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Rite of Spring '14: Can you fall asleep with a panic switch?


The_Admiral

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Aren't the Blues getting all their injured guys back for the playoffs like the Blackhawks are? I saw Roy and Steen play today; I figured anyone else was just resting as a precautionary measure. Blues won't lose ten in a row; no one loses ten in a row. It's hockey!

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Aren't the Blues getting all their injured guys back for the playoffs like the Blackhawks are? I saw Roy and Steen play today; I figured anyone else was just resting as a precautionary measure. Blues won't lose ten in a row; no one loses ten in a row. It's hockey!

Steen has been back for a while. Roy is the only one of the injured bunch to come back today, but hey also had Pietrangelo and Jackman out. Plus Roy nearly was injured again running into 2 separate teammates on the same shift. Oy vey.

That said, Hitch said in the post-game that everyone who was out today should play at some point in the series. It's unclear whether he was also referring to guys like Tarasenko and Oshie who seemingly have longer-term injuries, but who knows.

In any case, it'd definitely different from the Hawks who know their guys are back for game 1 and maybe could have been playing already if they needed to. Hitch said the Blues only had one guy out today who had any chance at all of playing. Everyone else could not go, period.

We'll see how much good the 4 or 5 days off does and how quickly guys come back after that.

I don't consider the Blackhawks an impossible task, but there's no doubt it's advantage Chicago. If the Blues can advance, then you'd think they'd have a good shot to keep rolling considering they should be fairly healthy at that point and presumably back to playing good hockey.

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For whatever little it's worth, I think it's total crap that Toews and Kane will be just fine for the playoffs and could have come back for the last games but didn't. Reminds me of how McDonough's Cubs always told us that Wood and Prior will be ready next Thursday barring any setbacks, and then there were always setbacks. I wouldn't be surprised if one -- or both -- is ruled out for Game 1 to be "extra-precautionary" or some such crap, and even if both do play, neither will be 100%. You don't go from IR to playoffs and not miss a beat. Do they think there's a turnip truck roving Chicagoland, just dropping hockey fans everywhere?

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For whatever little it's worth, I think it's total crap that Toews and Kane will be just fine for the playoffs and could have come back for the last games but didn't. Reminds me of how McDonough's Cubs always told us that Wood and Prior will be ready next Thursday barring any setbacks, and then there were always setbacks. I wouldn't be surprised if one -- or both -- is ruled out for Game 1 to be "extra-precautionary" or some such crap, and even if both do play, neither will be 100%. You don't go from IR to playoffs and not miss a beat. Do they think there's a turnip truck roving Chicagoland, just dropping hockey fans everywhere?

"We've decided to give Toews and Kane the initial series off entirely because while they are both at 100%, we believe they're capable of being at around 140%."

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A Blues fan complaining about injuries is one of the more ironic things to happen in a long time.

But it's a St. Louis fan, so your argument is invalid. They do everything, even bitching, the right way. That's why they're the best.

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Well now, the fanbases aren't mutually inclusive. Blues fans aren't necessarily the anodyne dimwits who root for the Cardinals and annoy everyone.

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I don't know if it's just me or most of your incoherent ramblings, but I cannot decipher the sarcasm from the authenticity of the vast majority of this thread. Namely the talk of St. Louis, but it's probably because I'm biased and assume that no one talks bad about my hometown.

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All that stupid Cardinal-based St. Louis hatred aside, why can't Blues fans complain about injuries again?

I mean, I realize every team deals with some injuries and bad luck and they always seem worse to a fan's specific team. But I think Blues fans are entitled to bemoan what has happened.

The Blues have a long and illustrious history of flirting with greatness and the ultimate prize, and something stupid or horribly unlucky (or both, sometimes multiples of each) always happens to destroy the opportunity.

And in 2013-14, the Blues iced what I believe to be their best roster of all-time. And if they hadn't slumped so hard at the end it would have clearly been their best regular season of all-time. And yes, they were fortunate throughout the year to avoid too many injuries at any one time. (They also made the ones they had look like not a big deal because they had depth. That's one of the reasons the roster was so great.)

And then, just before the playoffs—in the year that everyone feels is finally THE year—a small slump becomes a disaster as they lose half of their starting skaters to injury. And we can't complain about that bad luck and bad timing? Give me a break. Or don't. But I'm going to complain anyways.

But my rant aside, I'll get back to my original question. Why—seriously—shouldn't Blues fans complain? Because the Blues have been relatively healthy throughout the season? Or does this go back to past seasons? Or what?

I'm seriously confused. A lot of people call the Blues the Cubs of hockey. I hate that label and think if it belonged on any team it's probably the Leafs. But there's a reason people feel that way, and it's not because the Blues are a notoriously blessed franchise, that's for sure...

All of this said, I've got a newfound since of optimism. I think the Blues can fight through round one with the Hawks and then be in good shape to push on through some more rounds.

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Well now, the fanbases aren't mutually inclusive. Blues fans aren't necessarily the anodyne dimwits who root for the Cardinals and annoy everyone.

True, but the tried-and-true science of provoking a hyper-defensive fanbase by invoking the recent Cardinals stigma assures returns that satisfy my inner cackling jerk. As more or less proven by the previous two posts.

I'm honestly looking forward to seeing if the Blues remain the crumbling phantom of promised glory and/or if the Blackhawks somehow re-assemble into Hawktimus Prime via the ever random dice rolls of the hockey gods.

That being said the coverage of this will probably suck. Be prepared for innumerable highlight packages featuring fights between these teams over the last 30 years and mandatory camera-checks on Bollig/Reaves scratching their respective testicles.

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All that stupid Cardinal-based St. Louis hatred aside, why can't Blues fans complain about injuries again?

Perception of habitually injuring other teams' players.

I don't know if it's just me or most of your incoherent ramblings, but I cannot decipher the sarcasm from the authenticity of the vast majority of this thread.

Best kind of thread!

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True, but the tried-and-true science of provoking a hyper-defensive fanbase by invoking the recent Cardinals stigma assures returns that satisfy my inner cackling jerk. As more or less proven by the previous two posts.

...this from the guy that explodes at the mere mention of the possibly-not-so-great record of a team somewhere in the vicinity of the Almost-Upper Midwest?

(See, I even didn't mention them directly, in the hopes that the fuse stays unlit. :P )

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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True, but the tried-and-true science of provoking a hyper-defensive fanbase by invoking the recent Cardinals stigma assures returns that satisfy my inner cackling jerk. As more or less proven by the previous two posts.

...this from the guy that explodes at the mere mention of the possibly-not-so-great record of a team somewhere in the vicinity of the Almost-Upper Midwest?

(See, I even didn't mention them directly, in the hopes that the fuse stays unlit. :P )

Not even the gif-hating Mockba can provoke my meltdowns. I really don't think I can "top" last year's emotional rollercoaster through Andy's Labyrinth of Despair, plus I mean, they kind of won it all last year so I can't complain with as much volume. This year, Hawks victory or no, it'll be much more fun to observe if the large Ducks contingency can handle losing in spite of the Glorious Hero bearing the valyrian steel sword I dub Nostalgia or if Jackets fans go full-Coyotes and piss everyone off in the east with trollface.jpeg victories.

The board is set, the pieces in place. We've already all started hating each other and nary a game has been played. Yes sir, it's the NHL playoffs.

G7jOrie.gif

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(GIF-hating? When did I get that rep? Have you seen my posts?

Also, I can't take my eyes off of that, but my liver screams in agony.)

Buy some t-shirts and stuff at KJ Shop!

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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All that stupid Cardinal-based St. Louis hatred aside, why can't Blues fans complain about injuries again?

Perception of habitually injuring other teams' players.

Oh. I didn't know what was a thing. I know the Blues are physical, and so people like to call them cheap, but I don't remember them injuring that many players. Certainly not on questionable hits. I think only Lapierre faced a suspension this year, and that was not necessarily deserved, but it was borderline and he had a history.

But ok. I guess at least that makes the statement make some sense.

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(GIF-hating? When did I get that rep? Have you seen my posts?

Also, I can't take my eyes off of that, but my liver screams in agony.)

I can only recall one instance of when you chided me or someone for using a single gif image as a sole response without accompanying text. That vaguely referenced single moment is the basis for my silly internet judgment.

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If the Blues beat the Blackhawks the bandwagon will fill up again.

They might not be the NHL's Cubs, but their fans have shown some similarities with the recent fatalism* and boos at home.

It's the 2008 Cubs with a slightly earlier collapse. At least the Blues can blame injuries. Best record in the league and franchise's best team in decade(s) and nothing but doom and gloom from the fans. A month ago it was "the Blues have 100 points ... and it's only March xx" as they scoped the record books.

So what's the hockey equivalent of a grand slam off Ryan Dempster in Game 1?

*It's not just Blues fans. I think social media has put the shelf life of "What have you done for me lately?" at about 30 seconds.

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