A Revamped Blueprint in St. Louis

There was a lot for the St. Louis Blues to feel good about after shellacking the Mighty Ducks, 5-1, at the Arrowhead Pond Sunday.

Of course, none of it will matter when the playoffs begin in April. Something the Blues know all too well.

Gathering dust in various trophy cases are all those wonderful awards St. Louis players won last season. The collection included the President’s Trophy, given to the team with the best overall record during the regular season.

“Sure, that’s a nice piece of metal with a little glass on it,” defenseman Chris Pronger said. “But it’s not the tin cup that everyone wants.”

The Blues learned that the hard way last season. They finished 51-20-11 and had 114 points, most in the NHL. Yet were bounced in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the San Jose Sharks.

The Blues turned over their roster during the off-season, bringing in nine new players. Some made themselves known Sunday.

Ladislav Nagy, a 21-year-old rookie, scored three minutes into the second period, breaking a scoreless tie. Defenseman Sean Hill, signed as a free agent, had the first of his two assists on the play. Dallas Drake, another free-agent signee, also had two assists.

“We added to our depth,” Coach Joel Quenneville said. “We brought in guys like Drake, who give us some grit, and replaced some older guys with young kids. We have a lot of energy.”

That showed throughout the game Sunday. The Blues outworked the Ducks and out-shot them, 40-25.

The Blues dominated many games like this last season. They dominated the postseason award handouts.

Pronger won the Hart Trophy (most valuable player) and Norris Trophy (top defender), becoming the first defenseman to double since Bobby Orr in 1972. Goalie Roman Turek won the Jennings Trophy (fewest goals). Quenneville was named coach of the year.

All that hardware lost some gleam after the Sharks won Game 7 in the first round.

Turek, who had a 1.95 goals-against average during the regular season, gave up 19 goals in seven games (2.75) against the Sharks.

“Three weeks later, my wife started asking me what was wrong because I had been so quiet for three weeks,” said Turek, who stopped 24 of 25 shots Sunday. “I really took it personally.

“I don’t think we played that badly. San Jose got goals that bounced off skates and bounced off players. There was a lot of stuff like that. We just had to be ready this season.”

For the long haul.

What happened to the Blues, Quenneville pointed out, has happened to others.

Detroit had an NHL-record 62 victories in 1995-96, but Colorado won the cup. The Red Wings won it the following season.

Dallas had a league-best 109 points in 1997-98, but Detroit won the cup. The Stars were champions the following season.

“The playoffs are a second season and it’s a lot tougher grind,” said Pronger, who scored the Blues’ fifth goal Sunday. “I don’t think guys are going to go to the extreme they did last season during the regular season. Finishing with the best record is nice, but . . . “

It doesn’t guarantee the tin cup.