Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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I agree with Hull not being included. The only reason he was given the C in the first place, was to try and get him to become more team oriented. I don't think anybody ever really considered him to be a leader. Jmo, but I always thought that Drake was a good choice for Captain. He set the example by busting his ass on every shift, at both ends of the ice. I agree that the first 5 or 6 were pretty much a lock.

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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I guess it just comes down to what someone wants out of their team captain.

I personally think Backes was a shit captain. He promoted a divided locker room in my opinion. The cool guys versus the outsiders. He never gave Tarasenko a chance. He was the classic fake tough guy. The team took on his personality and folded when it counted most. Ryan Reaves would've been a better captain than Backes and you won't change my mind of that.
Just a Russian propaganda account

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 10:32 am... Ryan Reaves would've been a better captain than Backes and you won't change my mind of that.
You MUST change your mind, to repay @MattyIce for ignoring his declaration of: "I don't care what you guys say ..." in the 4th Jersey Program thread. It's all spelled out in the BNF Code of Honor, which is chained to the magazine rack in @T.C.'s bathroom for supplementing his natural instincts.

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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This is the exact type of list that to not get worked up about. It's one man's opinion (Tom Timmerman), and is ranking something arbitrarily that really only the people in the room would ever actually know about. The only egregious mistake is the exclusion of Eric Brewer, unless Timmerman figured he was on such a high level that it wasn't fair to everyone else to include on the list.
...but whatever, the Blues won the Cup!!!!!

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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JMC-STL wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 11:19 am
Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 10:32 am... Ryan Reaves would've been a better captain than Backes and you won't change my mind of that.
You MUST change your mind, to repay @MattyIce for ignoring his declaration of: "I don't care what you guys say ..." in the 4th Jersey Program thread. It's all spelled out in the BNF Code of Honor, which is chained to the magazine rack in @T.C.'s bathroom for supplementing his natural instincts.
How much time have you spent in T.C.'s bathroom?
Just a Russian propaganda account

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 10:32 am I guess it just comes down to what someone wants out of their team captain.

I personally think Backes was a shit captain. He promoted a divided locker room in my opinion. The cool guys versus the outsiders. He never gave Tarasenko a chance. He was the classic fake tough guy. The team took on his personality and folded when it counted most. Ryan Reaves would've been a better captain than Backes and you won't change my mind of that.
I would agree with that. I would also say that Scott Stevens was the prototypical captain / leader you want on your team, and if we don't lose him in the BS arbitration hearing, there's a real good chance his number is hanging in the rafters. He made that big of a difference in the dressing room.

Sorry - add: It's pretty rare for a player to be signed as a free agent and come in and be bestowed with the C immediately. That's what happened with Stevens. That alone says a lot.

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 11:36 am
JMC-STL wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 11:19 am
Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 10:32 am... Ryan Reaves would've been a better captain than Backes and you won't change my mind of that.
You MUST change your mind, to repay @MattyIce for ignoring his declaration of: "I don't care what you guys say ..." in the 4th Jersey Program thread. It's all spelled out in the BNF Code of Honor, which is chained to the magazine rack in @T.C.'s bathroom for supplementing his natural instincts.
How much time have you spent in T.C.'s bathroom?
Long enough to break two chain cutters, 3 plungers & untold linear feet of sewer lateral.

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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SpacemanSpiff wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:07 pm
Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 10:32 am I guess it just comes down to what someone wants out of their team captain.

I personally think Backes was a shit captain. He promoted a divided locker room in my opinion. The cool guys versus the outsiders. He never gave Tarasenko a chance. He was the classic fake tough guy. The team took on his personality and folded when it counted most. Ryan Reaves would've been a better captain than Backes and you won't change my mind of that.
I would agree with that. I would also say that Scott Stevens was the prototypical captain / leader you want on your team, and if we don't lose him in the BS arbitration hearing, there's a real good chance his number is hanging in the rafters. He made that big of a difference in the dressing room.

Sorry - add: It's pretty rare for a player to be signed as a free agent and come in and be bestowed with the C immediately. That's what happened with Stevens. That alone says a lot.
Stevens stays, Pronger never comes here and neither does Binnington for that matter. The “what if” game is crazy.

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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JMC-STL wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 10:06 am
T.C. wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 7:50 am... what's their list look like?
Look for yourself ... STLToday: From Arbour to Pietrangelo, a look at the top 10 St. Louis Blues captains

For (Hockey) reference, here is the full list of Blues captains over the years.
oh, did they decide they were only going to charge people during playoffs? how predictable.

stevens being on the list is weird. not because of how he played - he's the ideal player - but because of how briefly he was here.

agree, it's not a list that you can really argue, you can discuss it though.

i'm very close to agreeing with DPW on backes.

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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I don't see how one can objectively say David Backes was a better captain than Petro. Thats mind blowing to me. A little odd that the only one of those guys to touch the Stanley Cup as a Blue is on the 10th spot. I mean I loved Dallas Drake but...what did he really accomplish as captain here? Great guy for the kids at the time and everything, but I find it puzzling that one could look through Blues history and decide he is one of our top 10 captains.

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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UMSLBlues12 wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 7:55 am I don't see how one can objectively say David Backes was a better captain than Petro. Thats mind blowing to me. A little odd that the only one of those guys to touch the Stanley Cup as a Blue is on the 10th spot. I mean I loved Dallas Drake but...what did he really accomplish as captain here? Great guy for the kids at the time and everything, but I find it puzzling that one could look through Blues history and decide he is one of our top 10 captains.
I think it comes down to the classic "Petro didn't punch enough people" conversation in the eyes of the author.
...but whatever, the Blues won the Cup!!!!!

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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BluesSK wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:38 am The list isn't in order of best to worst. It's by years, unless it is a real coincidence in opinion.
Ok well now that changes everything and makes it even more dumb. Especially consider the Blues have only had 20 captains in their history and 11 of the 20 were 1 year or less.

It's just a list of half the team captains in history in no specific order. The Post-Dispatch really coming in hot with the material.
Just a Russian propaganda account

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:48 am
BluesSK wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:38 am The list isn't in order of best to worst. It's by years, unless it is a real coincidence in opinion.
Ok well now that changes everything and makes it even more dumb. Especially consider the Blues have only had 20 captains in their history and 11 of the 20 were 1 year or less.

It's just a list of half the team captains in history in no specific order. The Post-Dispatch really coming in hot with the material.
Sorry to burst everyone's bubble.

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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BluesSK wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 12:06 pm
Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:48 am
BluesSK wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:38 am The list isn't in order of best to worst. It's by years, unless it is a real coincidence in opinion.
Ok well now that changes everything and makes it even more dumb. Especially consider the Blues have only had 20 captains in their history and 11 of the 20 were 1 year or less.

It's just a list of half the team captains in history in no specific order. The Post-Dispatch really coming in hot with the material.
Sorry to burst everyone's bubble.
I told you it skewed towards old timers! :lol:
...but whatever, the Blues won the Cup!!!!!

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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I can only speak on the ones I’ve actually seen so like 1990ish on ( and honestly 93 on I was very young in the early 90s). Mine:

1 Petro. Say what you will he’s the captain that got it done. We will miss him big time.
2 Pronger. I did not agree with stripping him of the C but I did like that they gave it to Chopper.
3 MacInnis. My second favorite Blue from that era behind Pronger. Damn shame these teams had to face prime Detroit, Colorado, and Dallas every year.
4 Hull. Loved Hullie. He’s the biggest reason I got into hockey maybe he wasn’t a great captain in practice but he was one of my childhood idols.
5 Gretzky. Because Gretzky. That is all.
6 Stevens. I vaguely remember his time as a Blue and was crushed when we couldn’t get him back in 94.
7 Backes. Liked him as a player he was sorely miscast as a number one center.
8 Brewer. Under rated and back injury cost him effectiveness but a good player in an impossible situation.
9 Drake. Whatever. We were bad.
10 Corson. Hated him as a Blue one of my least favorite Blues of all time. But it’s my lifetime as a fan top ten and he’s better than Butcher? I guess?

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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To me, Al Arbour was #1. From everything I've read or heard, he was widely respected around the league. Plus Scotty Bowman picked him to be the first Captain, and to replace him as coach. That's about as high a recommendation as you can get. I remember a reporter (don't remember who) asking Glenn Hall, (after he had retired), who was the best defenseman he ever played behind. Hall didn't hesitate even a second before replying, "Al Arbour." After that, I have to go with Barc Plager as #2, Brian Sutter #3, and Red Berenson as #4. I remember reading that sometimes when Scotty would get pissed off at the way they were playing, he wouldn't even call out the line changes. When that happened, Red called the changes, and the guys never questioned it.
Certainly had Scott Stevens been able to stay here, he would have been in that top mix. Dallas Drake, imo, was probably very close to the top 5.
I don't count Gretzky among the Captains, because not only was he just here for part of a season, his wearing the C was just ceremonial.
Hull was given the C just to try and snap him out of his selfish mindset. The fact that the Blues got fed up with his attitude and let him walk, pretty much tells the story there.
Pronger was a great, great player. Best Blues defenseman ever. One of the best NHL defensemen ever. How effective he was as a Captain, I have no idea.
MacInnis was greatly respected, and I'm sure when he spoke, players listened. But was he capable of verbally kicking people in the ass when they needed it? Only the guys in the room know.
Brewer caught a lot of hell from some fans, but numerous players spoke up and voiced their respect for the job he did in the room as Captain. To me, that counts for a lot. He was not Chris Pronger, but he was a lot better than commonly given credit for, especially since he played much of his time here in pain from a back injury.
Petro is the only Blues captain to skate the Cup, but was he a better Captain that these other players? Not in my judgement. But that's just my opinion.

Re: Top ten captains for the Blues

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ratonmono wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 3:52 pm I can only speak on the ones I’ve actually seen so like 1990ish on ( and honestly 93 on I was very young in the early 90s). Mine:

1 Petro. Say what you will he’s the captain that got it done. We will miss him big time.
2 Pronger. I did not agree with stripping him of the C but I did like that they gave it to Chopper.
3 MacInnis. My second favorite Blue from that era behind Pronger. Damn shame these teams had to face prime Detroit, Colorado, and Dallas every year.
4 Hull. Loved Hullie. He’s the biggest reason I got into hockey maybe he wasn’t a great captain in practice but he was one of my childhood idols.
5 Gretzky. Because Gretzky. That is all.
6 Stevens. I vaguely remember his time as a Blue and was crushed when we couldn’t get him back in 94.
7 Backes. Liked him as a player he was sorely miscast as a number one center.
8 Brewer. Under rated and back injury cost him effectiveness but a good player in an impossible situation.
9 Drake. Whatever. We were bad.
10 Corson. Hated him as a Blue one of my least favorite Blues of all time. But it’s my lifetime as a fan top ten and he’s better than Butcher? I guess?
You must be my Blues brother from another mother because I would have about the same exact list with the same reason. Hull was the reason I fell in love with the Blues, while Pronger and MacInnis were the reasons I became devoted and passionate. That 6-5 comeback game I posted about that NHL network replayed...that was from when I first got NHL Center Ice and could watch my Blues while living in San Diego at the time. That game, more than any other for me, made me a believer in the Blues and that they would eventually overcome the hockey god's curses :twisted:

Everything else for me is just as Rat stated.

Let's GO BLUESS!!! I NEED MY HOCKEY FIX! :dancingbanana:
"Do Only Good Everyday"