Last week I was chit-chatting with a few friends of mine. These two have never met each other, and their only interaction has been through the ever-expanding Twitterverse.

The conversation itself wasn’t all that out of the ordinary, but one statement stood out. One said to the other:

“You know, I don’t know you, but you seem pretty awesome. Must be because you’re a female Blues fan. All female Blues fans are pretty awesome.”

And you know what? She’s right.

The more I’ve thought about this over the last week, the more I’ve come to realize just how correct she is.

When I started this whole writing thing, I knew that my target audience was going to be Blues fans in general, and I connected with quite a few of them REALLY quickly. It took me no time at all to realize that the female part of this fan base was just as rabid, if not more so, than their male counterparts. Never, though, in my wildest dreams would I have been able to foresee just what the connections to these amazing women would bring, how they would come to be such a positive influence on me.

These women are without a doubt fantastic.

They write their own blogs while contributing to Game Time.

They teach me things about this team every day, and encourage me to skip workouts to become more involved with the players themselves.

They are some of the most intense and knowledgeable fans and athletes I’ve ever met.

They create video montages for our enjoyment.

They are inspirational in their own right, and have the most incredible passion for community service I’ve ever seen.

They are always optimistic, keeping that Blues Kool-Aid flowing, as well as having become a weekly workout partner.

They’ve become contributors here and have a really strange ability to approve of all my random food intake habits.

They have adopted our team and become great friends (and marathon training partners) in the process.

Hell, they’ve just flat out become great friends.

They are some of the greatest fans in the world, and they are my inspiration.

To them, thank you.

The new phone books are here, the new phone books are here!

Wait. Let me try that again.

The new season’s tickets are going on sale, the new season’s tickets are going on sale!!

Saturday.

Get some.

Dave Scatchard announced, via a series of tweets, his retirement from hockey due to a severe concussion he sustained on April 3, 2011 after receiving a shoulder to the head while playing for the Peoria Rivermen.

His statement was as follows:

After a long week of tests at the Mayo clinic Dr.’s have advised me that playing hockey is not an option for me any longer. Wouldn’t be safe/
Sadly after taking the weekend to absorb it. I have accepted it and am pretty upset. Feel like I have a few more years inmestill #concussion/
I will miss the game A Lot. I will miss my teammates and the challenge of accomplishing our goals together. #beenonateamsinceIwas5yrsold/
Thank you to everyone who cheered for me over the last 30yrs + 14yrs of pro hockey. Has been an amazing journey and I loved every min of it/ Thanks to all my teammates that went to war with me for 650+games in the NHL and everyone who helped me get there. Thanks to my mom+dad/
I have 3 amazing children and an incredible wife that I need to be healthy for in the future. Disappointed that I couldn’t leave on own terms

Dave Scatchard during warm-ups before the March 20th game vs. the Lake Erie Monsters.

Yesterday, a heart-wrenching interview with Scatchard was published in the Toronto Star. He detailed that many day-to-day activities are still hard for him to complete with his persistent concussion symptoms. Even so, after 13 years in the NHL, Scatchard was not willing to give up on playing until his doctors at the Mayo Clinic told him that it would be impossible. He has had previous issues with concussions and hopes that if he talks about his own problems, it will help others in the future.

Dave Scatchard's career statistics according to hockeydb.com.

As for myself, I will definitely miss Dave Scatchard. It is always sad to see players suffer from the concussion symptoms, but even more so when they are a member of a team you are passionate about. He may have been an older player by many standards, but with his on the ice passion, you never would have known it. Not afraid to drop the gloves or play with physicality, Dave Scatchard was truly an asset to the Peoria Rivermen in the 2010-2011 season.

One of my favorite Scatchard goals of the season, a seemingly effortless one at that can be watched here. (at :10)

We are getting oh so close to hockey season starting, but sometimes it seems like the season will never get here, and we’ll be stuck in a hot, stick, muggy, hockey-less world. This thought makes me a very sad person.

HOWEVER. There are those things we can do in the midst of this drought to keep us in hockey mode.

One thing that we’ve been spreading out over our entire Aerys network is a new feature on the Pulse called Tune In Tuesday. It’s a place for our writers to put together playlists for our teams and post them for our readers’ enjoyment. This week is Blues week.

Many thanks go to all those who helped suggest songs for this list. Hopefully you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Seriously, I sat here with a smile on my face for the entire time it took me to draft it. The whole thing makes me SO excited for hockey to start again I don’t even know how I’ll make it these next few weeks.

Without further ado, the Blues edition of Tune In Tuesday.

Finally, the moment we have all been anxiously waiting for–the release of the AHL schedule!

As previously announced, the Rivermen’s pre-season will kick off on September 30th at Carver Arena vs. the Chicago Wolves. It will continue as they travel to Rockford to take on the Icehogs on October 1st.

On October 8th, the regular season will start with a 7:00 PM puck drop against the Milwaukee Admirals and will conclude on April 15th in Chicago.

After looking at the schedule, one of the newest Rivermen, Brett Sterling, had this to say:

The full Rivermen schedule can be viewed here.

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You can find me on twitter @PietranJello

Earlier today I was scrolling through my google reader and came across a post from the ever awesome Hockey Broad. For today’s post, she details her plan to feature all thirty NHL teams leading into the season with each of those posts highlighting a fan from that particular fan base. I figured that even if I don’t get chosen, this is a pretty fun survey. I also thought that I might as well post it for you here. I know you’re excited. Here we go.

1. What is your favorite team?

St Louis Blues

2. How long/approximately how long have you been a fan of this team?

I’ve been a fan for almost two years now, which is fairly short in the grand scheme of things.

3. Feel free to talk about anything about your fandom for this answer: just how big of a fan are you?; how you came to be a fan; a special memory about your team; meeting a favorite player, etc.

One of my favorite memories was actually not even during a game. Though I’m not a season ticket holder (yet), a friend of mine was able to get ahold of tickets to get into the STH festival the Blues hold every year. The year I went, it was a giant carnival complete with blow up games, and players stationed all over Scottrade signing autographs and taking pictures. I was still a very new fan, and knew I liked watching these guys play, but meeting them and chit-chatting with a couple of them helped me make a personal connection with the team that I hadn’t had with any other sport. It was also fairly cool to see one of my pictures with Cam Janssen end up on the front of the STH booklet for this season.

3. Which player that your team signed/acquired this summer are you most excited to see take the ice this season?

It’s actually a combination of Langenbrunner and Arnott. Both signings were announced on the same day, and they both addressed serious needs the Blues had in both forward depth and veteran status. I can’t wait to see the affect they’ll have on the team both on and off the ice.

4. Taking into consideration your team’s performance last year/recently, and any player/personnel (coaches, GMs, ownership) changes made in the past few months, talk about your team in 2011-2012: How do you think they’ve improved (or made worse)? What do they need to work on? If the team has lost their captain, who do you think will wear the “C” next? Discuss anything related to your team’s performance for the 2011-12 season, good or bad.

At this point the Blues have a lot of pretty looming questions. We don’t know who will get the “C,” we don’t know who will own the team, we don’t know when or if David Perron will come back, we don’t know how the new guys will fit in, and we don’t know if the team can stay healthy all season long. That said, I am (cautiously) optimistic with the team. Armstrong has been able to acquire players that addressed needs while still taking into consideration the possibility that Perron wouldn’t be available (which it’s nearly certain he won’t be). They signed guys who are absolute work-horses, who are willing to put in some serious ice time as well as provide a veteran mentality that the team, which before the end of the season had an average age of 23, hasn’t had a lot of experience with. They picked up goalie Brian Elliott, who is going to have to compete with Ben Bishop for the backup job, and given last season, both goalies should know just how quickly that backup job could be taken away.

The competition that they created within the team will motivate every single guy out there, new and old, because if they don’t work, they don’t play. Not to mention the many number of guys hanging out in Peoria, a measly couple hours away, just waiting to get in with the big club and prove they can stay. Along with all that, the contracts (or lack thereof) to the current roster made a huge statement. TJ Oshie only got a year-long extension, which sent an unmistakably clear message to him. Get your act together, or don’t get paid. I think he will finally show us the Oshie we’ve been waiting a couple years to see (for the full 82 games). The way the Blues started the 2010-11 season I think speaks volumes to what this team is capable of if they stay healthy. The key will be to push through and still win even if those injuries occur again.

Since we can’t predict the future about the health of the players on the ice though, it seems like Blues fans everywhere have pretty much one question on their mind. We’re not curious about who will own the team. We don’t pay to see the owners. We want to know who the Captain will be, and I’d be willing to put money on the fact that the LARGE majority of us would like to see David Backes take the honor. He’s been the leader in our eyes for ages, even before Brewer was traded to the Lightning. He was the man who received All-Star honors right on the coat tails of being able to play for the United States in the 2010 Olympics. He’s the player who was at the Blues table during the draft. He’s who’s mentioned first in Blues articles just about everywhere. He is my number one choice for Captain, hands down.

Though there are so many unanswered questions, they’re ones that we’ll only have to wait a little longer to get answers to. Hockey season is taking too long to get here.

5. Whether or not you think your team will make the playoffs, where do you predict your team will place within their conference? (1st-15th)

8^th

6. What was your favorite moment for your team last season?

Watching them beat Detroit 10-3, which included a Cam Janssen goal. It was a ridiculously fun game to watch.

The other day my friend Jeff posted his Opening Night line predictions. I thought about it all enough to comment, assumed that might be the last of it, and yet somehow I’ve been entirely unable to get different line pairings out of my head. At all.

Dudes, let me tell you how difficult it is to focus on work when your mind is questioning whether having two massive power forwards like Backes and CGDS on the same line is a good thing versus splitting them up and utilizing their skills separately.

You all know how much I loved that Inglorious Happy Meal of Pain line.

Anywho, because we are STILL woefully lacking in news on the home front, and the Cardinals aren’t doing much of note either, go ahead and head over to BlueNote Zone and put in your two cents. I’m curious to what everyone else thinks about Jeff’s predictions.

Yesterday when the Blues signed Danny Syvret, to a one year, two way deal, it pretty much completed the Rivermen roster for the 2011-2012 season.

Danny Syvret: he used to be a Flyer... now he's a Riverman!

According to Dave Eminian, Syvret was brought in as a direct replacement for Nathan Oystrick, who signed with the Phoenix Coyotes/Portland Pirates last month. Rivermen GM, Blues assistant GM and director of pro scouting Kevin McDonald said of the signing:

Danny Syvret has huge skills, and he fills that offensive spot on our blueline in Peoria. He quarterbacks the power play, gives us another scoring threat. He fits the kind of players we’ve been looking for, guys who can carry on as elite players at the AHL level and push for NHL opportunities with the Blues.

Syvret has played in a total of 69 NHL games and will likely see time on the potentially outstanding power play with the Rivermen.

Barring any unforeseen free agency acquisitions by the Blues, Eminian put forth this projected 23-man roster:

Goaltenders: Jake Allen and Ben Bishop or Brian Elliott.

Forwards: T.J. Hensick, Phil McRae, Brett Sterling, Jonathan Cheechoo, Derek Nesbitt, Adam Cracknell, Evgeny Grachev, Stefan Della Rovere, Anthony Nigro, Anthony Peluso, Kyle Hagel, Tyler Shattock, Brett Sonne, Jay Barriball, Chase Polacek. Possible: Chris Porter.

Defensemen: Brennan Evans, Jake Gannon, Danny Syvret, Mark Cundari, Cade Fairchild, Brett Ponich, David Shields, Ian Cole.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m excited for some Rivermen hockey! October 8th, that’s not too far, am I right?

My friends, I know I have been a slacker. I know that the posts on this here site have been less than Pulitzer-worthy.

Well…this isn’t to say anything written here is Pulitzer-worthy, but YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

So. Blues news.

Um. Anyone? Oshie?

Oh right, the team skated this morning at the Mills. I am still sad I did not get to go. I am usually sad when I am not able to see them practice, but since that is the case when one has a day to day job that doesn’t allow random multiple hour breaks, this is usually how it is. Constant sadness.

As far as anything else goes, the Blues will be hosting a Live Chat with Carlo Colaiacovo on Wednesday, so that’s pretty cool. Besides that?

Nada. Awesome, right?

Two more months. That’s all. Two more months.

The hugest of congratulations go out to our very own Walt, the man whose name has too many Ks, who is heading to the US Hockey Hall Of Fame.

Tkachuk played an integral role in my introduction to the hockey world, and he will always hold a softspot in my heart.

Here’s to you, Walt.

Though I will always remember him the most from being at this game.

Our Hall of Famer scores goals off his FACE. What does YOUR Hall of Famer do?