Hitch & Army Press Conference - Today, 11am

[ecbm]

Why is this team starting a goaltender for a learning curve when our aspirations are a Stanley Cup?They should've started Elliott.

Dryden? Roy? Cam Ward? Brent Johnson, even. Grant Fuhr won his first cup at 21 and his first game that post-season was his 6th total. It's not unheard of to start rookies in the playoffs and have them do pretty well.

Elliott was inconsistent and often objectively HORRIBLE in his last 20 starts-go ahead and look up the game logs. Start from the game against Columbus on February 6th. I don't believe Hitch is really a believer in Allen but he felt he had no choice given his hot streak and Elliott's "like a box of chocolates" performances.

That people are judging Elliott's situation on their feelings rather than anything objective is maddening to me. This club's culture needs to change away from stuff like that both within the organization and among the fans.

Boston misses the playoffs for the first time in a zillion years and everyone up there is shitting themselves, convinced they're going to be fired/traded. They fired Julien-who has as many rings as Hitchcock-after 7 playoff appearances where he failed to take them past the first round twice. They fired Chiarelli, who has been working in salary cap hell.

Whereas here, after another failed campaign, everybody talks like they either assume they'll be back next season or like they need to decide if they want to be back.

[ecbm]

I'm fully convinced that Stillman is trying to win a Cup here

I guess what I (and glenn too I think) am saying is that I wouldn't assume that this is the top priority. I mean, every owner wants to win a cup but is it as important as X (whatever that is). I'm waiting to see, from their actions, what their priorities are. Because I worry that keeping a chummy but not incredibly effective group together is too high a priority for this front office/ownership.

[heff]

Someone earlier said Hitchcock still coaches like it's the clutch & grab era, and like the 2-line pass is still illegal.

I couldn't agree more, and looking up his record the last 10 years bears out the notion that he cannot win in the playoffs anymore.


PHI 2005–06 Lost in first round
PHI 2006–07 (fired)
CBJ 2006–07 Missed playoffs
CBJ 2007–08 Missed playoffs
CBJ 2008–09 Lost in first round
CBJ 2009–10 (fired)
STL 2011–12 Lost in second round
STL 2012–13 Lost in first round
STL 2013–14 Lost in first round
STL 2014–15 Lost in first round

[cardsfan04]

I'm fully convinced that Stillman is trying to win a Cup here

I guess what I (and glenn too I think) am saying is that I wouldn't assume that this is the top priority. I mean, every owner wants to win a cup but is it as important as X (whatever that is). I'm waiting to see, from their actions, what their priorities are. Because I worry that keeping a chummy but not incredibly effective group together is too high a priority for this front office/ownership.

I mean, he took over an organization in financial shambles and quickly started spending to the cap. I think his spending habits speak louder than anything else. I think it's reasonable to disagree with the way they are going about it, but nobody is making him spend to the cap.

[dmiles2186]

I'm fully convinced that Stillman is trying to win a Cup here

I guess what I (and glenn too I think) am saying is that I wouldn't assume that this is the top priority. I mean, every owner wants to win a cup but is it as important as X (whatever that is). I'm waiting to see, from their actions, what their priorities are. Because I worry that keeping a chummy but not incredibly effective group together is too high a priority for this front office/ownership.

I mean, he took over an organization in financial shambles and quickly started spending to the cap. I think his spending habits speak louder than anything else. I think it's reasonable to disagree with the way they are going about it, but nobody is making him spend to the cap.

Bingo. I'm with cardsfan on this. I feel like Stillman is committed. He's a fan...he's said so and he shows it. He's the rare breed that has a chance to take his favorite team and turn it into a champion. That's huge.

Personally, I think he has a 1A/1B thing in terms of top priority. I think he wants the Cup, but he also wants to clean the franchise's finances up to the point where moving/relocation isn't an issue. And as a fan that lives in the team's region, those are my top two concerns.

When it comes to buying tickets, I'm going to the same amount of games next year as this year. They flamed out in the first round, sure, but I want to support them in their winning ways. If people stop going, the team can't afford the high contracts (*cough* Tarasenko *cough*), and that's when you end up with a stripped down roster that sucks. My anger at their recent playoff failures don't factor into me going to the games. Now, if the Blues decided to gut the roster ala post 04-05 lockout, then I might not go. But as of now, this is still a contending team that needs to get over the hump. If I can't support them when they're winning 50 games and division titles every year, when can I?

[ecbm]

My criticism is more about DA/KH than Stillman. I believe the latter does want to win and yes, his actions show that. It's not like anyone buys the Blues because it's such a cash cow.

What I'm wondering about is if he has the stones/brains to take actions to change this club's trajectory other than what Armstrong-who I believe has his ear to an unhelpful extent-tells him.

If I were in STL, I would be waiting to see some sign from the club that things are going to be different next year before buying/renewing season tickets simply because if essentially the same team is back next year, I don't care to watch it too much. Any regular season success would just seem like a prelude to another completely predictable playoff failure.

Oh, and add Bishop to the list of Blues alumni in the second round.

[glen a richter]

I have no problem criticizing Stillman. If it ain't working, it ain't working. He's the one who stands to lose the most: money and the financial wherewithal to continue owning his team. He may want to win, he may spend to the cap to try to achieve that goal, but if the stew has the wrong ingredients it'll still taste like vomit.

Heff was referencing me when commenting on my comment about Hitch coaching like it's clutch and grab. If the stretch pass down 2/3rds of the ice still resulted in a 2-line pass call, the Blues beat Minnesota because Minnesota's speed is neutralized and that's what Hitchcock wants to happen. But the 2 line pass isn't in existence anymore, speed kills in the absence of a two line pass and neither the coach nor the player personnel is equipped to handle that. Stillman may want to win a Cup--I don't doubt he does--but if he can't see why he still doesn't have one then he's a complete moron and he needs to take off the rose tinted glasses. Otherwise this team is up for sale in the next three years, attendance is in the toilet and we're back to square one.

[ViPeRx007]

I don't know where people are getting the idea that "Army thinks Sobotka is going to help this team win in the playoffs, pfffff". I'm pretty sure he's going to make more moves than that. Can you honestly look at me with a straight face and say there isn't a single player on the current roster who you'd replace with Sobotka if you had the chance to?

It's so bizarre how irrational some people get. I know we're upset, but my word.

[heff]

Right on, glen - sorry, I'm still learning my way around! For posterity, here's Armstrong's record, found in the comment section of the "A Fan's Rant" blogpost.

2002-03: DAL 46-17-15-4, 111 points, out in the 2nd round (lost to ANH 4-2)
2003-04: DAL 41-26-13-2, 97 points, out in the 1st round (lost to COL 4-1)
2005-06: DAL 53-23-6, 112 points, out in the 1st round (lost to COL 4-1)
2006-07: DAL 50-25-7, 107 points, out in the 1st round (lost to VAN 4-3)
2010-11: STL 38-33-11, 87 points, did not make playoffs
2011-12: STL 49-22-11, 109 points, out in the 2nd round (lost to LAK 4-0)
2012-13: STL 29-17-2, 60 points, out in the 1st round (lost to LAK 4-2)
2013-14: STL 52-23-7, 111 points, out in the 1st round (lost to CHI 4-2)
2014-15: STL 51-24-7, 109 points, out in the 1st round (lost to MIN 4-2)

2007-2008 isn't listed because he was fired 17 games in and Dallas made the conference finals.

[glen a richter]

You know who I'd like this team to get? Duclair and Dvorak from Arizona. That, coupled with who we already have likely makes three beastly scoring lines.

Imagine Tarasenko, Lehtera, Schwartz, Barbashev, Jaskin, Fabbri, Duclair, Dvorak, Stastny. That would be an almost unstoppable (not to mention unkeepable) top 9.

/dreamland

[goon attack]

The more I think about it, the more I think we should trade Oshie and Bouwmeester in a package deal... or separately.