Last Minute Blues Podcast Ep. 228: A new Blues broadcast this season

Last Minute Blues Podcast Ep. 228: A new Blues broadcast this season

This is the last minute blues podcast with Donnie, Alex, Jeremy, and Jeff Burton. It is the Last Minute Blues podcast. Join together again in the studio. Jeremy Rutherford from the Athletic. Alex, Alex Ferrario from 101 ESPN. And I’m Donnie Fandango. Gentlemen, it’s great to see your faces. What’s going on? It’s great to see your face, Donnie. Dude, it’s really nice to be here today. I gotta tell you that. Nice to be back on radio, dude. It has been a freaking week, man. And I like I haven’t talked about this like a whole lot, but Mary had a health issue this year. This week, uh nothing life-threatening, you know, get that out there, but it was a real like white knuckle sort of week. So, it’s just really nice to kind of be back in the in the habit or, you know, doing the work stuff. Yeah. I live with three toddlers and now a new puppy. So, every day is good to see adults. I saw that post, Jr. Three kids need it anymore. And he gets the dog. Go get a dog, Katie. The puppy is really cute, but that’s a puppy. Even the Even Even when we got the dog, the people there were like they saw the girls in the car and they’re like, “You sure about this?” I’m like, “Yeah.” Hey, come here. We’re going to give you guys a test. My neighbor My neighbor My neighbor yesterday we were walking the dog. Me and the three girls. Yes. me and the three girls are walking a puppy and my neighbor comes out. He goes, “Boy, you’re a glutton for punishment.” I said, “You know what? I’m numb to the to the toddler’s life.” So, I said, “Why not just add to it? It’s actually going to be easier to potty train the puppy than it’s going to be to potty train my middle child. So, we’ll just we’ll grind through.” Dude, I saw the post and I cackled. I I cackled it and I cackled and I said, “What are you doing to yourself, man? How about How about Donnie says my wife had a health issue and Alex goes, “Yeah, but this dog, man, holy smokes.” He said it wasn’t life-threatening, right? They’re to lighten the mood a little bit. Not life-threatening at all. That bring the puppy over so Mary can see him. Oh, dude. We would love that. Except Leave it there. Except we got we’ll leave the kids there. Dog, we’ll keep kiddos. They’re going back with you. Donnie, Mary, they’re gonna be with you for a couple of days. Dude, I cannot I cannot even imagine. Just And I don’t know you and Katie all that well, but I just know that you’re probably a bit of different, you know, people dayto-day than Mary and I are. So, I wonder if your kids would be like, “Where in the hell are we?” What is going on, mom and dad? Where are you? Well, the first thing you got to be okay with Disney music 24/7. Absolutely. I think those kids would be scared when they came into our living room and saw the horror the framed horror movie posters that Mary has all over our living room. Okay, there are there are multiple knives in our not posters of knives in our living room. So those those poor kids, they would never want to come. Okay, so we’ve come to the conclusion early on that the dog will just there are multiple knives on our wall. Did you actually get a vacation for real when you guys went to Colorado? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you built it into the softball, right? So, you know what? Uh, I have had on my bucket list for a long time, whitewater rafting. Big guy, probably doesn’t seem like a wise choice, but we got to do it and it was great. Yeah. So, I mean, you’d go play two softball games, my daughter would, and and then we’d uh pack things up, head back to the hotel, and then we went to How was that white water rafting? It was amazing. It really was. And we did the beginner level. If anybody’s done it before out there or, you know, thinking about doing it, beginner level for sure, do that if you’ve never done it before. It was seven miles. It was the perfect length and I think it was the perfect kind of up and down. We did get stuck one time, one too many white castles along the way and so we hit a rock and kind of got stuck on it and had to like ooze off it. But the best part, guys, so you guys are obviously familiar with seasonal workers, right? Whether it be skiing, well, this is obviously white water rafting. So there’s a a guide on each boat. We have seven boats, a guide on each one. They’re all in their mid20s. Now, these people sleep in tents overnight back at the Whitewater rafting place. They haven’t taken a shower in who knows how long. You know, they’re doing their smoking at night. They are uh uh not shaving their armpits. Okay. Some of So, not bathing them either. And so, you talk to them and and everything’s like, “Oh, that’s sparkly, dude. That’s sparkly. Like, that’s a cool sparkly shirt, dude.” And so, it was a hoot. Like, forget about the white water rafting. That was the best part. But just to be around these uh these workers, the no shave, no shower people, that’s our highlight. And even during the day, Red Rocks is freaking amazing. Yeah. And so there was no show. I think Blues Traveler was there the next day, July 4th. They do July 4th every year. And I think they brought in a couple others. Uh so we it was a bummer that we didn’t get to see a show there, but for me, I just wanted to run up and down the rocks about 10 like Rocky. Like Rocky, did you get up there and you just jump up and down? But it’s amazing. Have you seen a show there? I have. Yeah. Yeah. I saw this amazing band called the National there and um it was wow. I mean but also too part of it for me was like being there and thinking that like you two you know recorded a video here for the love of Pete. Like it was just a really I mean an amazing amazing experience. I I it of all of the things that I’ve gotten to do in radio getting to see a show there is easily in my top like Yeah. Way to rub it in. Two or three. Man, it’s it’s I’ve never been to Colorado, so I don’t really know. The the the uh whatchamacallit the altitude got to me, but uh early in the early day I don’t know if I should say this. It’s fine. It’s a podcast. Uh in the early days of the legalization, there was I was very happy to visit Colorado when I did. I just like I I would just like to say that it it did it did um it was in the same trip that I went to Red Rocks. And so, uh, I was just like, boy, I think I really love Colorado. I really love it. And it’s beautiful on top of it. And Donny’s an avalanche. I could have introduced him to a few, uh, raft. Yeah, Donnie, you could go live in some tents with some of these guys. You know what you said? Now Donny’s an avalanche fan. It hurt. And I recoiled. It hurt, didn’t it? Yeah. There’s no way. Yeah. The one thing we know though is altitude didn’t bother J.R. He ran up and down Red Rock 10 times. Yeah. In a track suit, too. I remember the first time though I stopped at a gas station in Denver and I saw that you could get like cans of oxygen and I was like what where am I what the I like had no idea so I had to message Mary like what is this about she’s like for freaking for the oxy for because it’s high altitude you idiot or if you’re bored at night I guess whatever you want to do and just to show that work never stops like we’re at Red Rocks and they say hey we’re going to go in this little visitor center or whatever it was the family did I’m out in the car tweeting about Bow and Byum it’s like okay news happens news happens to go Jr. you got to follow it. So, that’s what we’re here to do in the offseason is bring you the news. I am really excited for hockey and it is not going to be here near damn soonest. Like, not even even in the slightest. I am so ready for Captain Handsome and my Buffalo Bills and Blues hockey. I need it to be fall. And also too, I am so god damn sick of walking outside of the house and it being hotter than the surface of the freaking sun or rain in the in the last couple days. It’s been so freaking humid. Yeah, I know. I’ve I’ve gotten to the point now where it’s like, okay, off season, that dust is settled. It’s like that in between where it’s like I still like the vacation, but it’s like, all right, now let’s get to something else. I think it’s just this dead week of sports when there’s no baseball and there’s nothing else and it’s like, okay, I need something to happen right now. Yeah. What does it do for you guys when the Blues I think they started doing this a few years ago and other NHL teams do it too where they’ll take let’s just say Justin Faulk 72 number 72 72 days until camp and then you know then it’ll be 50 Jordan Bennington you know again what you just said I like I love my job I can’t wait for training camp but at the same time you want to enjoy this vacation while you can so as those numbers get lower I start to oh my gosh I know yeah I think once I hit about 30 that’s when I kind of look at my wife and I’m like oh okay chaos is about to start Here it’s coming. I thought chaos was now, but chaos is really coming soon. It’s It’s amazing though, man, because that and I don’t know that people really think about it, but like that season is such a gauntlet for both of you guys that you really do have to I mean, it’s not just like a physical thing, but also, man, mentally, I mean, it’s a it is not an easy thing, man. I mean, that’s just it’s a lot. And I think the the thing that that gets me the most is obviously it’s work and it’s a job and it’s a lot. That’s one thing. but how it keeps you away from your kids and your family and how I see that it affects you guys. I just love that you get your time in the summer with all your hooligans. You know what I mean? Because I know before too awful along you know you you go days probably without seeing them. Well and I mean I’m I’m more lucky because I know you travel sometimes J. I don’t travel at all. So like the road games I’m here which is very lucky for me cuz yes I’m gone for 5 hours but I still get to go home and wake up and do breakfast with the girls like for Curbs and Joey for these guys that are traveling like that sucks because you’re gone for I think they got a 10 game or 10day road trip in November and it’s like you’re gone for two weeks and you know like the first thing I do when the schedule came out you know you look at the important dates Halloween there’s no hockey game so I know that I’m going to be there trick-or-treating with the girls Thanksgiving and Christmas we always know we’re off. Then you look at Valentine’s Day for my wife, my anniversary with my wife, my daughter’s birthday. So all of these it’s like, okay, cool. None of it impacts it, which is to me is a great season. But then I get into the, okay, how many backtobacks do we have? Because backtobacks are horrendous just for like life because my wife, she has a job and it’s like she’s got to coordinate with me. So you look at those, it’s like, okay, not too bad. And then you look at the nine o’clock games because then I’m just a miserable human being the next day. So that’s kind of how I judge the schedule. Overall, I looked at the schedule this time and I like not too bad. Yeah. Even with the Olympics, it’s like you get two weeks off here, you got a lot of games here, but it’s like not too bad. Worked out pretty well. Yeah. And for me, it’s not so much. And I I want to preface this by saying I am not complaining. No. No. Absolutely. Like not complaining. But it it’s kind of the mental grind like, yeah, there’s some, you know, physical part to it, too. you know, going down to the rink in the morning at 9:00 a.m. and then you get home at about 1 in the afternoon and you’re home a couple hours and then you go back at like 5:00 p. p.m. for a 700 p.m. game and then you might get done at midnight and you’re home by 1:00 in the morning. So the g day started at 9:00 a.m. and you’re back at home at 1:00 in the morning. And so you know that part is a little stressful, but to me it’s it’s also this during the season like anything can be announced at any time. So, let’s say you you go to the rink at 9:00 a.m. for the morning skate and you know you’re going to be there till about 1:00 and then say your wife calls you. Hey, can you run by Walgreens and pick up this? Yeah, I’ll do it in my window between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. And then so I’ll be standing in the aisle at Walgreens and I’ve put in the time and I’m going to put in more time, you know, that night at the game and all of a sudden the Blues announce that there’s a trade or there’s a contract signing and you’ve got you’ve got your computer in the car and you are racing to the wireless to be able to write the story about that and get that up. So anyway, in the offseason there’s a little bit of that like something could happen right now, right? But but there’s not as much of it. So it’s kind of that mental grind. Yeah, absolutely. So, well, listen guys, there’s a lot of stuff for us to talk about here. We haven’t all been in the same room um since the start of free agency. Um, but I want to talk about something that has been um, you know, a big topic of conversation for Blues fans over the course of the last week, and that is the changing of not only how the games are broadcast in the sense uh, of that there was going to be a TV team, John Kelly, Jamie Rivers, and then radio team and Chris Kerber and Joey Vitali. Well, now Joey and Kurbs are taking over and are doing both. And so John Kelly is no longer with the Blues organization, which wow. Um I hate saying it. Uh I love listening to Chris Kerber and Joey Vitali call a game. This is nothing against them even in the slightest, but I love JK and JK reminds me of the great announcers that I grew up listening to and not only his dad, but also Jack Buck and Mike Shannon and Ernie Harwell and like all of these guys that just have this there is just a way in which that they go about their business that is just so remarkably fantastic. And I am going to miss the be Jesus out of JK. And I hope wherever he goes I I mean he’s going to do great because he’s freaking JK. I just I don’t love how it went down. I don’t love how it went down for JK. I look forward to Curbs and Joey doing the thing for sure. I love those guys. This has nothing to do with them. But I think also too this speaks to where we are with media in 2025. you know, we’re coming, you know, we’re we’re talking on a day after, you know, CBS announces that they’re getting rid of the late show with Steven Coar and not because of Co Bear, but they’re getting rid of the Late Show alto together because advertising has hit such a slump since the pandemic. So, we are seeing this huge change in our media function. And like, I hate to say this, but it makes sense to just have the one team in Curbs and Joey. I know maybe people won’t like to hear me say that, but it really just does make more sense now in 2025 than than I think that it has before. And I know there are other teams that use that as well. So, I don’t, you know, normally here, you know, this is one of those things where like I’m not trying to like, you know, piss anybody off, but like I feel like this sucks. And I feel like JK, you know, really like he’s just one of those guys that’s always going to be a blue to me. Like no matter where the hell he goes for the rest of his career, I’m always going to like kind of wish that he was here. Yeah. It’s I mean, look, this was a this was a winless situation. It felt like when when the news broke. I mean, it kind of felt like I mean, you’re right. There’s a lot of teams around the NHL that do this already. Like, I know Buffalo does this. I know the Kings. Was it four? Was it only four? Maybe it was four cuz I know Nashville used to do it and then Nashville went back to the dual cast with radio and television, but I know the LA Kings do it. So, it’s not many, but it does feel like that there are teams looking into this a little bit more because there’s times that on the road, radio teams just don’t travel. Like, we’ve seen that specifically at Enterprise Center, radio teams just aren’t there. They’ll have the engineer that just pots it up and carries the television on the radio. So, I mean, it is just the state of media itself. I I mean it sucks for for John and Jamie, specifically John, just because like you mentioned, I mean, talking 20 plus years of a guy who has been tied to the Blues. The the part that I was thinking more and more about, you know, I I think people would have rather seen this go a different direction in terms of not just say, “Hey, he’s gone. Get one last harrah with John.” That’s probably something that would have made people a little bit easier onto it. I don’t know if this was ever going to be easy for somebody to hear John Kelly not a part of the Blues broadcast, especially in this town. Unless John came out and said like, “Hey, I’m retiring.” But that’s the hard part, I guess, if you’re the Blues. If you were always trending this direction at some point going to this entity, is John willing to accept a farewell tour? Maybe he’s not. Maybe Jon doesn’t want to leave. Maybe Jon doesn’t want to do the farewell tour. So again, this is never an easy scenario, but it just it seemed like the Blues looked at this and said, “It might be easier for us to rip the band-aid off faster than for us to slow play this, get one last year of Jon and then let’s say it’s a crazy good season and then people are like, you can’t get rid of Jon now.” That’s the part that I was thinking more and more about as it got to this. Yeah. And you guys both said it. I’m going to say it again though. Curbs and and Joey are fantastic. Yeah. So this has nothing to do with We just want to make sure that we This is very deserving. you know what’s happening with those two guys and and I’m not trying to be disrespectful at all by what I’m saying. No. And especially Kurbs who’s, you know, 20 plus years uh in the broadcast booth and cared so much about John. I mean, he put John on the broadcast in the second period of every single Stanley Cup final game. Phenomenal, which was awesome. Yeah. Yeah. And and I wrote something in the Blues Power Rankings the other day about Kerbs and and just how he’s everywhere. Like he is that Bobby Pagger ambassador type guy on the broadcast level. uh he’s always bringing people into the arena and and taking them for tours and you mentoring young. So he he’s phenomenal and so I just want to emphasize that. Um but we can talk about you know the older I get I realize that people are paid to make tough decisions and they’re responsible for their company and sometimes they have to take the emotion out of such decisions. But we can sit here and analyze it to death and we can talk about why maybe it needed to happen. you know, today’s media or, you know, why it didn’t need to happen. And all I’ll say is this, just to have John Kelly who has put his entire being into this organization in terms of time, commitment, love, passion for the job, uh to be blindsided by the decision, it just is uncalled for. And that’s the easiest way for me to say how I feel. We can talk about yes, maybe they felt that they had to go in a different direction. That’s fine. The way to do it and and I’m going to say this, it’s been said before on these airwaves, uh, you know, by others at 101 ESPN, so I’m not like letting anything out of the bag. Um, when you’re on vacation like John was and he just had contract negotiations less than 3 weeks ago and you think you’re going towards a deal to come back and be the Blues broadcaster and you get a phone call and you think, “Okay, this is going to be the contract and it’s the news to tell you that you’re let go.” That’s just not the way it should happen for a guy who who puts in as much time. You know, I not to always cite articles that I’ve written in the past, but I sat down with John on a game day last year and followed him around and I already knew the kind of the detail that he put into his job. But to see it up close and to talk to other people like the name pronunciation of the opposing players to go up to the other team’s broadcaster and literally talk to him for two or three minutes, okay, so how do you say it? and the guy says it and John would repeat it and they’d go and this is John trying to get the the guy’s name pronounced correctly on the air. He made it to the NHL and John said, “Hey, he makes it to the NHL. I owe him that respect to get his name right on the air.” So anyway, that’s one minor detail in that long day that you know, I followed John around and just to see that passion, it’s just tough to stomach the idea that that’s how he got the news and he had no idea it was coming. Yeah. There was a couple years where I did an afternoon hit on game day with JK. Oh yeah. And the first year that we did it, it was difficult. Um, I don’t think that John fully knew what he was getting himself into with me. And with I knew I knew. I was like, “Hell yeah, I want more of that.” But like he I it was like this weird like kind of feeling out process. And then it was some time like early in year two where like he just kind of got me or got used to me or whatever. And then these calls that we were doing were just amazing. And they would all start, hello Donnie, how are you? And it’s just it was just like this incredible voice. And you know, I think one of the great things about any great announcer, and I’ll say this, Curbs, Joey, JK, Alex, Jamie, Alex, you learn from the from you guys. You learn about the game. As a fan, I’m learning things that I am not going to ever be able to pick out. And so when you have guys that are teaching you the game, that are showing you the game, that are showing you parts of the organization for you to love, players otherwise, you just get so damn attached to them. And so there there was nothing outside of a farewell tour that John was okay with that was going to make this be okay with the fans. This was always going to be a tough one. And I get it. Yeah. You know what I mean? I get it. Yep. And and just to to kind of push the ball forward and I and I know not to take anything away from John because we’re all on the same page. It sucks for him. I I will say I know there’s been a lot of people saying like, “Oh, this is going to water down the broadcast. It’s not going to be good anymore.” Man, if there’s one duo that I would trust to handle something as delicate as this where you’ve got television and radio, it would be Curbs and Joey. Yeah. Just because Kurbs has been in radio his entire time in broadcasting. So, you’re taking into the television side of it, but also understanding that there’s a radio angle to it. It sucks, but I’m actually kind of intrigued to see what this is going to look like for people. I don’t think it’s going to make a lot of people happy. I think people are going to be frustrated with it. But again, it kind of felt like this was going to happen at some point. It was just a matter of when, not if. I I really like One of the things that I love about Kerber and Joey when they’re calling a game, if the Blues are not playing well, he’s honest. You’re honest, man. You You know, and I really really like that. Like I love, you know, it is not always flowers and roses and all of that sort of thing. Well, Joey, too. Joey is very blunt about he sees. Yes. But but also they’re very fair. So it’s not like they’re trying to like make a make a kurfuffle. I mean, they’re like saying what they’re seeing. And I really respect that. And not that John and Jamie did not have this because these guys had relationships as well, but it’s just knowing I’ve seen it in broadcast every single game throughout what the last 10 five seasons that I’ve been with those two. Like they’ve got such a strong relationship with those players that they can be blunt about that stuff. So, uh, you know, I I don’t know what it’s going to look like. I’ve had a ton of people be like, you know, does this basically kick me out of the pre-imp? It has nothing to do with that. I just I think they’re going to try and create something new for people and it just sucks that John’s not a part of it. Yeah, absolutely. So, all right. So, a couple of things here before we get out. One, we have not, like I said at the beginning, we have not all been in the same room, uh, since the beginning of free agency. So, uh, we, you know, we talked a little bit about Mayu while you were in Colorado. Uh, we talked about Sudter, um, the following week or a couple of day, actually, a couple days later, I think. How, you know, have how do you guys sort of like gauge free agency? Because a and everything that’s happened in the offseason because I got to tell you as a fan, I’m raring to go, boys. I am freaking excited. I feel like not only am I excited about the Blues, but I look at the West and I don’t know that there’s anybody that like super scares me or anything like that, you know? And don’t get me started on Vegas and Marner J.R. I know you were gonna you miss you missed the Vegas one, Jr. But but like but but um how are you guys you know feeling? I know you guys are very marked about what you say at this time of the year. You don’t get super fanboy like I do. But I mean tell what do you think? So the athletic asked us to give the team a grade. Yes. On on offseason moves. So it’s not just free agency, it’s trades, it’s you know the waiverss, you know letting putting Nick Lety on waiverss and getting him cleaned. That was huge. That might be the biggest move of the off seasonason to unload that $4 million. I gave him a B+. And you know, it probably could have even been higher. But I think, you know, they they tried for Dobson, didn’t get him. You know, if there’s a a bigger trade, then maybe you give them an A. But I think for what they did and what they were trying to accomplish and the players that they did get, uh, I I give them a B+. And so, Alex, you’re going to have to continue to help me with, uh, you know, Puse Sudter. Puse Puse. Okay. So, a couple That sounds like a ray gun. P. I I remember from you and Punk is how I is how I remember to say it now. Yeah. So, I’ve been saying pious for years, you know, whenever you hear his name pastor. And I had him on the phone a couple days ago and I had heard you say puse and and and so pronouncing it wrong. No, no, no. It’s it’s one of those deals though where you practice it so many times that when you get them on the phone and you can’t, okay, I’m going to try to say your name and I said it. He goes, that’s close. You know, it’s close. You got you got to say it fast. Not exactly, but close. Yeah. You got to say it really fast. So, you know, I think uh I talked to him and I’ll have article, you know, next week or whatever, but uh it sounds like the teams talked to him. They want him to play center and and so you would think that he’d center that third line and you know, where they put Nick Bud, uh we don’t know in terms of is it going to be fourth line, center take over for Fox or does he play on the wing on that third line, but either way, they’ve upgraded that third line. And then I think that they’ve, as I mentioned, cleared the deck for Tyler Tucker to play. And Doug Armstrong said that when he talked about free agency, he said that the coach loves Tyler Tucker. Let’s get him in there. So they cleared the way by moving Nick Lety. Yeah. I I mean I I I personally like I looked at it and I said, “Okay, you got 5% better.” Easily you got 5% better. And the question is how much more than 5%. Because I know there’s been a lot of people that hone in on the Book trade and say, “Well, look, Buluke was a sure thing. May use a question mark.” And I understand that, but the way that I viewed this was you you took out Buluk and Foxa and you added in Pew Sudter and Nick Buchad. And to me, you made your team stronger down the middle while adding more offense to your team. Because if you look at Foxa and Bulldog’s numbers compared to what Sudter and Buchad have done, that’s more offense and you’re stronger down the middle. Are you weaker on that third line wing? Probably. But I don’t know what that’s going to look like as you get to training camp. Yeah, and I didn’t touch on the Bulldog Mayu trade. Uh, obviously, gosh, who knows? Like, it’s the hard part. It’s tough because I think I’m like Blues fans that I really see a promising future with Bulldook. You see a guy with a great shot, has some skill, and he plays with an edge. And I think he was getting infinitely better towards the end of the season, and I think he’s going to continue to do that for Montreal, and he might play in their top six, and he might score 30 next year, and everybody, why’d you let the guy go? But I think you need a right shot uh defenseman in the system by all accounts. I was talking to the Montreal people. He was one of the best defenseman in the American Hockey League last year. He’s got nothing left to prove in the American Hockey League. He can come in next season. And look, he might stumble out of the gate and and Bulldog might score 10 in October and people are going to say the Blues lost this trade. I think you got to let it play out. But but but and I don’t mean to interrupt you, but like with Mayu, we do have to give homie some time to get the sea legs under him because again, it’s eight NHL games is what he’s played so far. Like like not much at all. Um so I mean we should really expect some bumps there early in the road, right? How do you kind of integrate him into your top six right away? I mean, because you’re obviously he’s going he’s playing. This isn’t going to be a an an if. He’s going to Yeah. I I mean, to me, this is why I looked at it. I said, “Cool. Well, I I still think you got better because last year you started the season as a third pair defense. It was Kessle and Tucker. They were going kind of back and forth and Ryan Sudter. That was your third pair. Now, you know what Tucker is. And you’ve got a Logan Mayu who’s got I mean, again, this isn’t me saying it. I’ve heard multiple analysts say Evan Buchard upside with Logan Mayu. That’s a third pair of defenseman versus what Ryan Sudter was at 39 and Tyler Tucker, Matt Kessle who was an un unknown last year. I’ll take an Evan Buchard unknown versus a Tyler Tucker, Matthew Kessle, third pair at best unknown. And you’ve got the same defense if not better because you have a full season of Cam Fowler and not trying to make something else work with Lety at the top pair of Colton Pereo. So, your defense improved in my opinion, and this is the part that I’m I’m just not as worried about Mayu because it’s Jim Montgomery. Like, I was looking at this and we talked about this the other day on BK and Ferrario. Man, it’s more about structure than it’s about the players on defense. At least in my opinion. Like, yeah, you want good defenders, but remember the year before Ken Hitchcock, Davis Payne was there, and you had somewhat the same defense. And then the moment Ken Hitchcock stepped in, the defense became one of the best in the league. And it was the same defense. Payne was fired, Hitchcock took over, and they just all of a sudden changed. Jim Montgomery, the two years he was in Dallas, the two years he was in Boston, their defense in terms of goals allowed was no fewer than fifth best in the National Hockey League. Everywhere he’s been, the first year in Dallas, they were the best team defensively in the National Hockey League. And that was with a 21-year-old Miro Hastinan. The best defenseman on that team were John Clingberg and Essa Lindell. And you’re telling me that he can’t let Mayu grow in a group of Broberg, Fowler, Pareo, and Faulk, who we all know can play 23 minutes a night and play it fine for you. May you doesn’t need to be Evan Buchard this year. The goal, the reason you made that trade was because you got a lot of bulldo pair potential guy versus what you had in your system. And I’m sorry I you I’m sure that you just said who will he be paired with? You think I think it’ll be tougher than that? Yeah, you know, if they eventually hopefully progress move Justin Faulk, maybe he’s a top four guy on the right side and maybe down the road. I don’t know if he’s top pair potential, but you know, Colton Praco uh you know, obviously getting older and and this is a real young guy. So, the only thing is it it made me wonder about Adam Uric, you know, number one first round pick last year had a lot of injuries and Doug said, you know, he just needs to get healthy, get out of the tub and get on the ice. Um, and you know, so it’s not like you can have too many good young right shot defenseman. So if you’re check pans out now, they got him and Mayu too and they could fit into their top six on the right side. But um, you know, he had to pay a price to get him Bulldog, but I think it’s going to bring some physicality to that third pair. Mayu, he mentioned it a couple times during the Zoom. You know, I like to play with a little bit of an edge. And now we’re going to see Tyler Tucker out there on a more regular basis than we’ve seen in the past. And look, I like the Blues top four. Uh but uh you know they block a lot of shots, they get the puck out. There’s not a lot of feistiness back there with a Ley with a Ryan Sudter. Yeah, Sudter, you know, crossch checkck you. But in terms of So I I think that uh Tucker and Mayu are going to bring a different look to that third and added Broberg who we saw some feistiness from last year as well. So I I do think you got a little bit nastier than what you were last season, which is a good thing. God, man. All of Well, this is what happens is that we start talking about it and the fact that I don’t get to watch games in a week like and a week. Well, and and also too, like I don’t know what’s going on. And I’ve talked about this before. I used to be okay with the particular time of the year when baseball was the only sport. Like, I’d be all right. Like, I got plenty to keep myself. Guys, I’m so dudes. I’m so disinterested in Major League Baseball. Like, completely. Like I am living for NHL offseason, NFL offse and with like baseball like like barreling towards another strike or or work stoppage at the end of next season to the NHL that just has more labor piece that that that just locked up a deal. Like it’s it’s a cra it is a crazy time to be a sports fan in my head. You know what I mean? Like like we’re going to start getting text messages on our uh podcast thread from Donnie. Did you see Vancouver sign Tom Forsland two-way deal? What do you think of this PTO? They just signed this guy from uh Russia. Do you think he’s he’s going to be okay as a PTO player? Guys, I I don’t know that I should say this or not be just because of Okay, but I I know that this is going to surprise some people, but I also have serious radio on top of, you know, being a regular radio guy. So, I listen to the NHL Network on on series a lot and I was listening to a show that they were doing about how successful your team has been drafting in the last like seven or eight years and they were going through every single team and going and seeing how successful the picks were. Slow day, dudes. Okay. Yes. But it was so fascinating. And so like and so I just find myself in a I used to be like this with baseball. You know what I’m saying? Like I used to really freaking get into the weeds about it all. And now man, hockey has just it is completely overtaken. And I wonder how many people like if that’s a common thing for people my age. Not necessarily with hockey, but maybe with basketball or with football or something like that. Like I wonder if Major League Baseball is losing a lot of guys like me. Yeah, you got to wonder. I mean, I don’t know. They make it seem like baseball’s in a good place, I guess, but I kind of feel like it’s in a good place because they’re bringing more younger fans than they’re keeping the older fans. But that’s just this market, man. I I some markets like I if you’re the Donnie in LA or the Donnie in San Diego or the Donnie in Milwaukee. Yeah. Might be feeling the exact same way about the Brewers as you are about the Blues and the Bills. you know, if and if Otani was on my team. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe that would change some things. Kind of St. Louis where you’re at right now with the team. It’s just not a fun place to be at right now. And there’s probably something to it, but do you I mean, I just turned 50, you know, I know Alex is younger, you know, than us, but uh you like the older I got, let’s just say when I turned 40, like I couldn’t tell you the Dallas Cowboys receivers anymore like I used to. And I can’t tell you who are the Sai Young candidates in the, you know, National League. Like it it just that part of you I think you move on. You’re like, “Okay, if I can get this done today and the grass cut, my bills paid and that figured out and get that kid to practice and this and that.” And they go, “Did you see that catch?” But no, I don’t. Who is he? You’re asking the wrong person about that. That’s my career. Unfortunately, dude, my my son, my oldest son on Monday messaged me from his buddy’s house. He was like, “Dad, are you watching this?” And I was like, “Watching what? Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” And he was like, “No, Bob, it’s the home run derby.” And I was like, “Oh, dude, I totally I totally forgot.” And oh, thank God. I thought you were hurt. No, I don’t care about that. All right. So, uh, gentlemen, I feel as though we’ve covered some ground here today. I I hate to do this, but I got to end the podcast. I got to go be on the radio. Got to go do radio stuff. But we covered some ground. And, uh, we will definitely be uh, you know, we’re going to be hitting you every couple weeks throughout the course of the off. Some special guests coming up over these next few weeks that we’ll wait until we release the episode for you to find out. But we’ve got some really good guests lined up. So, less of us talking and more of guests talking. You guys are going to be excited for sure. All right, last minute Blues podcast for the homie Jeff Burton, Alex Ferrario from 101 ESPN, Jeremy Rutherford from The Athletic. I’m Dr. Fandango. Thank you as always for listening to Let’s Go Blues, the last minute Blues podcast. Hear more at 1057thepoint.com.

SUMMER hockey chat! Talking about John Kelly and the St. Louis Blues broadcasting change, Blues offseason changes, and PLENTY more!

#stlblues #WeAllBleedBlue #LastMinuteBluesPodcast #101ESPN #NHL #LMBP