St. Louis Blues: Four Former Players That Could Replace Kelly Chase

The St. Louis Blues are searching for their next radio color commentator. While plenty of names could fit the bill, we’ve come up with the four that might fill it best.

With the announcement that former St. Louis Blues bruiser, Kelly Chase, will be leaving the radio broadcast booth after 18 seasons, the team is now searching for their next color commentator.

I would throw my own hat in that ring, since I do have years of broadcasting experience. Unfortunately, I am not a former NHL player, so sadly that disqualifies me.

A pity. I think Chris Kerber and myself could have worked well together.

It should also be noted that the team likely has their person already in hand. Maybe all the t’s are not crossed and i’s dotted, but it seems unlikely the Blues would be caught unaware here. Chances are high they already have someone in mind and have had discussions.

Beyond that, the Blues could honestly pick anyone. You don’t absolutely have to be a former Blues player to be on the broadcast team. Darren Pang never suited up for the Blues and he’s one of the best color guys in the business.

TV is slightly different though. You have a bit more freedom to be biased on the radio, which usually benefits an alumni.

So, with that in mind, we have come up with four former players that could be the next radio commentator.

Terry Yake

We will start off with the most likely candidate. Terry Yake already has some experience on the television side, so would just need to slide on down the arena.

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Yake’s experience is mainly as a studio analyst, but he has filled in here or there for Kelly Chase already. Most people will remember him as the intermission analyst on the jumbotron these days. The fact he is in town and already performed the job gives him the leg up in the race.

Personally, I’m not for this promotion. Yake has great knowledge and articulates his points very well. His delivery is a little dry, however.

Much of that has to do with being green. If he took the position, he would undoubtedly loosen up over time. Right now, he’s just a little wooden in his speaking style.

He knows his stuff, though. Even though he’s done mostly television, this is probably his position to lose, if he wants it.

Jamie Rivers

Another name we cannot forget is Jamie Rivers. Like Yake, Rivers has done quite a bit of television work.

Rivers main resume highlight is doing the postgame show for Fox Sports Midwest. Rivers was one of the main fill-ins when Bernie Federko was busy or sick.

Rivers playing history is a little more extensive with the Blues than Yake, not that that really makes a large difference. However, he has not done much radio yet. He might not want to make the jump to full-time analyst.

The other thing that could hold Rivers back is his own ambitions. He was the head coach of the St. Charles Chill when the town had a CHL team.

Rivers might still be interested in getting in the coaching game. The Blues would probably rather not be looking for another broadcaster after only a season or two, should that be the case.

Cam Janssen

This one seems odd at first, but could be a good fit the more you think about it. Like Chase, Janssen is a former enforcer for the Blues and a fan-favorite.

They were both fighters, both jawed at opponents and both have a quick wit. Janssen actually being a St. Louisan before playing for the Blues can only help his case as well.

The fact that Janssen has been getting into broadcasting already is a resume boost. He currently has a weekly show on 590 The Fan.

Janssen is a bit younger than the others, so he could be around a lot longer, should the shoe fit.

The only detraction, right now, is whether he would be compared to Chase. We’ve listed the playing comparisons above and sometimes fans think because they played alike, they think alike. Janssen would definitely bring his own style and opinions.

Joe Micheletti

File this one under the wish list, but won’t happen. Nevertheless, Joe Micheletti would be the absolute best hire.

He’s played with the Blues. He was a former broadcaster for the Blues.

Micheletti formed, in my opinion, the best broadcast team in St. Louis when he was paired with Ken Wilson. Micheletti also had the privilege of working with Dan Kelly.

Sadly, though he would be perfect for this role and it would be a dream come true for our ears, it’ll never happen.

Micheletti is getting solid TV money with his current gigs. He’s still with the MSG Network, working with the New York Rangers. He gets to fill in for national broadcasts on NBC Sports Network as well. As much as we’d all like to see him return, the money just would not make sense. Hey, we can dream though.

The timing is a little bad as we could have had other candidates. Ryan Reaves would make a great color analyst, but his playing days are not close to over, yet.

Bruce Affleck could also return to broadcasting in a pinch. He was a former TV analyst and also head of the broadcast division briefly before he moved up the chain within the organization.

Some fans would not mind Bernie jumping into the radio booth either. He just is not likely to want that much travel. He openly stated how he was pulling back from TV studio work because he wanted to be more of a fan during games.

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As mentioned, I believe the replacement is already in hand. The Blues are just waiting to announce it.

That said, these four would make the most sense, unless there is a dark horse we have not considered.