SpacemanSpiff wrote:

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote:What Blues player(or NHL player) were you convinced was going to be a stud(or just a personal favorite) and turned out to be a total bust or just an okay player?

For me it was Christian Backman. I was convinced a blueline of Jackman and Backman were going to hold down the fort for a decade together.

Another was Sean Hill. I loved the signing at the time and he pretty much flopped in a Blues uni.

Around the league was Wade Belak(RIP), thought he was going to be a stud defender and only amounted to kind of a goon.

Some players would have probably been good, but lost out on their time due to an injury.

Denny Felsner was one of those - his numbers at Michigan were fat, and I think he broke his ankle, and his leg in separated incidents, and that cost him his window.

Keith Osborne was one - Joe Sakic was selected after him.

Backman was a guy that underperformed.

Belle and Schwartz were busts.

We have a lot of second round picks that never panned out - Scott Jackson, Tomas Kana, Simon Hjalmarsson, Phil McRae, Brett Ponich.

I disagree that Schwartz has been a bust. He's been one of the best forwards that The Blues have had. However, I'll admit that Schwarz was a bust (one of the worst!)

barnburner wrote:

barcthespark wrote:Lawrence Sacharuk

In 1974-75 he scored 20 goals and added 22 assists in 76 games for the Blues as a d-man. The Blues then traded him to the Rangers for Bob MacMillan and it was like he went into the witness protection program. Man did that guy have a beautiful shot from the point!

It wasn't until 91-92 that another Blues d-man (Jeff Brown) matched the 20 goal mark and then broke the team record the next season with 25. To this day the only Blues d-men to reach the 20 goal mark are Sacharuk, Brown and Al MacInnis (20 goals in 98-99). I'm hoping Parayko will be the next.

Good call, Barc.
I'd forgotten about Larry Sacharuk. Until MacInnis came along, he might have had the hardest shot of any Blues player ever. Really weird how he declined so rapidly after being traded.

You might have to qualify that as "any Blues Defenseman ever." I think Jack Egers had a harder shot than Sacharuk.

He wasn't a dman but the guy who wore 16 before Brett Hull, Kevin LaVallee....that dude could flat out rip it. In an NCAA style tournament of hardest shots in Blues history, LaVallee is final four bound for sure.

NHLTIM wrote:He wasn't a dman but the guy who wore 16 before Brett Hull, Kevin LaVallee....that dude could flat out rip it. In an NCAA style tournament of hardest shots in Blues history, LaVallee is final four bound for sure.

I loved Kevin Lavallee, he really did have Titanic shot. I can't believe he was washed out of the NHL by the age of 26 and the guy produced results when he played. I don't get it. I thought Demers made a mistake when he didn't dress Kevin for Gm 7 against Calgary. Kevin played in the deciding games against Minny & Toronto but sat against the Flames.

NHLTIM wrote:Turnbull was a great player but was sort of the TJ Oshie of his era with the Blues. He might have been the first player that I can actually remember the Blues did a marketing campaign on. They were doing pre season commercials with him as the focal point. I didn't know a thing about him other than he was a tough Western league kid but within two months of drafting him, he was hands down my favorite player and I had never seen him play. It wasn't just me either, he was a fan favorite from day one. He could do no wrong and I think he had a passion for all the traps that come with NHL fame off the ice as well. One of my favorite things about Turnbull was his entrance to the ice...always 3rd onto the ice and then racing ahead of everyone. I honestly probably should have included him in my 5 favorite players list.

I liked Perry Turnbull too. Nobody mentioned yet that the Blues drafted Perry over Ray Bourque

I don't think Perry modeled his game to the team concept. Great player, great shot, but over time he lost his value in the NHL. Still, I was excited to see him come back to the Blues when they reacquired him for the 86-87 season. He still had the booming shot, I remember on TV from way outside the blue line he ripped one past Greg Stefan. I thought he played well when he came back here, and was frustrated that he didn't play a whole lot, but again, Perry just got labeled as an "independent contractor" as Armstrong would say.

This is a photo I took of Turnbull at the Blues-Stars game on January 25, 1983.

Robb_K wrote:

SpacemanSpiff wrote:

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote:What Blues player(or NHL player) were you convinced was going to be a stud(or just a personal favorite) and turned out to be a total bust or just an okay player?

For me it was Christian Backman. I was convinced a blueline of Jackman and Backman were going to hold down the fort for a decade together.

Another was Sean Hill. I loved the signing at the time and he pretty much flopped in a Blues uni.

Around the league was Wade Belak(RIP), thought he was going to be a stud defender and only amounted to kind of a goon.

Some players would have probably been good, but lost out on their time due to an injury.

Denny Felsner was one of those - his numbers at Michigan were fat, and I think he broke his ankle, and his leg in separated incidents, and that cost him his window.

Keith Osborne was one - Joe Sakic was selected after him.

Backman was a guy that underperformed.

Belle and Schwartz were busts.

We have a lot of second round picks that never panned out - Scott Jackson, Tomas Kana, Simon Hjalmarsson, Phil McRae, Brett Ponich.

I disagree that Schwartz has been a bust. He's been one of the best forwards that The Blues have had. However, I'll admit that Schwarz was a bust (one of the worst!)

Yes, my mistake - Marek Schwarz.

MissouriMook wrote:

barnburner wrote:

barcthespark wrote:Lawrence Sacharuk

In 1974-75 he scored 20 goals and added 22 assists in 76 games for the Blues as a d-man. The Blues then traded him to the Rangers for Bob MacMillan and it was like he went into the witness protection program. Man did that guy have a beautiful shot from the point!

It wasn't until 91-92 that another Blues d-man (Jeff Brown) matched the 20 goal mark and then broke the team record the next season with 25. To this day the only Blues d-men to reach the 20 goal mark are Sacharuk, Brown and Al MacInnis (20 goals in 98-99). I'm hoping Parayko will be the next.

Good call, Barc.
I'd forgotten about Larry Sacharuk. Until MacInnis came along, he might have had the hardest shot of any Blues player ever. Really weird how he declined so rapidly after being traded.

You might have to qualify that as "any Blues Defenseman ever." I think Jack Egers had a harder shot than Sacharuk.

Yep. I have to agree.

I had higher hopes for #37 Harry York. A big strong center from Panoka Alberta, he was the NHLs rookie of the month in November when he came up. He had some great games, was at least half First Nations, had shoulder length hair and rode a motorcycle...

umslbirdie wrote:I had higher hopes for #37 Harry York. A big strong center from Panoka Alberta, he was the NHLs rookie of the month in November when he came up. He had some great games, was at least half First Nations, had shoulder length hair and rode a motorcycle...

Yeah, if he could have continued that streak he was on, he'd be in the hof now.

umslbirdie wrote:I had higher hopes for #37 Harry York. ... (York) was at least half First Nations ...

Several web sources - including the NativeHockey.com "Past Legends" page - indicate that York is full-blooded Cree. He's also another former NHL-er who was at one time a pro roller hockey player.

Jeff Taffe, big skilled power forward from Minnesota. It looked like he could be the next Shanahan, at a time when we really needed the next Shanahan.

I think he actually disappeared into thin air...

and he never even played for the Blues, was traded for Walt

39hurricane wrote:Jeff Taffe, big skilled power forward from Minnesota. ... I think he actually disappeared into thin air...

For a guy who "disappeared" he sure did log a lot of games for a lot of teams after being drafted #30 overall in the 2000 draft by the Blues. Elite Prospects lists him as a KHL free agent for 2017-18.

Turk Sanderson wrote:Tony Hrkac

He played for the St. Louis Blues, Quebec Nordiques, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Atlanta Thrashers, and won a Cup. I think that is a pretty good career.

CaptSMRT wrote:

Turk Sanderson wrote:Tony Hrkac

He played for the St. Louis Blues, Quebec Nordiques, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Atlanta Thrashers, and won a Cup. I think that is a pretty good career.

Was never a stud... that was the op's question.

JMC-STL wrote:

umslbirdie wrote:I had higher hopes for #37 Harry York. ... (York) was at least half First Nations ...

Several web sources - including the NativeHockey.com "Past Legends" page - indicate that York is full-blooded Cree. He's also another former NHL-er who was at one time a pro roller hockey player.

The Blues had Jonathan Cheechoo for a while. He also was a full-blooded Cree. And Jimmy Roberts also had quite a bit of First Nations blood.

Robb_K wrote:

JMC-STL wrote:

umslbirdie wrote:I had higher hopes for #37 Harry York. ... (York) was at least half First Nations ...

Several web sources - including the NativeHockey.com "Past Legends" page - indicate that York is full-blooded Cree. He's also another former NHL-er who was at one time a pro roller hockey player.

The Blues had Jonathan Cheechoo for a while. He also was a full-blooded Cree. And Jimmy Roberts also had quite a bit of First Nations blood.

I'm guessing that was after he scored 50 goals and then inexplicably turned into a drifter.............hey, Blues had their own player like that. Nobody mentioned Wayne Babych. First 50 goal scorer in Blues history. Amazing how he just drifted away.

SpacemanSpiff wrote:

Turk Sanderson wrote:Tony Hrkac

The Circus was the shizznit. I have listened to guys that played against him in college talk about how untouchable he was. A man among boys at the NCAA level - his 116 single season point total still stands as the highest single season point total.

Yeah, that NCAA record still stands to this day! He also holds the Blues record for most goals in a single playoff game with 4!

He's kind of like the Christian Laettner of the NHL. Massively dominant in college but just OK in the pros. Although Hrkac was no all star I think he was better than just OK. Maybe the speed & instincts were so much better in the NHL so that accounted for his dropoff.

I remember in the late 80s Hrkac was called up for the Blues playoff run & was on a line with Federko. Federko was giving him some visual cues on the give & go. From what I recall they played quite well together & Hrkac was solid in his debut.

Mike Bullard.

I remember Dan Kelly saying what a star he would be with the Blues & he marveled at his on ice skills. He was only here for 20 games but did make some really good plays to leave a positive impression on that brief period.

FederkoSutterHunter wrote:Mike Bullard.

I remember Dan Kelly saying what a star he would be with the Blues & he marveled at his on ice skills. He was only here for 20 games but did make some really good plays to leave a positive impression on that brief period.

Hard to believe Bullard only played 2 more NHL seasons after he left the Blues. Flipping him for Peter Zezel was a heck of a save by the Professor.

Federko, Sutter and Hunter. A great line in Blues history. Hunter had like 110 goals in 3 years here which is testament to both Mark's potential & Federko's abilities as a Center. Bernie really brought the best out of Mark, who had his best NHL years here in STL.

BillP wrote:

FederkoSutterHunter wrote:Mike Bullard.

I remember Dan Kelly saying what a star he would be with the Blues & he marveled at his on ice skills. He was only here for 20 games but did make some really good plays to leave a positive impression on that brief period.

Hard to believe Bullard only played 2 more NHL seasons after he left the Blues. Flipping him for Peter Zezel was a heck of a save by the Professor.

Federko, Sutter and Hunter. A great line in Blues history. Hunter had like 110 goals in 3 years here which is testament to both Mark's potential & Federko's abilities as a Center. Bernie really brought the best out of Mark, who had his best NHL years here in STL.

Mike Bullard had some great seasons but did his career flame out fast. Does anybody know why?

BillP wrote:

FederkoSutterHunter wrote:Mike Bullard.

I remember Dan Kelly saying what a star he would be with the Blues & he marveled at his on ice skills. He was only here for 20 games but did make some really good plays to leave a positive impression on that brief period.

Hard to believe Bullard only played 2 more NHL seasons after he left the Blues. Flipping him for Peter Zezel was a heck of a save by the Professor.

Federko, Sutter and Hunter. A great line in Blues history. Hunter had like 110 goals in 3 years here which is testament to both Mark's potential & Federko's abilities as a Center. Bernie really brought the best out of Mark, who had his best NHL years here in STL.

Wow, I'd forgotten we got Zezel for him. Zezel was very good at his best & even a "movie star" in Youngblood. Still can't believe he died so young!

Yeah, that's why I picked the name since that was my first experience with hockey as a kid. I remember how crucial they were down the stretch & into the playoffs in the mid to late 80s. I even remember the way Ken Wilson said Mark Hunter's name. LOL.

BluesSK wrote:
Mike Bullard had some great seasons but did his career flame out fast. Does anybody know why?

Yeah, I noticed that too. He had some BIG goal scoring years before he came here. Like All Star quality.

He did leave the NHL but then played in the German league for several years. Maybe he got out of shape to play in the NHL? From what I recall he was kinda overweight when he played here.

Bullard was an amazing player and my favorite non Blues player for years. When we traded Gilmour, I was crushed beyond belief but the fact that we were getting Bullard helped ease my pain a bit.
What I'm about to tell you is in fact a true story... I believe I'm the reason that Mike Bullard didn't work out in St. Louis. So at training camp after the trade, I was at Brentwood ice arena when I spot Bullard in the corner all alone at the drinking fountain. Knowing that he's my favorite non Blue and nobody else is talking to him because most people didn't know he was, I sneak up right behind him. He turns around and I'm right there and this is my moment. I'm face to face with one of my most favorite hockey players ever but in that moment I'm at a loss for words. So I say to him with God as my witness, not to mention a couple of my friends that had gotten within eavesdropping distance...."Mike Bullard...welcome to St. Louis...man....I've been wanting you for a long time" and not only that but I remember saying it in a very creepy way. Bullard looks at me like I'm some freak and has a bit of panic on his face and says "thanks" and basically sprinted away from me. My friends laughing in the background, I realize that Mike Bullard probably thinks that I hit on him.
Bullard got off to a slow start...took him forever to score his first goal as a Blue and for whatever reason he wasn't a fit in the locker room. I had heard that Sutter wasn't a fan of his overall game so Caron got rid of him after like 6 weeks or so.
Anyway...the Brentwood story is true and my friends still remind me about to this very day.

NHLTIM wrote:Bullard was an amazing player and my favorite non Blues player for years. When we traded Gilmour, I was crushed beyond belief but the fact that we were getting Bullard helped ease my pain a bit.
What I'm about to tell you is in fact a true story... I believe I'm the reason that Mike Bullard didn't work out in St. Louis. So at training camp after the trade, I was at Brentwood ice arena when I spot Bullard in the corner all alone at the drinking fountain. Knowing that he's my favorite non Blue and nobody else is talking to him because most people didn't know he was, I sneak up right behind him. He turns around and I'm right there and this is my moment. I'm face to face with one of my most favorite hockey players ever but in that moment I'm at a loss for words. So I say to him with God as my witness, not to mention a couple of my friends that had gotten within eavesdropping distance...."Mike Bullard...welcome to St. Louis...man....I've been wanting you for a long time" and not only that but I remember saying it in a very creepy way. Bullard looks at me like I'm some freak and has a bit of panic on his face and says "thanks" and basically sprinted away from me. My friends laughing in the background, I realize that Mike Bullard probably thinks that I hit on him.
Bullard got off to a slow start...took him forever to score his first goal as a Blue and for whatever reason he wasn't a fit in the locker room. I had heard that Sutter wasn't a fan of his overall game so Caron got rid of him after like 6 weeks or so.
Anyway...the Brentwood story is true and my friends still remind me about to this very day.

Now that's disturbing!