Training Camp Day 1 Wrap-Up

The first day for the Blues’ training camp is officially in the books.  I was only able to stay until noon, but got a pretty good look at what the coaches were expecting.  They pretty much took the day to get the players ready for more vigorous training in the next few days.  They ran one drill in the hour and a half that I attended, and it seemed to just give an idea of how in shape the players truly are after their long summer.  They set up cones at the ends of the rink, and they had about eight players at a time skate back and forth at the sound of a tone played over the loud speaker.  Each time the players had to skate a little harder, and stop on a dime when hitting the next set of cones.  This is a drill that is run purely for endurance and agility training, not to mention speed and quickness of the feet.  I was able to make many observations while watching.

The good news is that Andy McDonald, Lee Stempniak and Jay McClement seem to be in great shape.  In the first heat, McDonald skated it with captain Eric Brewer, Paul Kariya, Manny Legace, Trent Whitfield and Dan Hinote.  Manny tired out pretty quickly, but the rest kept pace for awhile.  When it came down to the last three skaters remaining, McDonald, Kariya and Brewer were skating almost as hard as they could.  I have to give Brewer credit, because he seemed to be dead tired, but tried to stay with the other two as well as he could.  He really showed his leadership out there, pushing himself to the max.  Once Kariya tapered off, Andy skated another round by himself, pushing the whole way.  His legs were definitely on today, and that can only be a positive sign for the upcoming season.

Stempniak, coming off of a dismal 13-goal season, pushed himself hard as well.  Skating in the second heat with McClement, Jay McKee, Keith Tkachuk, Cam Janssen, Barret Jackman and Brad Boyes, Lee won the heat after a long battle with McClement.  Stempniak is out to prove himself this year to the fans and the coaching staff. 

McClement, projected to be the fourth line center, worked hard too.  He was right behind Stempniak the whole time with quick feet and strong endurance. 

I was not able to stay long for the final heat, but I did see Marek Schwarz battle with himself to keep skating.  He seems like he really wants a chance on the Blues’ opening day roster this year, hopeful to beat out Manny Legace and Chris Mason.  The grimace on his face proved it all, keeping up with his teammates as long as he could.

The bad news comes from the alternate captain, Barret Jackman.  After signing a $14.4 million season over four years last season, he really did not come to play today.  Running in the second heat, he gave almost no effort on the rink.  He dropped out very quickly and skated to the bench, not really even looking that tired.  As far as I know, he has no injuries or medical problems, so that leaves me thinking that he just did not stay in shape this summer.

More wrap-ups will be posted as soon as I can check out the camp again.