St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS - The Blues offered free food, drink and hospitality to 17,868 guests Saturday afternoon at Scottrade Center.
But there was a risk involved in this otherwise clever promotion: the threat of bad, warmed-over hockey leaving a bad taste in the mouth of fans.
The last time the Blues played before a really big house, on Brett Hull Night, they spoiled the opportunity to win new customers by napping on the ice in a dreadful, lifeless showing in a humiliating loss to Detroit. That stink-on-ice disgrace essentially cost coach Mike Kitchen his job, and Blues President John Davidson made his move.
Arthur Murray hockey (lots of dancing) is out.
Andy Murray hockey is in.
"We're full of confidence," center Doug Weight said.
"We think every time the puck is dropped, we're going to win."
The Blues are 9-4-3 under Murray, and 9-2-1 in their past 12 games. The transformation is amazing.
Suddenly the Blues are the best show in town, and they're creating a buzz. And if they can extend the renaissance, the fans will return - and even will pay for the food.
With Murray in charge, the Blues have reinvented themselves as a hard-working, happy, harmonious bunch that's determined to win games and fans.
Saturday's hyperactive 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Kings was so much fun, so good-times retro, the promotion easily could have been Turn Back the Clock Day. It seemed like old times.
The Blues followed a familiar recent pattern of falling behind and digging out.
The Kings led 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 but couldn't suppress the Blues' determination. The Blues were relentless. Riders on an ice storm.
This once-forgotten and basically abandoned team is steadily moving up in the Western Conference standings and slowly but surely moving back into the STL sports consciousness.
"It was great coming into the room and seeing guys high-fiving and smiling," Murray said. "And seeing everyone standing at the end of the game.
And looking up and seeing all the Blues jerseys in the stands. There's a message being sent that the Blues are playing pretty well."
Give credit to Davidson, who made a course correction by changing coaches and hiring the right man.
Any boss can fire a coach; that's the easy way out. Finding the right leader to replace the deposed coach is more important, and JD clearly found the right director for the Blues.
Murray is a curious and cerebral figure who has the people skills to go with his intelligence.
His organizational and motivational touches are the balm that a forlorn team needed. More than anything, Murray shrewdly empowered veterans such as Weight, Keith Tkachuk, Bill Guerin and captain Dallas Drake.
The constant assault of defeat, with seemingly no way out, had turned key Blues veterans into bitter, listless losers who set a terrible example for the young players.
Murray challenged them. He tapped into their better instincts and re-energize attitudes. And with the core veterans making a commitment, the kids are following.
"He enjoys coaching the veterans and seeing what we're all about, not only on the ice, but as men," Weight said. "He prides himself on being a good person, and he wants that kind of leadership from us, on and off the ice.
"It's a hefty pressure, but that's why we're at this level in the sport.
You want that pressure put on you by the coach. You want to make a difference. And you know that you have to come in after every period, every game, and face the other guys.
We talk about it all the time on the bus and on the plane. You can see it in our eyes. We can't take a night off.
We have to lead."
As planned, the Blues cut off the free food and drink after the second period Saturday. But few, if any, fans left the building.
They stayed for the good hockey. And the Blues gave them a reason to come back for more.
2007, St.
Louis Post-Dispatch.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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