Beyond Checkerdome

It's amazing how playoff hockey can allow you to travel through time. Pregame, we were absolute wrecks, re-living the failures of recent first rounds. Then, when the Blues finally pulled ahead again, we were transported to that Sharks series where we took down San Jose. In that last minute and a half, we were thrown back to our childhood - rocking back and forth, pleading to every deity we've ever heard of (and making up a few, just in case). All those prayers to keep the boogeyman at bay and to finally see the Blues emerge victorious. And then we won, and we were all snapped back to the present. The gorgeous, beautiful, celebratory present. Soak it in, Blues fans. It's been a long time comin'

Man, it sure is hard to stay optimistic when the Blues blow a lead like that. It's nice that we had a lead to begin with, I suppose, but it sure would have been nice to have held it, or extend it even. But, alas, we did not, and now the series comes back to St Louis for Game 7. Game 7s are like overtime - a virtual coin flip. It shouldn't have come to that, but now it has, and it now falls upon the Blues to close this out on home ice. I'll be there, and I hope you all can too. Until then, here's a reaction to tonight's game with us and our impromptu guest, Jeff Quirin.

OK, have you recovered yet? We haven't quite, as you can probably tell from our voices. As we say on the show, this was a hell of a game, and quite an accomplishment to even get it to overtime. It's a shame that it ended the way it did, but overall, it only changes things a little. The bottom line is, the Hawks are still one loss away from starting their offseason a little sooner than usual. Speaking of bottom lines - not quite 20,000 people at the #DrinkScotch?? Holy Crap! Talk about Rock The Scott !!

Earlier this week, Tyler said that the Blues HAD to win both games in Chicago this week. Tim said no, they just had to win one. Well.... whether they needed to or not, they did. Not only did they win, but they won in regulation, against a team that had previously answered every similar challenge, and against the odds thrown against them by some real shitty officiating. In previous years, this team would have gotten stuck on one bad goal or one bad call, and totally let the game pass them by. So far this series, they've passed up every opportunity to do so, and as a result have won a few games. Now, we have a chance to eliminate them on our home ice. See you Thursday.

I don't know about you, but I sure feel a hell of a lot better about this team and this playoff series. The Blues #RoarBacon back to tie it up and then score the game-winner in the third to win in regulation against the Blackhawks. Of course, they'd win in regulation in the afternoon game.... they're saving the triple-overtime for Thursday and the 8:30 start, I'm sure. Each game is it's own battle, so Tuesday will be a whole new struggle. But for now, soak in the victory of today and celebrate. We'll be back at it again in prime time later this week. If we're lucky, we'll get to see Sad Kane again before this series is over.

One of the benefits of doing a podcast is that you have a chance to just talk things out. The talking cure is one of the best for whatever bothers you. It still doesn't get us that game back, but at least I feel a little better about it. Go ahead, get it out of your system, then get the game face back on for game 3. All lot of things went right for the Blues, and if they keep this up, things will be just fine. Win this series, nobody will care about what happened tonight.

Well, on the bright side .... at least it wasn't in Triple OT this time around. The Blues win 1-0 on a David Backes shot (?) that deflects off of Trevor Van Reimsdyk's skate and past Corey Crawford. After the way the game went for the 60+ minutes, you kinda knew it'd be a goal like this that ended it. Meanwhile, Brian Elliott gets the shutout and proves he belongs in that crease. So, thanks TVR! Catch up with our postgame thoughts, eh?

It's the Moooost Wonderful Tiiiiime of the Year! But first, we quickly recap the end of the regular season. Several games are covered, with wins, losses, milestones and heck - even goals by Magnus Paajarvi and Robert Bortuzzo happened! The heart of the show, however, is finally getting a chance to talk to our buddy and #FancyStats -whisperer Robb Tufts. He talks to us about watching the season finale amongst Caps fans, and also what he has found when looking at the Blues through the analytics prism. We talk about the goalie controversy/non-controversy, and also the nature of goal-scoring stats. It's always a fun time catching up with Robb. At the end, catch our Blues/Hawks predictions - one of which might come as a surprise to you.

The times, they are a-gettin' weird. For the first time in the history of Beyond Checkerdome, we do not mention a single goal allowed. How nuts is that? We talk about the amazing streak of Brian Elliott and the add-on that Jake Allen put on in Washington. We share some deep thoughts about the state of Blues goaltending (spoiler: it's pretty damn good) and the nice problem Coach Hitch has for the playoffs. Also, we talk about the Calder favorites, and how it's impossible to pick the best rookie from this team - much less one for the whole league. Some wild speculation and neuroses are hashed out, and of course some chuckles along the way.

How's that for a bounce back? After a big streak the Blues crashed and burned in Alberta, but rebounded nicely against the Canuckleheads. Six Flags may be closed for the winter, but the St Louis Blues have all of your roller coaster needs covered. We marvel at the voodoo of the Calgary game, and the failure of special teams in Alberta. The Vancouver victory is covered, as we got to see the much anticipated return of Carl Gunnarsson. Oh yeah, and that Brian Elliott guy, too. He was pretty OK. There's a nice rant about Paul Stastny, and we're getting close to a healthy team again. We talk about expansion in the NHL and NWHL, and the ramifications the ladies will have on "Capital H Hockey". All that, and much much more!

We're a litte late in getting this out this week, but that might be a good thing. This was recorded before the Calgary and Edmonton debacles. We were still riding the high of the winning streak that carried us through the top teams of the Western Conference. These games went 4-0, with goals from the usual suspects like Ryan Reaves and Patrik Berglund. Also, there was a disturbing trend that we've noticed before on the show - blown leads. There's the re-signing of Carl Gunnarsson and the return of Jori Lehtera from injury. We condemn the only player in the NHL that could compete with Shaw for general fuckholery, celebrate the conclusion of the CWHL and NWHL seasons, and rise to the defence of Dmitrij Jaskin. All that, and some other capital-H Hockey.

There's a lot of ground to cover this time around! We have 6 games to talk about, yet more injuries that have happened, but also some returns. The Ryan Reaves hit and suspension also gets discussed. You also get to hear about our own personal highlight - the road trip to Nashville for drinking, hockey, drinking, eating and more drinking. And then there's the lone Blues trade, and our thoughts on the inactivity at the trade deadline.

We're back with another episode! This was recorded on Friday, so things were a little rosier then. We celebrate a 3-0-0 week, starting with a successful conclusion to the Dad's Trip. Did we see a Robby Fabbri fight? Yes, yes we did. We also saw some bizarre goals from Jaden Schwartz and Patrik Berglund. While the youngsters stepped up, the whole streak really belongs to Brian Elliott. What a past couple of weeks he's had! So good, that it actually makes us a little paranoid- which we expand on as well. We actually disagree on a few things. On top of that, there's the Dennis Wideman hit on an official and, as predicted last week, the firing of Mike Yeo in Minnesota. There are also a couple of other odds and ends, including something that you heard first right here a couple months ago.

Well, that wasn't so bad, now was it? This past week saw the Blues go 2-1-1, with an offensive explosion of 11 (count 'em, 11) goals and a good start to the Dads Trip. We talk about each game, including the marvel of the first ever shotless shootout and the triumphant return of Jaden Schwartz . Also, we cover the Alex Pietrangelo injury and the resulting Peter Harrold call up. There is big news for the Winter Classic of 2017, and we rant for awhile about the multiple failures of NHL.TV and NHL.com. Before we even get started, there's a giant spider involved.

We hope the All Star break was as good for you as it was for us! But now, it's back to work! This time around, we're joined by Dan Bradley from On The Forecheck and The Predcast. He partied it up with our own Larua / Hildymac, and was also credentialed for the All Star Game and the related festivities. He has some great stuff to share with us about the players and media that he interacted with, and also has some thoughts about the Predators - Blues game on Tuesday. We talk about the much-rumored Drouin trade, and how a former #17 might be useful in that transaction. There's a slight programming change, and a notable First with our show.

We're back and we hope it's worth the wait. We have a few 16s to talk about, including THE Number 16, the original Ambassador of Fun, Brett Hull. There are 5 games to cover, and the 3-1-1 record that they resulted in. The coming and going of Andre Benoit (balls) and the other roster changes due to injuries is discussed. Hope for the future with players getting healthy, and pride in our past is basically the name of the game. We send off Rik Wilson, and his career with the Blues and the Vipers (RHI, Baby!). Somehow, MISL gets involved. Come find out how.

Well, wasn't that a humdinger of a week? In this episode, we walk down memory lane with the #15 , with a couple of interesting stops. We also cover the New Jersey and Carolina games, and especially the hijinks involved with the Devils. We preach the gospel of Ryan Reaves and his role, as well as celebrating the firsts of Ty Rattie and Jordan Binnington. We laugh at early adopters of young players, and the early Caps years. There's also some final thoughts on a possible Drouin trade. All this, and much much more!

We're back, and this time we've brought a friend along! This week we're joined by Jason Martine of the Blues Hockey Podcast. We went really long this time around (sorry Dan!) but this week has put us all in a talky mood. First, we learn a little more about what's happening with the BHP, and their hiatus. There's a lot of history in the number 14, including Wick and Courts, and then there's this past week of wacky bizarro-world hockey games. There's a few rants involved, and some ideas are tossed around. We're not afraid to disagree. Of course, as we like to say... Nobody Knows Nuttin'.

Well, it's a new year, but I wouldn't characterize the Blues fanbase has "happy" just yet. This week is a little long because we were a little rant-happy this time around. There are some terrific stories behind the #13, even reaching up to the current roster. Also, a week's worth a games that left us a might uneasy. Along the way, we talk about Coach Hitch, other coaches on the hot seat, player usage (looking at you, Troy Brouwer ), and on-ice discipline. Crack open a cold one, serve up some Chicken Parm, and give it a listen, eh?

Happy New Year! Once again, we have a number chock-full of history. From multiple Cup winners, to cup-of-coffee NHLers. We have the death of one legend back in the 70s, and the more recent passing of the great Dickie Moore. Swinging sticks and big trades also come up. Then we turn to modern times, and see that we have the Jekyll-and-Hyde Blues once again. Two sets of back-to-backs, and lots of conversation fodder. We debate the merits of Magnus Paajarvi playing on the top line, and also the proper usage of rookies like Robby Fabbri. Are we seeing the OT get “coached” already? Maybe so! And of course, don’t forget the beer. Always, the beer…