Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Aug 21, 2026 10:00 am

Robb_K wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2026 11:13 pm I learned that The Blues and 2 other NHL teams have all reached an accepted agreement to the compensation they'd have to pay The Canes for Nikishin. The hold up is that NONE of the 3 teams (Blues included) want to pay Nikishin the amount of average annual Dollars for the number of years they're willing to give. So, we'll just have to wait to see which of the 3 teams are willing to overpay Nikishin a little, to win the bidding. Andy Strickland mentioned that his "inside source" told him that The Blues have a strict limit that they won't surpass, regardless of what the other teams bid, or what Nikishin's agent's "best price" will be. So, I'm not terribly confident that The Blues will land him.

That's interesting. While it'd be nice to get a young player that just had a really good debut season for the champs, it's probably wise to exercise a bit of caution on this one. He played on the bottom pair throughout the season and once the playoffs started he played about 15 minutes a night. He still had a hell of a rookie year, but there are enough unknowns to at least be careful about what kind of contract you offer him.

That, and it's rumored car wants neighbors, lindstein, and a pick...

Praying that he pulls through.

Scary stuff

That's awful to hear.

Seems silly to have them working out in Arizona heat as well when I'm sure ASU has indoor facilities.

DPW wrote: Thu Aug 27, 2026 8:47 am That's awful to hear.

Seems silly to have them working out in Arizona heat as well when I'm sure ASU has indoor facilities.

It was early in the morning but it was still hot at the time. I can see where a person who isn't used to the heat could have issues.

I hate it when I see stories about these team building exercises that are out of the player's element.

We recently had an incident in the Philippines where a university basketball team did a team building exercise at a beach resort. Players got pushed to their limits and two men unfortunately drowned.

The university was sanctioned. The Australian coach was fired and I think he might be facing charges and certain deportation. Some of the other staff are also facing legal issues.

Coaches get really stupid ideas to try to get an edge.

More details on the Mayich incident.

More details. This is not going to end well.

BluesSK wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2026 10:19 am More details. This is not going to end well.

I'm confused in an ignorant kind of way.

Why is it ok for military-type workouts for military but not for athletes?

They're the same ages, in the same shape roughly...This whole situation sucks, and I hope the kid pulls through!

The workout took place during the morning, when temperatures were considerably lower than they would be later in the day. Historical Weather Underground data from Tempe recorded a temperature of 87 degrees at 7:51 a.m. and 89 degrees at 8:51 a.m. A separate nearby weather station previously cited by College Hockey Insider produced a heat index of approximately 91 degrees around the time Mayich collapsed.

For additional context, Arizona State’s women’s soccer team hosted Texas at 7 p.m. MST that evening. Weather Underground recorded a temperature of 104 degrees at 6:51 p.m. and 101 degrees at 7:51 p.m.

how many covid vaccines has he had? hope he pulls through and recovers.

Ozzies09tc wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2026 7:15 am

BluesSK wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2026 10:19 am More details. This is not going to end well.

I'm confused in an ignorant kind of way.

Why is it ok for military-type workouts for military but not for athletes?

They're the same ages, in the same shape roughly...This whole situation sucks, and I hope the kid pulls through!

They mention it in the article. It's risky. The role of the military are life and death situations so they need to know the recruit can handle the intensity. In athletics it's not life or death. These things happen in the military too (maybe not at the severity of this incident) but you don't hear about it because it's just normal military stuff.

I can just imagine it. It's not a situation these guys are in generally. It's out of their element. Out of their climate for some guys. And young men have egos and the instructors use that to full advantage.

I'm praying for that kid. It's really awful for everyone.

BluesSK wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2026 8:30 am

Ozzies09tc wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2026 7:15 am

BluesSK wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2026 10:19 am More details. This is not going to end well.

I'm confused in an ignorant kind of way.

Why is it ok for military-type workouts for military but not for athletes?

They're the same ages, in the same shape roughly...This whole situation sucks, and I hope the kid pulls through!

They mention it in the article. It's risky. The role of the military are life and death situations so they need to know the recruit can handle the intensity. In athletics it's not life or death. These things happen in the military too (maybe not at the severity of this incident) but you don't hear about it because it's just normal military stuff.

I can just imagine it. It's not a situation these guys are in generally. It's out of their element. Out of their climate for some guys. And young men have egos and the instructors use that to full advantage.

I'm praying for that kid. It's really awful for everyone.

That makes all the sense in the world to me.

That thought never entered my head

Thanks SK

Send your thoughts or prayers of whatever...

Maylich's lawyer says 0% chance of recovery...

Let's hope being a young 21 yr old can overcome these odds

https://nypost.com/2026/09/01/sports/ar ... -recovery/

New Captain...but who could it be?!?!?

CaptSMRT wrote: Wed Sep 02, 2026 1:12 pm

Man I watched about 30 seconds of the actual game and the following things stood out:

-Ken Wilson and John Kelly in the booth. Did Micheletti come the following year?
-The Blues 25th Anniversary logo rocks.
-The NHL 75th Annivsary logo also rocks, but less so.
-Nick Lidstrom played in this game! He produced 60 points as a rookie that year.
-Probert on the Yzerman line is wild by 2026 standards.

Tremendous 9/2 message board content.

Sticks in the 90's were crazy... they are all so short and stiff... I can't get over how different this is compared to modern sticks

CaptSMRT wrote: Wed Sep 02, 2026 10:16 pm Sticks in the 90's were crazy... they are all so short and stiff... I can't get over how different this is compared to modern sticks

I think this game was probably early enough that most, if not all players were still using wood sticks. Not sure which year the Easton Aluminum started to take over, but couldn't be too long after this.

BluesSK wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2026 10:19 am More details. This is not going to end well.

A military-style workout, OUTSIDE, in The Arizona Desert during SUMMER, doesn't sound like a good idea, to me. It can be awfully hot there in summer, all night long and even early in the morning, especially when tropical air masses move in, which I believe, has been the current situation in recent days. With that added humidity and clouds, they don't get the dry heat convective, radiative night cooling that occurs during periods of super dry heat.

This is potentially relevant to the Blues as Neighbours, Snuggerud, Mailloux and Hofer all have one year left and are eligible to sign an extension. There are others as well, but those 4 are the guys that could theoretically garner 8 year deals.

“I have a chip on my shoulder, for sure,” McTavish said. “I’m not happy with the way things went in Anaheim. I mean, I enjoyed my time there, it was awesome, guys were great. But at the same time, they traded me and that’s something I’m passionate about and want to get better. I’m looking forward to doing that here.”

Love to hear that from McTavish. A pissed off, motivated player is a good thing.

The new CBA is officially in place, meaning 8 year contract extensions are a thing of the past. No new deals for any of the Blues RFAs. That's not a big surprise. I thought maybe we'd see one from Snuggerud, but I imagine both sides might have had some reservations about an 8 year deal. It will be interesting to who is prioritized among the Blues 4 pending RFAs (Snuggerud, Neighbours, Mailloux, Hofer), and what type of deal those players are looking for. It's the first big test for Steen in a drastically changing marketplace with a few key pieces of the team's future.

Overall I don't hate it:

Some interesting groups. Seems like Dean and Dube are each getting a shot on a scoring line with a pair that seems set in stone. I don't think either makes the team, but it's interesting. I think that third line is where the real audition is as that's a plausible fourth line at the NHL level. Peterson has had a good camp, Johnston hasn't but has a contract that basically guarantees he'll be on the roster. Not sure about Finley, who could do himself a lot of favors with a strong performance.

On D, those top 2 pairs are the clear second and third pairing on opening night. With Tucker potentially not able to go on opening night, Jiricek has a chance to perhaps break camp with the big club, but we'll see.

Dube has the social contagion bonus that will make it easy for the Blues to waive him to send him down.

I have a feeling Dean is going to get a shot if he makes the most of his opportunity tonight.