The Season Synopsis
Throughout the course of the 1998-1999 season, one single question
was constantly asked to the players and coaches of the St. Louis
Blues.
Who is going to pick up the scoring now that Brett Hull is gone?
To be honest, it is hard to replace his 522 career goals with a
musical note sewn on the front of his sweater, but what may be
harder is finding the man willing to place at least a toe nail into
his gigantic shoes.
In the course of this search, overall goal production did fall off
19 goals, from 256 and first in the league one year ago to 237 and
seventh this year. But the offensive predictions of the puck
prognosticators were far grimmer than the reality.
The reason: Pavol Demitra.
Demitra's first full season of action showed the Blues and the
league that he may be able to fill the Golden Brett's void. 37
goals. 52 assists. 89 points. Every vital stat had a 50-percent
increase from a career high. In 82 games, Demitra went from a maybe
to a will be.
He is now the offensive star of St. Louis. The 14th highest scorer
during the regular season is the star of the power play down low.
He is an All-Star; he is a team leader, and, perhaps most
importantly, he is the future of the St. Louis Blues. At least,
that is what the front office is hoping.
A discussion of the Blues' blue line can not be started without
mentioning Al MacInnis. His 62 points (20 goals, 42 assists) placed
him atop the league when it came to offensive production from
defensemen. MacInnis's passes from the back helped sparked the
Hull-less offense ablaze, but it was a slap shot that could turn a
Cub Scout's campfire into a four-alarm fire which placed him on
nightly highlight reels.
What MacInnis' offense meant to the Blues' defensive corps was
matched by what Chris Pronger meant to the blueliners defensively.
Partnering with an increase in offensive statistics (four more
goals and ten more points in 14 fewer games) was a growth in his
reputation as one of the most physical defenseman in hockey. His
plus/minus rating suffered a 43-point loss based in large part to
Joel Quenneville's reliance on him to be on the ice as much as
possible. Both him and MacInnis average over 25 minutes a game,
creating one of the most dominating defensive twosomes in the
leagues. It's too bad they don't play together, but that's a luxury
Quenneville has. He can split the two to bolster his depth,
something that came in handy during the seven playoff games that
went to extra periods.
The goaltending. Hmm...where to start with the goaltending. Well,
the Blues used five goaltenders during the 82-game regular season
schedule making them one of four teams to use five or more
goaltenders. The friendly skies between Worcester and St. Louis
were visited frequently by Blues' netminders for one reason - the
knees of Grant Fuhr.
The Nick Kypreos hit of the 1996 playoffs was felt three years later
when the five-time Stanley Cup winner's knees plagued his
performance. He played in only 39 games, his lowest total since he
arrived in St. Louis, earning 16 wins with 11 losses and eight
ties, not bad for a man who felt pain every time he went into a
butterfly. In mid-February, Fuhr went under the knife to fix
meniscus damage in his right knee. A month later he came back like
the Grant of old. His improvement helped lead the Blues out of the
sixth and seventh spots in the Western Conference to earn them a
fifth- seed for the post-season, setting them up for a first-round
match-up with the hexed Phoenix Coyotes. (And we all know how that
series ended.)
It was a season that nobody expected. With Brett Hull gone, almost
everybody saw the Blues demise as imminent and right around the
corner. What they didn't expect is a young, talented nucleus
melding with veteran leadership to make sure the Blues stayed on
track. They did slip up a little, losing some production and wins,
but their talent and heart carried them into the playoffs and
almost to the Western Conference Finals.
TEAM MVP: It wasn't a complete and shocking surprise that he
picked up the offensive slack created in the rope by the letting-go
of Brett Hull. But his increase in numbers and offensive
responsibility did carry the Blues throughout the season.
This man is my MVP - Pavol Demitra.
With many people doubting whether or not the Blues would compete in
the playoffs, Demitra stepped up and helped lead his teammates to
the postseason with the blade of his stick.
And in the process of that march to the post-season, he may have
saved both the reputation and possibly the job of General Manager
Larry Pleau. His refusal to give Brett Hull a "no-trade" clause was
met with criticism. But, if Demitra pans out to be everything Larry
Pleau and the front office hopes he'll be, Pleau may be receiving a
few of votes for Executive of the Year plaques.
Will Demitra be able to improve upon his remarkable season of this
year? If he does, the future should be bright for the Blues.
SURPRISE: Most of America knows one of St. Louis' "Big Macs."
During the 1998 baseball season, Mark McGwire and his powerful home
runs captured the imaginations of Americans from sea to shinning sea.
During the 1998-1999 hockey season, Al MacInnis and his
powerful slap shot captured the nerves of goaltenders around the
league whenever he had two seconds to wind up.
His leadership was expected. His impact was a surprise.
Al MacInnis was the best player on the Blues, hands-down. He had to
be - Larry Pleau gave him the contract that Brett Hull wanted.
MacInnis, who should win the Norris Trophy (check that, better win
the Norris Trophy), carried the team all year long.
DISAPPOINTMENT: The Blues did struggle early in the season.
Now, I don't like to pin the blame on one person, but the poor play
of Grant Fuhr during the first three months of the schedule
did play a big role.
Fuhr's shakiness between the pipes helped spark the instability of
the entire St. Louis goaltending situation. Jamie McLennan
struggled. Rich Parent was good until his manhood was violated, so
he has a good excuse. Jim Carey....HA! Scott Roche? Who?
You get my point.
The entire situation did a 180 once Fuhr's knee was operated on, but
his poor play to start the 1998-1999 campaign almost cause a
complete and total debacle.
OUTLOOK: It's guaranteed that this off-season will not be
anywhere near as active nor exciting as the one prior, but the
Blues will have to start planning for the future.
They took their first step the same day Dallas won the Stanley Cup.
Giving up a third-round pick in this year's Entry Draft, the Blues
acquired Stars back-up goalie Roman Turek, his 16-3- 3 record (26
starts) and 2.08 GAA. The Notes may pick up some more picks in
upcoming draft and some young talent, but nothing too drastic will
be completed.
If nothing goes drastically wrong, the Blues will return to the
playoffs and advance at least one round if not to the conference
final, but the future starts today. By the time next season has
started, Geoff Courtnall will be 36, Al MacInnis will be 36, and
Grant Fuhr, who has already said next year will be his last, will
be 37.
They made things exciting during this year's playoffs, and they'll
make things exciting next year, but nothing will be exciting in the
future with a team of players who are unfortunately too old.
