WESTERN CONFERENCE | CENTRAL DIVISION
4. St. Louis Blues
Picking up the pieces after the Keenan chaos
by L. Jon Wertheim
After former coach and general manager Mike Keenan did to St.
Louis what Sherman did to Atlanta, the Blues are in the throes
of their own Reconstruction Era. Keenan's dictatorial 30-month
regime, which ended last December when he was fired, was pocked
by a runaway payroll, unpopular and ill-advised trades,
widespread dissension among the players and, perhaps most
important, the erosion of a healthy fan base.
"We were on our way to a franchise meltdown," says Blues
president Mark Sauer, noting the 16% drop in season-ticket sales
from 1995-96 to '96-97. To win back the fans, St. Louis has
slashed prices on nearly two thirds of its tickets, revived a
tradition of playing home games on Saturdays and spent more than
$1 million on aesthetic improvements to the Kiel Center. "With
the changes we've made," says Sauer, "we hope the fans will
reconnect with us."
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Slap
Shot
1. Al Maclnnis, Blues
2. Al Iafrate, Sharks
3. Brett Hull, Blues
4. John LeClair, Flyers
5. Brendan Shanahan,
Red
Wings
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New general manager Larry Pleau has had less success upgrading a
team that finished 36-35-11 last season and served as
first-round playoff fodder for the eventual Stanley Cup champion
Red Wings. Because Keenan dealt many of St. Louis's young
players for immediate help, the Blues' roster is as deep as the
banter on Access Hollywood. St. Louis is particularly shallow at
center, where an injury to Pierre Turgeon could prove
disastrous. Compounding matters is the uncertain status of
sniper Brett Hull, the original moody Blue, who becomes an
unrestricted free agent after this season and was unhappy
entering training camp without a new contract. Hull is still one
of the NHL's dynamic stars, but he turned 33 over the summer,
hasn't had a 50-goal season since 1993-94, and has never been
mistaken for a supremely conditioned athlete. Don't be surprised
if the Blues deal Hull by the March trading deadline.
Coach Joel Quenneville, an avuncular, 38-year-old anti-Keenan,
embraced an effective trap and kept the yelling to a minimum
after he took over last January. "Coach Q did a great job
getting us to jell," says the 22-year-old defenseman Chris
Pronger, who is finally fulfilling his potential after being
drafted second in 1993. "There's a more relaxed atmosphere these
days. For example, during training camp the whole team went to
see a Cardinals game."
Cheaper seats, new threads, bonding over baseball—restoring the
spirit of St. Louis is afoot. But despite all of the harmony,
the Blues don't have the players to hit the high notes.
Next: Chicago Blackhawks, The NHL's Best Defensive Defenseman
Master List
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