the rest of the league how it's done...

pfffffffffft

Typically, the #1 thing applies. Only one in your list that doesn't apply is Cam Ward. Martin Gerber started 60 games for the Hurricanes that year. Ward's numbers were not great. It wasn't until the playoffs that Ward took over and went on his run. I'll admit that in the back of my mind, I thought Allen could do that this year and he didn't disappoint. I am hoping, for our sake at least, Allen can build off of his performance going into next year and fuel it to take the jump to the next level.

[ecbm]

I don't want blood, Curt. I'm pissed off right now but all I want is a real sense of urgency and something that shows that this FO understands that they have not succeeded here in any way. I didn't hear that yesterday.

The loss is still fresh on my end. Watching the games last night was tough. I love hockey, especially playoff hockey, but this squad has soured it for me.

I find that each successive futile spring seems to bring the preceding 30 or so into even sharper focus in my memory. This club has completely ruined playoff hockey for me. I haven't watched more than a couple periods after the Blues elimination for a few years now. This year I'm guessing I'll watch none. There's no such thing as pro hockey in May in my mind.

[ecbm]

Armstrong & Hitch envision a goalie competition next year

I keep saying it: someone tell me what team has been successful like this. Every cup winner I can think of from my 30-odd years following the sport had a clear #1.

Grant Fuhr
Tom Barasso
Mike Richter
Mike Vernon
Patrick Roy
Dominick Hasek
Cam Ward
J-S Giguere
Jonathan Quick

But yeah, Doug "I won a cup when next year's draft class was still in diapers" Armstrong and his trusty sidekick Ken "regular season" Hitchcock are going to reinvent this shit and show the rest of the league how it's done...

pfffffffffft

Typically, the #1 thing applies. Only one in your list that doesn't apply is Cam Ward. Martin Gerber started 60 games for the Hurricanes that year. Ward's numbers were not great. It wasn't until the playoffs that Ward took over and went on his run. I'll admit that in the back of my mind, I thought Allen could do that this year and he didn't disappoint. I am hoping, for our sake at least, Allen can build off of his performance going into next year and fuel it to take the jump to the next level.

But we have the benefit of hindsight there. The next season, Gerber was let go, Ward appeared in 60 games and his backup appeared in 28. It wasn't an ongoing "tandem"-Ward won the job. That's very different from this situation where you have the GM saying the tandem is his preferred set up. What's Allen's (or Elliott's) motivation now? Bust your ass to get the #1 spot which you can then lose for...well for what reason is Allen not going to be the starter again next year? Because he let in a couple of softies?

Some baseball fans still chide Tony LaRussa for batting the pitcher 8th. They call it an arrogant move by a guy who thought he knew better than everyone else. To which I always reply: yeah well he brought my city two championships so I'm not going to question what he did. Where exactly does DA get the confidence to insist on doing things different from the rest of the league?

[Misc. Blues]

I guess nobody sees that Elliot and Allen are not #1's. I think they are more like backup A-B. Allen kept us in the first 3 games and was never tested in game 4. Games 5-6 he imploded like he has in past years in the lower leagues. Both goalies are average at best but you can win with average just ask the Hawks about Crawford. Hitch should retire because the game has passed him by whether he wants to believe it or not. Teams that win now are fast and the Blues look really slow in comparison. Grinding it out doesn't work anymore. Hitch isn't going to change. He's a great regular season coach and a sub-par playoff coach. If Armstrong brings Hitch back then they both should be fired before the playoffs 2016. Hitch won a cup with an asterisk and never should have won with that goal and that was 15 years ago. It's time for change.

[cprice12]

I don't want blood, Curt. I'm pissed off right now but all I want is a real sense of urgency and something that shows that this FO understands that they have not succeeded here in any way. I didn't hear that yesterday.

Well, as far as I am concerned...talk is cheap.
I don't really care what they actually say...it's all about what the actually do.
They can say all of the right things and then not do jack.
Armstrong has never tipped his hand on what he is going to do as far as player/personnel decisions go. I don't see why that would change now. But I guess it would have been nice to hear them talk about how pissed they are the failure of this team over the past few years...but honestly, that doesn't really matter to me. I know they are upset...who wouldn't be? I don't need to hear them cry and beg for forgiveness. They are probably more upset than we are anyway...afterall, their jobs may be on the line here.

For the first time in a while, there really should be some substantial changes in the offseason. And I fully expect Armstrong to make a number of changes because he has never been shy about making changes. That is one of the things I like about him, he is fearless and he'll do what he thinks needs to be done...even if he has to overpay a bit or give up a bit too much. If he feels it will make the team better, and it makes sense, he'll get it done.

And not to bring up the podcast too much, but I said this last night during the show...this is a very pivotal time for this franchise. If they don't do "enough" in the offseason and fail to do something substantial that gets results, the fans are going to burn the f'ing city down (figuratively speaking of course). They are a severely pissed off fan base right now. We've had this stanley cup carrot of success dangled in front of us for quite a while now, but when we get into the playoffs we look like a monkey f'ing a football. It's irritating, frustrating and embarrassing and everyone is royally pissed off.

It isn't like in years past. This time it is different. Or at least I hope it is. Because if it isn't, then there will be a lot of empty seats at Scottrade next season.

[glen a richter]

I just started tutoring a kid today who's a big hockey fan. Ranger fan (naturally) but I was relaying a story about my trip to St. Louis because it was actually relevant to the topic I was tutoring him on. Apparently he's very knowledgeable about teams other than the Rangers, loves Tarasenko, likes Backes and Elliott. His assessment is the Blues will win the Cup in the next two years and not to worry. I can't believe I'm getting a pep talk from a 14 year old.

[STLADOGG]

I just started tutoring a kid today who's a big hockey fan. Ranger fan (naturally) but I was relaying a story about my trip to St. Louis because it was actually relevant to the topic I was tutoring him on. Apparently he's very knowledgeable about teams other than the Rangers, loves Tarasenko, likes Backes and Elliott. His assessment is the Blues will win the Cup in the next two years and not to worry. I can't believe I'm getting a pep talk from a 14 year old.

Awesome stuff man, thanks for sharing. Give that kid a medal!

[Kerfuffle]

It isn't like in years past. This time it is different. Or at least I hope it is. Because if it isn't, then there will be a lot of empty seats at Scottrade next season.

As long as the team remains competitive people should and will continue to attend. It's when you start the season and know you have zero chance of winning anything (i.e. Buffalo) that people stay away. Same applied to my Hawks for several years there.

[Toasted Oates]

It isn't like in years past. This time it is different. Or at least I hope it is. Because if it isn't, then there will be a lot of empty seats at Scottrade next season.

As long as the team remains competitive people should and will continue to attend. It's when you start the season and know you have zero chance of winning anything (i.e. Buffalo) that people stay away. Same applied to my Hawks for several years there.

The Blues were around the middle of the pack in total and average attendance this past season. I think Cprice is on the money. The fanbase is in "prove it" mode right now and if there isn't much change, attendance will certainly not improve.

The angst is at a pretty high level right now. If there had been a conference final appearance or even a competitive second round tilt w/ Chicago it'd be one thing. But three consecutive first round exits? The natives are restless.

[cardsfan04]

It isn't like in years past. This time it is different. Or at least I hope it is. Because if it isn't, then there will be a lot of empty seats at Scottrade next season.

As long as the team remains competitive people should and will continue to attend. It's when you start the season and know you have zero chance of winning anything (i.e. Buffalo) that people stay away. Same applied to my Hawks for several years there.

Yeah, I agree. I don't see empty seats next year either. Besides, most season ticket holders renewed their seats before the playoffs started.

[WaukeeBlues]

Days later I'm still livid and still believe this team is incapable of winning in the postseason because they lack the confidence, instruction or speed to do so.

If Hitchcock is brought back, if no player changes are really made this season... I won't even know what to think next season. Yea I'll still cheer for the Blues during the regular season, yea I'll probably still be excited for the playoffs... but the regular season truly will mean nothing to me next year as long as the Blues get in. Which is I suppose how I'd feel regardless of the personnel moves.

This season felt different. We had the Center and D-depth we needed. Tarasenko was a year older and better and that game-changer we so desperately have been craving. And yet the same refrain.

On NHL radio the other day they were discussing Jake Allen. Hindsight is always 20/20 but the commentator said you could see Jake Allen going through the learning curve that is the playoffs while the games were occurring. Being essentially a rookie goaltender, Hitchcock and Army should've known that.

Why is this team starting a goaltender for a learning curve when our aspirations are a Stanley Cup?

They should've started Elliott. Allen may not have cost us the series but he didn't steal any games either. Dubnyk stole at least one (Game 5) and arguably two. When you only need to win 4 and you have a goalie who can single handedly get you 25% of the way there... that's a big deal.

[glen a richter]

It's a non issue for me since I live 1000 miles away, but if I did live in St. Louis I would certainly not renew season tickets and I'd question whether or not to get tickets to any individual games until they gave me a reason to give them my money. I'd watch on TV, I'd listen on the radio, I'd follow on the internet, and I'd offer my unwavering support of the team, but I would not offer them my money.

On the other hand, fans stop attending, team loses even more money, ownership has to change and relocation gets revisited. They're putting the fans in a difficult situation, playing with fire by not making the proper changes.

[cardsfan04]

For me, my desire and willingness to spend money hinges moreso on their effort toward winning a Cup than it does on their actual success at it. I'm fully convinced that Stillman is trying to win a Cup here, so I don't mind spending money even if it hasn't worked yet or if I disagree on the way he's going about it.