If you have a person as respected as Al Macinnis in your organization you do everything possible to make sure you take advantage of him being there.
Giving Macinnis the title of Vice President of Hockey Operations was a no brainer. I don’t know why it took this long to be honest with you.
Look no further than Steve Yzerman in Detroit. They stepped up to the plate right away.
Macinnis certainly has a whole lot more to offer than taking in a NCAA hockey game and bringing a report back to the organization. You want this guy involved when it comes to making hockey decisions that effect your on ice product both now and in the future.
His input on trades, prospects, free agency, and the overall evaluation of the current players in the organization will prove to be crucial as this new regime moves forward.
The bottom line is, having a hockey mind like Macinnis involved will prevent unforgivable errors such as trading away Chris Pronger. I understand the previous Ownership played a huge part in forcing the trade to happen so lets put it this way…
Having Al Macinnis around will make sure that if you have to trade away a superstar like a Pronger then you get a hell of a lot more in return for him. I have a feeling if Macinnis was involved prior to last season he would have made sure the Oilers were forced to give up something a little better than Doug Lynch and Jeff Woywitka.
If the Blues received something in return it would be much easier to deal with the disappointment of Eric Brewer.
Speaking of Brewer I know a lot of people are freaking out with his play thus far this season, but I was always taught you give a guy 25-30 games into the season before you completely write a guy off.
Speaking of Woywitka if he had the desire of a Roman Polak he would be in the NHL. It’s not like he doesn’t have the necessary skills to play at the highest level.
Back to Macinnis…
This move was made to provide John Davidson with a different voice to express their opinions and ideas. Everyone else JD deals with in the Blues organization has been around this club for a while, it’s time for a fresh voice to step in and assist Davidson.
JD wants Macinnis around as much as possible. He wants him on the road and wants his input on all hockey matters.
All in all, Macinnis’s role isn’t changing all that much. He will still follow certain Blues prospects and take in as much Junior, NCAA, and AHL action as he can. The reality is the full details of his new role have yet to be fully ironed out.
This doesn’t change anything for Larry Pleau either. His role as Genaral Manager and Sr. Vice President will remain in place as he has established a strong working relationship with Davidson.
Dysfunction in Detroit?
Someone who is close to the Red Wings organization recently told me that Detroit will self implode by Christmas.
Naturally I asked why?
The individual told me the players don’t respect Mike Babcock, and his act has already worn thin with management as well. To the point where General Manger Ken Holland is so involved that he and Babcock have one on one meetings sometimes more than once per week to make sure things are moving in the proper direction.
One would think they are when you consider how well Detroit is playing but when your star players are complaining to management the boat can begin to rock pretty quickly.
Babcock is known to like to keep his teams off balanced. He will often call in his power play unit for a meeting and ask them what they feel they need to do. After his players give their opinions he will often say something to the effect of, sorry were not doing it that way and will create something entirely different.
The players are not happy with his overall demeanor and philosophy.
I’ve been told that all world defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom began to instruct his teammates not to say a word when they go into the special teams meetings. People who have covered the NHL and the Red Wings will tell you that Lidstrom is probably the nicest player in the NHL not to mention one of the best defenseman ever. One would have to try pretty hard to get Lidstrom not to like you.
It seems pretty hard to make Babcock happy. He once told some people that if Anaheim had gotten some goaltending in game seven of the 2003 Stanley Cup finals that the Ducks would have one the Cup. Babcock was coaching Anaheim at the time, if you remember Jean-Sebastian Giguere, was in net for game seven, and won the Conn Smythe trophy as the NHL playoff MVP that year.
There apparently was more than just age as to why Yzerman decided to hang up the skates. The truth is Babcock better win in the playoffs or he won’t be in Detroit much longer.
Don’t Hurt Yourself!!
Falling off the bandwagon that is. I think it is a little humorous how people want to write off Barret Jackman as a player who can’t excel in the new NHL. It wasn’t long ago when everybody was labeling him the next Captain of the Blues organization.
Where did everybody go?
There is no doubt Jackman has had a tough time adjusting to the new rules; he has barely played as well. He used to be a player that needed to whack, slash, and get into the oppositions kitchen to be effective. Taking the year off during the lockout did Jackman little good and is a decision he probably regrets.
Anyone who knows hockey understands that 99% of the time guys get hurt in the NHL is because they play hard. How often do you see Dallas Drake play 82 games in a season? Not very often because he leaves it on the ice every night and destroys his body.
Can you really criticize a player because he breaks his jaw after sticking up for his teammates?
The reality is Jackman is not big enough to play the way he has been playing and the way he wants to. He needs to concentrate on playing the game, he doesn’t need to fight and be a physical presence every time he steps foot on the ice. The most important thing for Jackman is that he stays healthy while maintaining his aggressiveness.
Every player gets run and gets hit, it’s part of the game. Controlling his emotions after taking a big hit is extremely important for Jackman, almost as important as gaining his confidence back to where it was when he was drafted in the first round.
There are different ways to play tough, he doesn’t need to lose his edge he has always played with, which is what made him a Calder Trophy winner. He lost 15 punds in the summer to improve his speed. He did so without losing any strength.
Head Coach Mike Kitchen wants Jackman to be consistent in gaining leverage in puck areas, moving his feet and reading plays quicker. When he doesn’t move his feet is when he finds himself grabbing and reaching which ultimately lands him in the penalty box. Learning to bump and reposition himself is something Jackman is working hard on.
Making quicker decisions for Jackman is key. When he hesitates to make plays he leaves himself in a vulnerable position and sets himself up to get hit and ultimately get injured.
The bottom line is, Jackman is not slug out there, he’s a heart and soul type of player. He has the respect of every player in the dressing room. He can also be a player that can move the puck north and make plays.
Something a defenseman must do to play in the faster NHL.
You have to be a top three D-man in the NHL to play the power play. Jackman will never play the power play, that isn’t his game, but nowadays you need six defenseman who can play for you. There aren’t too many number six defenseman who don’t play a regular shift and aren’t quality NHL players. (FYI , I’m not labeling him a number 6 D-man)
In actuality Jackman has been doubted his entire life. Coming from a small town in British Columbia he was told he would never be a first round pick. His teachers always told him he would never be a professional athlete. He always used that as motivation and will try to channel the recent negative energy towards him in the same fashion.
There has been talk about him being upset about going down to Peoria last weekend, which he was.
Does it really matter? The bottom line is he went. There would only be a story if he didn’t go. He had a choice and chose to go.
Would anybody be happy about being sent to Peoria to do anything for a weekend?
Something To Think About!
How long before Darryl Sutter decides its time to hop back behind the bench in Calgary?
How long before Doug Maclean pulls the string on head coach Gerard Gallant in Colombus?
When it comes to trying to figure out how to improve the scheduling in the NHL please consider the following…
It is impossible to make all teams happy. Every GM seems to have ideas that really only suit their own individual needs.
Please remember if you live in a Western Conference city and you want to see teams from the East play, for every Pitsburgh you’d get you would still have to sit through 60 minutes of the trap with New Jersey and watch a team like Florida. You wouldn’t get Toronto and Buffalo every night.
Blues Clues!
Jay Mckee will see a Doctor on Friday to determine where he is on the recovery trail. He still has two pins inserted in his broken pinky finger. He has been skating with the team for a few days now. He still can’t handle a puck but can participate in chase drills to keep his conditioning.
Magnus Kahnberg , who is playing better as of late in Peoria, is receiving several offers from European hockey clubs trying to convince him to return home and to quit chasing his NHL dream. The only chance he has of playing in the NHL is to stay in Peoria. If he feels he has no chance to play here in St. Louis he may elect to sign with a European club either early in the new year or right before the European playoffs begin.
Joel Perrault will make his Blues debut Thursday night in St. Louis. This kid enjoyed a tremendous career in Juniors leading the Quebec league in scoring his final year. He played in Peoria last weekend on a conditioning assignment playing one game with David Backes and Charles Linglet and the other along side Jon Disalvatore and Cam Keith.
Dallas Drake will not play as he continues to recover from a puck he took off his foot last Saturday.
This is not Curtis Sanford’s first time playing for the Blues. When he was 15 years old he played for Collingwood Blues in Collingwood, Ontario, a Tier II team in the Ontario Provincial Jr. A league.
A Blues Alumni charity game is in the works for December third at the Summit Ice Arena in Chesterfield, just two days before Brett Hull night.
Tune into my weekly radio show Call the Blues Breakfast.
My guests this week include Blues forward and the pride of Buffalo, New York Lee Stempniak, and Nashville Predators GM David Poile.
You can listen online at www.1380espn.com or call from anywhere at 1-800-491-1380
Poile nearly was hired as the Blues General Manger several years ago. It came down to either him or Pleau.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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