Introducing St. Louis Blues Fanatic, Austin Oakes

While summer is almost over, the countdown until the 2015-2016 NHL season is still droning on, seemingly without end. To fill the hockey-less void that we’ve all found ourselves in, I thought I’d go ahead and introduce myself.

Who are you?

Hi, I’m Austin Oakes, one of the new writers brought on for Bleedin’ Blue, and I believe the youngest of the bunch. I’m an avid St. Louis Blues fan first, and a hockey fan second. Generally, I take any chance I can to talk with my friends, family, or random strangers on the street about hockey, whether they’re interested or not. I cannot shut up about it. So, I thought I’d go ahead and cure my post-season blues (no pun intended) by writing about the team until the summer fades away.

I’m currently a college student, living in St. Louis, constantly sitting in front of my computer or my television screen. I have some experience writing, having been the editor of my high school newspaper. As for sports writing, my experience pretty much just entails long rants on social media and through text messages to friends. I hope this’ll be a good way to introduce me to the field.

As for hockey, there’s nothing I love more than workhorses: players who show up every single game and play a full 60 minutes, no matter what the scoreboard says. Call it “grit” or “work ethic” if you’d like, but that kind of dedication to the team just makes me so happy. Because of that, it’s hard not to love players like Alexander Steen and Jaden Schwartz.

How did you get into hockey?

Both of my parents loved hockey, and watched it constantly while I was growing up. When they could afford to take me to games (depending on time and money) they would. I always liked the Blues, but I didn’t really, really get into them until about 5 years ago. With that, I started following hockey in general, becoming fans of teams like the Calgary Flames and the New Jersey Devils as well.

Watching St. Louis Blues games, I became attached to players like Barret Jackman and Roman Polak: very defensively strong players who protected young players and weren’t afraid to drop the mitts if necessary.

Recently, I’ve enjoyed players like Kevin Shattenkirk more and more. Shatty’s dedication to the team and his ability to play responsibly in his own end of the ice as well as providing an offensive boost for players like Vladimir Tarasenko is admirable, to say the least.

Apr 24, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Barret Jackman (5) in the game against the Minnesota Wild during the first period in game five of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

After I got into hockey in such a big way, I began studying players of other teams, from the past and the present. I would watch older games, and I became enamored with Dominik Hasek. His seemingly random and sporadic movements in the net always had a point, and managed to stop pucks either way. What he lacked in positioning he more than made up for in his athleticism and reactionary abilities. It was inspiring, to say the least, to see someone like Hasek dominate the game with pure dedication and creativity.

Since I got into hockey, I’ve tried to watch almost every single St. Louis Blues game, and you can often find me sitting in my room with my eyes glued to my TV every single game night. Even now, I try to attend as many games I can. This passion has led me right into Bleedin’ Blue, where I hope I’ll be able to write about the St. Louis Blues to my heart’s content.

What I’ve done

Like I said, in the past I was the editor for my high school newspaper, in which I wrote about movies, politics, school sports, and school happenings. One of my last posts was an article I was especially proud of.

A little bit more about me

I’m in college right now to become an English teacher. As such, I love books, and when I’m not watching hockey, you can catch me reading some of my early favorites, like Slaughterhouse-Five, East of Eden, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I’m also a huge movie buff! I grew up with a cinephile brother, so it was natural for me to get into them in a big way. Some of the movies I enjoy the most include Reservoir Dogs, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Leon: The Professional.

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