St. Louis Blues Morning Links: Blues Need Something Special

Good morning Blues fans! The day we waited for so long to arrive has arrived. It’s Winter Classic day, but there is a lot up in the air.

The St. Louis Blues have not had the start to the 2016-17 season that we wanted. St. Louis is currently third in the division.

The Blues are also seven points behind Minnesota for second place. The only thing keeping them above water is the fact that the rest of the division has been as bad or worse at times.

The Blues are not a bad team. You can tell the pieces are there to have a decent second half of the season if they could only find some consistency.

We have been talking about consistency for too long now though. That means there is no logical reason, beyond hope and faith, that they will find that groove.

If they are to find a spring board for the new calendar year, it needs to come in this Winter Classic. The Blues have a built-in excuse if things go bad, but they need to win.

The Blues need this game to restore some confidence. It’s not as though they are on a losing streak. However, there is some pressure on them now.

If they lose, and lose badly, there are quite a few rumblings from the fans that a coaching change should be made. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but if it is another awful effort then it would be hard to argue with a massive change.

The Blues just need a spark. A win over Chicago by itself would not signal a turnaround for this season, but a win in this special game could be something to build on – a sigh of relief if you will.

It was something barely even mentioned earlier. As the season has gone on there have been enough things said where if you read between the lines, it appears as though the extra attention has been a distraction.

Some teams, especially those outside the huge markets of New York, Chicago and LA, aren’t used to cameras all the time. An extra crew along with extra interviews might be a disruption.

It is understandable, but not acceptable as an excuse. This team has to find an identity, whether that comes from the coach or the players themselves.

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We are far too deep into the season for this nonsense of trying to find their game to hold water. The Blues must be the Blues, whatever that means to them, going forward.

It has all led to this game. The season is not riding on this result, but a win would be extremely special for the city and this team.

You get the boost of beating Chicago. There is pride in defending the city’s honor. The relief of it all being over but not for naught would be a big thing for this team.

The Blues need this game. Let’s hope they go out and take it.

Here are your St. Louis Blues Morning Links to get your day started off right.

Those fans who were unsuccessful in getting one of the hot tickets to today’s game were also worried they would be frozen out on television. The cable company Charter and NBC were having contract issues and the game was in limbo. Fans with Charter should not have to worry in the end. (STLToday)

Wayne Gretzky was only in St. Louis for a cup of coffee. That statement is true whether you are talking about his Blues career or his time in town for the Winter Classic Alumni game. Even so, the Great One had some time to reflect on what might be his final alumni game before setting off for Toronto. (KSDK)

There are going to be a lot of differences in today’s game. Whether it is the position of the fans, the eyelines of the players or just the reality setting in that the day has arrived, there will be plenty of things for the Blues to get used to. (Belleville News-Democrat)

For those of you up early enough, the league is planning on announcing the time of today’s game this morning. Of course, with Missouri’s ever changing weather even an official announcement may mean nothing come time to drop the puck. (STLToday)

The Winter Classic has plenty to live up to, beyond just our own expectations. The Centennial Classic turned from a tight checking, defensive display to a shootout in a little over 20 minutes. The ending was just as entertaining too. (NHL)

They might be friends off the ice, but the Winter Classic won’t be From Russia With Love for Vladimir Tarasenko and Artemi Panarin. The two Russians are hoping to use their skills to notch a win for their respective teams and have some bragging rights the next time they get to see each other afterward. (ESPN)

Have a great day Blues fans!

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