St. Louis Blues Morning Links: Plager And Yeo And Leafs, Oh My

Good morning Blues fans! Big changes came for the St. Louis Blues yesterday. Whether it will have any impact or not will be immediately tested.

Well, there will be no honeymoon period for the St. Louis Blues and new head coach Mike Yeo. Instead of having a full offseason behind him, complete with all the talk of free agents acquired or trades made and the excitement of a new season, Yeo puts his feet in the flames immediately.

By now, all of you know that the Blues relieved Ken Hitchcock of his duties yesterday. Whether you think that is a good thing or not is a very personal decision. The bottom line is the team better damn well perform now because their last excuse has been removed.

People have blamed the goaltending and it was proven that was not true. Now the coach was removed and the Blues have no choice but to turn things around or lose the entire season.

There is already plenty of reason to be down on this current incarnation of the Note. If they can’t put together some good performances for their new coach, then this entire experiment is off to a terrible start.

The Blues endeavored to become a faster team in the offseason, but did nothing but hand the team over to their younger players. Those players whined about their old school coach and have won the battle by getting him canned. Now it’s put up or shut up time.

This team has too much talent to be playing this poorly. I fully acknowledge the idea that, as Blues fans, we overvalue the Blues players.

Even taking that into consideration, you don’t luck your way to the Western Conference Finals. If the team could get that far apparently hating their coach, they are not a team devoid of talent.

It’s up to them to finally put it together on the ice. No more breaks, no more feeling good in practices. Do it during the games already.

St. Louis is now in the final Wild Card spot and falling behind the teams in front. You have to string together some W’s no matter who the coach is.

They don’t have any easy opponents coming up (not that it has mattered lately). Toronto is fighting for their own playoff lives.

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The Maple Leafs are currently on the outside looking in. They are behind the final Wild Card team by one point and trail Boston in the Atlantic by three points.

Both teams are in need of wins. The last time that was the case, the Blues got outplayed by Winnipeg and gave up ground to someone underneath them.

While this one is not a divisional or conference game, you still need to pick up a win. It would also be nice to actually see a good performance during a special ceremony.

The St. Louis Blues are retiring the number of Bob Plager. The last time there was a retirement ceremony – Brett Hull’s 16 to the rafters – the Blues got destroyed. Let’s not put Bobby up there during a loss.

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

Ken Hitchcock’s firing drew some various emotions from fans, players and managers alike. Doug Armstrong was visibly upset, but looking toward the future as well. Whether that is long or short for him rests on the shoulders of the players now. (STLToday)

As the shakeup continued for the Blues, they relieved goaltending coach Jim Corsi of his duties as well. Corsi might be known more for being the namesake of the Corsi-rating, but he’s been responsible for some of the better goaltenders recently. His replacement is not too shabby between the pipes himself though. (NJ.com)

Bob Plager has become so synonymous as an ambassador for the Note, some forget how fierce a player and competitor he was. Outside of the highlight reel, they probably won’t be reminded as the emotions will be high when Plager’s number rises to meet that of his brother and the other retired Blues numbers. (Post-Dispatch)

The Chicago Wolves had plenty to be happy about during the All-Star break. Not only did their players emerge healthy, but they contributed as the division team won the entire thing. (Wolves)

Speaking of the Wolves, they bolstered their blue line by adding a veteran defenseman with NHL experience. The Blues might come looking as well if things don’t improve in St. Louis too. (Wolves)

Next: Trading Shattenkirk Could Be Risky But Rewarding

Canadians are mainly known for their polite nature. So, it might come as a surprise when a theft of a highly prized collectible might jeopardize some youth hockey leagues. (ESPN)

While the Blues have had to deal with the distraction of all their coaching issues, the New York Islanders have a different problem. They are potentially wondering where they will play in the near future. (ESPN)

Have a great day Blues fans!