St. Louis Blues: Best American Players In The Note

2000 Season: Brett Hull of the Blues doing what he does best, shooting the puck. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
2000 Season: Brett Hull of the Blues doing what he does best, shooting the puck. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
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St. Louis Blues
23 Jan 2002: The Blues defeated the Sabres 5-2. Mandatory copyright notice: Copyright 2002 NHLI Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /NHLI/Getty Images

Goaltender

Brent Johnson

The funny thing about goaltender is the Blues had a ton of American goaltenders. They might have had almost as many goalies from America as on ice players.

The difference was time of service, which is why Brent Johnson get the nod. If we go based on pure talent alone, you would probably pick Ryan Miller.

You also have talented guys like Ben Bishop, Jon Casey and Tom Barrasso. None were the starter and none were here long enough.

So, Brent Johnson is the best American goalie to actually play and start for the Blues. Like almost every Blues goaltender of the past 40 years, his time between the pipes was contentious with the fans, but he was very good when at his best.

There is a case to be made that the Blues might have fared better in the 2001 playoffs if they had Johnson in net as opposed to Roman Turek. The year after that, with Johnson firmly the starter, he had 34 wins, .902 save percentage and a 2.18 goals against.

Despite only going 5-5 in the playoffs that year, he had even better numbers. He had a .929 save percentage and a 1.83 goals against and that looks even better considering he had to face Chicago and Detroit.

In parts of five seasons, Johnson went 76-47-12. He might not go down as one of the best ever for the Blues, but he was definitely one of the best American’s to suit up in the net.

So, what do you think of our list. Are there any stars and striped players we missed or any other players that had you chanting USA!?

Let us know in the comments or on social media.