With the third overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, the Atlanta Thrashers knew that they were going to get something special.  Zach Bogosian is confirming that thought.

After seeing clear-cut number one draft-pick Stephen Stamkos head to Tampa Bay, the Kings were on the clock.  With the 2008 Draft crammed with defensemen, the Kings selected Drew Doughty, a Guelph Storm standout in the OHL.  The Thrashers surveyed their opportunities, and landed on physical defenseman Zach Bogosian, another OHL standout.  Playing with the Peterborourgh Petes, Zach was the only defenseman in the league to lead his team in points (61) and was named to the OHL First All-Star Team. 

Zach made the roster almost with minimal effort in training camp, and looked to be one of the top rookies in the NHL.  But things didn’t get off to the start he was hoping for.  Just eight games into the 2008-09 NHL campaign, Zach suffered a broken leg when he was slammed into the boards by Flyers forward Darroll Powe on October 28th.  Thrashers head coach John Anderson seemed to be more worried about his mental state at the time of the injury:

Continue reading "Bogosian Proving Worth"

The Blues were on the outside looking in on the NHL playoff picture on December 13th, 2008 when they received even worse news; captain and leading minute-man Eric Brewer went down with a herniated disc in his lower back.  Things seemed dreary for the Blues hockey club.  Fans already started calling for the first-round draft choice in 2009 and pretty much gave up hope on any playoff dreams.

Something changed with the young team though.  Looking back, fans cannot even seem to recall these unexciting times.  The play picked up and now, with two games remaining in the season, the Blues are tied for the seventh seed in the standings and just four back from the sixth seed.  What caused this drastic change on the ice?

Blues play-by-play man John Kelly was recently interviewed on PuckPodcast.com and says that the turn-around is owed to the Blues miraculous 5-4 shootout win against the Boston Bruins on January 19th.  With just eight-tenths of a second remaining in the hockey game, David Backes knotted the game up at four goals apiece, and T.J. Oshie and Brad Boyes both scored in the shootout to seal the deal.  Kelly says the win sparked the club, and the team has only lost eight games in regulation since the big win.

Continue reading "Blues Have Been Strong Without Brewer, Legace"

After a 27-11-7 run spanning through the 2009 calendar year, the Blues did the unthinkable and snuck into the NHL playoffs.  They will take on the third-seeded Vancouver Canucks when they open the series in Vancouver on Wednesday.  After a 2-2-0 record against the Canucks this season, how will the Blues fair in this 2003 Quarterfinal rematch?

The last time that these two teams met in the playoffs, St. Louis jumped on a 3-1 series lead, led by veteran defenseman Al MacInnis and Calder Trophy winner Barret Jackman.  But the Blues saw their playoff hopes end in a horrible downward spiral, when they lost three straight to Canucks captain Markus Naslund (who recorded 14 points in 14 playoff games that post-season) and the rest of the Vancouver crew.  The only player that truly showed up for St. Louis was veteran center Doug Weight, who scored thirteen points in the seven game series.  

Continue reading "Blues-Canucks Series Preview"

The Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues entered the 2009 NHL Playoffs with high hopes for their respective teams.  Those thoughts became nothing but a few pipe dreams for their fans and players what seemed like minutes after the playoffs had begun.

St. Louis suffered a series sweep at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night.  This was a fate that the Blue Jackets faced to the Detroit Red Wings just a short 48 hours later.  Both of these teams felt devastation after they lost in their home arena, which adds much insult to injury to these young teams.

"It's a tough way to lose,” commented Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash. “What can you say? There's 19,000 people. Everyone saw what happened and I don't need to comment on it."

Continue reading "Poor Early Exits Provide Little Experience"