Responsible Approach Pays Off for Blues

Three years ago, the St. Louis Blues were in ruins. Mike Keenan’s win-at-all-costs philosophy padded their payroll without improving the results; they traded young players, stripped their farm system and went well over budget. Keenan’s acquisition of Wayne Gretzky from the Kings backfired when a disillusioned Gretzky left as a free agent and the Blues got nothing.

Their prospects looked bleak when Keenan was fired and was replaced behind the bench by Joel Quenneville and as general manager by Larry Pleau. But in a remarkable reversal brought about by shrewd coaching and good judgment in the front office, the Blues have climbed to the top of the Western Conference.

“To be fair to Mike, he was coming off a Stanley Cup in New York and he was given the reins and told, ‘Here, win it,’ ” Pleau said Monday before the Blues’ 4-2 victory over the Mighty Ducks at the Arrowhead Pond. “Parity came so quick, we all thought we could win it so we were making trades and signing free agents you thought could get you the Cup. He had $22 million in deferred salary out there.

“Now, the philosophy is, ‘We want to be real good today but still build for the future and be fiscally responsible.’ When you were on the outside looking in, and I was included there, you saw there wasn’t a good development system. We changed that. We signed players off the bat because we wanted to get a good system going and develop players. We’ve got some players in our lineup who weren’t expected to do much.”

They began with a strong backbone in defensemen Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger, who are among the league leaders in minutes played and scoring--Pronger leads defensemen with eight goals and 45 points. Center Pierre Turgeon was soaring before being sidelined because of a thumb injury, and defenseman Marc Bergevin, who sat out much of last season because of a torn abdominal muscle, has been reborn.

Winger Scott Young and rookies Jochen Hecht and Marty Reasoner have helped at key times, and the Slovakian line of Michal Handzus, Pavol Demitra and Lubos Bartecko has carried the offense. And the acquisition of goalie Roman Turek from the Dallas Stars for a second-round draft pick may be among the biggest steals in NHL history.

All of which leaves the Blues primed to become a Stanley Cup contender. But they will need every resource, as conference rivals Colorado, Detroit and Dallas did in triumphing the last four seasons.

“We’ve been pretty close to those teams. This year, we really feel we’ve improved our overall depth,” Quenneville said. “We got through a stretch with a lot of key guys out. It was a good test to find out about our overall depth and balance.”

Said Pleau: “Sometimes, teams win because of talent. I think our team has been successful because of chemistry. The coaches and players have done well so far--why can’t they continue winning?”

CAN SHARKS KEEP BITE?

While the rest of the NHL marveled over the San Jose Sharks’ start, the Sharks knew they hadn’t done anything yet.

“It was the first time we were put in that position, and we didn’t handle it well,” winger Tony Granato said. “We stayed away from the injury bug and our goaltending was great. We got all the breaks early, but we’ve been fighting it lately. It’s discouraging.”

Since Dec. 10, when they were 17-13-4-2, the Sharks are 8-16-4-5 and have fizzled offensively. They’ve played a league-high 62 games but have been off since they tied the Mighty Ducks on Friday; today they begin a stretch of nine consecutive games and 12 of 14 at home, where they’re 13-12-2-3.

The chance to settle in comes at a crucial time. Vincent Damphousse’s goal Friday ended a drought at 23; Marco Sturm, sidelined the last two games because of a hip injury, has dropped from 16 goals last season to eight and has only two in his last 16 games. Niklas Sundstrom’s goal against the Ducks was his eighth; he had 56 the previous three seasons.

“People made a lot of our start, but it was only a good month. We didn’t have any bragging rights,” Damphousse said. “Maybe we got caught thinking we’re better than we were.

“It’s been a struggle. We’ve had a hard time putting wins together. I think we still need to grow. It takes more than one good month to be on top at the end of the year.”

Doug Wilson, the Sharks’ director of pro scouting, said the club is happy with goalie Steve Shields, who has tailed off since the Sharks traded Mike Vernon to the Florida Panthers in a three-way deal that brought them Todd Harvey. “We don’t get to the playoffs last year without the way Steve played,” Wilson said. “Vernie got [to start] the games in the playoffs, but Steve understood that. He’s a workaholic. He’s the kind of guy you sometimes have to hold back.

“I like where this team is at. We’ve told the players the answer is in that dressing room and to expect no drastic changes before the trading deadline.”

STAR GAZING

Goaltender Ed Belfour acknowledges the Stars aren’t as imposing as they were a year ago.

“Our team was a lot more stable last year at this time, and we were playing in a real groove pretty much the whole season. This year has been a lot different,” he said. “As of late, I think we’re starting to get back into that groove like we were in last year.”

Unlike last season, when they won the Pacific Division by 24 points, the Stars are battling the Phoenix Coyotes for first place and the higher playoff seeding. Their scoring is down to 2.42 goals a game from 2.88 last season, but their team goals-against average of 2.16 is nearly the same as last season’s league-low 2.02. Injuries have hampered them: defenseman Derian Hatcher returned from a lacerated calf muscle last week and winger Jere Lehtinen (ankle surgery) and center Joe Nieuwendyk (separated shoulder) are sidelined. But Belfour is confident the Stars can shift into higher gear.

“We have a system that isn’t difficult to play. It just takes sticking to it, hard work, and the guys that have come in and replaced injured players have done a real good job,” said Belfour, who earned his 300th victory last week. “And along with the good defensive style we play and good goaltending, I think that has helped us get back on track. And we’re getting guys back soon, and I think it will be even better.”

SLAP SHOTS

The save-the-Senators drive was a success, and owner Rod Bryden said the club will stay in Ottawa for years--or at least until the next financial crisis hits and he again begs local corporations and fans to dig deeper into their wallets. . . . Theo Fleury, still seeking his first power-play goal with the New York Rangers, made an obscene gesture to fans who booed him during a 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. Sure, steal their money and flip them off. Almost as smart as agreeing to play in a city he disliked and in a conference whose tight defensive play clashes with his style. . . . The Calgary Flames, trying to cut wear and tear on players, are taking more charters and fewer commercial flights. General Manager Al Coates estimated that 80% to 85% of their trips will be by charter, up from 60% to 65% last season. “We missed the playoffs last year by three or four points, and we felt we could make up three or four points on chartering,” Coates said. “It’s a worthwhile investment.” . . . The last thing the Philadelphia Flyers needed was another goon, yet they acquired Gino Odjick from the New York Islanders. He can join Sandy McCarthy and Craig Berube in the press box during the playoffs. Size won’t help them beat the New Jersey Devils--skill and goaltending will prevail, and the Devils are superior in both areas. . . . Trevor Kidd’s dislocated shoulder has healed and he’s due back in the Panthers’ net this week, creating an interesting competition with Vernon.