Paging Erik Johnson
When Michigan fell in the NCAA hockey tournament, defenseman Jack Johnson stayed behind in Denver and tried to strike a deal to join the Los Angeles Kings immediately.
He hoped to play the final six Kings games of the season, then return to Ann Arbor to finish school.
Erik Johnson wasn’t as eager to leave Minnesota after the Golden Gophers fell to North Dakota.
“It hurts to have it go down this way,” Johnson told the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, “but we can always look forward to next year.”
The Blues are highly interesting in signing Johnson for next season and getting him prepared for his first NHL training camp. College is a great play to develop skills — especially in a quality program like Minnesota — but Johnson is clearly ready for the next test.
In the past, the Blues signed top collegiate stars like Tony Hrkac and Petr Sejna (two Hobey Baker Award winners) and put them right to work.
Let’s see what becomes of Big Erik . . .
GOOD-BYE TO MR. MCGEOUGH?
The hapless work of referee Mick McGeough came to the attention of the NHL after he denied the Blues two legit goals against Ottawa. Here is an item Ottawa Sun scribe Bruce Garrioch recently published:
“Referee Mick McGeough, who has been getting plenty of heat for blown calls this season, likely won’t work in the playoffs. If that’s the case, there’s a strong chance the veteran official may not be back next year.”
That would be a real shame.
HELLO RYAN SMYTH?
For what it’s worth, the rumor mill says the Blues will take a big run at free-agent-to-be Ryan Smyth this summer to replace the Keith Tkachuk Element in the offense. The Oilers need to get him back, but was the bridge burned during failed contract talks earlier this year? Smyth wasn’t thrilled by his trade to the Islanders.
Mick McGeough not coming back? We can only hope and pray! A Shame? Yes, who will we yell at next year?
As a student at a University in Tennesee, I rarely get to see a Blues hockey game. I was happy when I learned that during my spring break, I would be able to attend one. Unluckily, that game ended up being the one last Tuesday night. The Blues didn’t play amazingly well; I didn’t expect them to. I also didn’t expect the horrendous officiating. The college hockey and minor league hockey games that I have attended were never as poorly officiated as this game was. Following the game, Chris Kerber made many insightful comments about the pair of McGeough and LaRue [a rhyming couplet?]. Kerber was shocked and dismayed over the failure of the referees to understand the rules. Bob Plager chimed in, calling Denny LaRue an “out and out liar.” I was extremely disappointed in this aspect of the game.
I viewed the game from Section 315. At the end of the game, everyone in the upper bowl took issue with the officiating, voicing their opinions loudly. One fan, a seventy-odd year old man, was shouting in the first row of section 314. At the end of the game, the man overexerted himself. He had a heart attack and died. This was extremely difficult to watch. And it underscored even more the utter failure of Denny LaRue and Mick McGeough. They should feel guilty, they should apologize, and they should send flowers to this man’s family. And they should go back to working minor league hockey, where some fans might give them more leeway.
CONGRATULATIONS NHL IT TOOK 25 YEARS BUT AT LEAST THEY FINALLY REALIZE MCGOUEGH NEEDS TO GO