NHL Business Is Cold — And Manny Gets Chilled
Blues goaltender Manny Legace wasn’t thrilled when his bosses added Nashville goaltender Chris Mason, who was earning more money, to back him up.
Legace was unhappy about playing out the final year of his contract unsure of his future in St. Louis.
And now he is really mad that the Note has put him on waivers, for the purpose of sending him to Peoria for more work. Another team could claim him, but numerous goaltenders (including Martin Gerber, Dany Sabourin and Curtis Sanford) have already passed through waivers this season.
Few (if any) NHL teams are looking for pricey back-up goaltending. Perhaps Tampa Bay will bite, given the injuries down there.
“It’s extremely tough,” Legace told P-D hockey reporter Jeremy Rutherford. “You play your heart out for a team, and the minute you hit a little bit of a rough patch, they dump on you.”
Actually, the Blues hockey staff has been patient this season. Legace started the year as the clear No. 1 goaltender and had every chance to keep that job.
With top prospect Ben Bishop needing more time in Peoria, Legace had a chance to extend his stay in a city he clearly loves. But nagging injuries and inconsistency marred his season and hurt the Blues’ competitive chances.
This team is well past the halfway point of the season. The Blues are edging back into the playoff race and they play their immediate rivals in the weeks ahead.
Coach Andy Murray had to go with best man for the job — and now that best man is Mason, who has been on fire since the new year began.
Such is the nature of the game. Compare this to the Jason Isringhausen situation for the Cardinals.
Izzy, like Manny, is a stand-up guy. He has done heroic things for his franchise. He is supremely confident. But he was in position to make or break the season . . . and he was breaking it.
The Cards had to remove him from the closer’s role. And the Blues had to bench Legace because Mason because he gave him the best chance to win.
The Blues could have left Legace stewing on the bench, but the organization opted to keep him working. If he clears waivers, he will get a chance to play his way back from the AHL.
If he moves on to another team, he moves on. Mason would run with the job and the Blues would find another back-up goaltender. Maybe it would be Chris Holt, maybe it would be one of the many goaltenders on waivers.
That’s harsh, but that’s life in professional sports, There is nowhere to hide bad goaltending, just as there is no place to hide ineffective relief pitching.
If this is it for Manny, Hockey Guy will miss him. He is a great guy. Too bad he is no longer a great goaltender.
The only thing worse than any Gordo article is the official scoring at Cardinal games. Man, how does a business in such bad shape pay for such poor services?
Come on Manny - we’re supposed to feel sorry for you? You’re making millions of dollars to play a game. You weren’t doing the job. You were replaced.
What about the 1,500 AB employees who were doing their jobs. They weren’t placed on waivers, they lost their paychecks.
Grow up Man!
I have to agree with ‘The Truth’ - Gordo is the “Hockey Guy”? - oh boy…
What seems to be the problem here? I think Gordo does a fine job. Not much to it really? Manny was horrid, he’s out, moving on….
Legace was a great goalie for us during most of his time in St. Louis, and every goalie goes through a rough patch sometimes (just look at Turco in Dallas for most of this season) but that doesn’t mean they are done. With all the injuries (some of which weren’t his fault, see carpet on the ice in October), and not starting on a regular basis, it can be hard for a goalie to get their consistency back. And yes Mason has played well as of late and seems like a good guy, but I’ll believe he is ready to be #1 when his consistency matches that of Scott Clemmensen’s in New Jersey (granted a much more experienced team, but Clemmensen’s consistency and outstanding play of his own has allowed the Devils to continue rolling this season).
Legace seemed like the perfect person to mentor Bishop too, assuming the Blues wanted a mentor for him. Legace’s been through the ups and downs, started for a powerhouse Detroit team and rebuilding Blues team, backup to up a Stanley Cup champion. I wish him well wherever he winds up next.
This might help light a fire under the Blues, I like it. “You play to win the game” and Manny wasn’t helping the Blues do that.
Sorry Manny.
Unusual that Legace has a better record than Mason but I agree, Mason is the hot goalie right now. Who knows, if no trade is made and Mason goes down (which will happen the way this season is going)Legace will be back up and playing again. He will get his chance. As far as blogger concerning AB, the beer still tastes the same to me, sounds like AB had a lot of extra waste they needed to get rid of.
Thanks Manny for your time as a Blue. You may be back, so I would respectfully advise to work your tail off down at Peoria and show everyone that this has been “a little bit of a rough patch”. Nothing speaks louder than standing on your head stopping pucks my man.
One of the goalies that played in between the first and second periods of the game last night said Manny Legace was his hero. Welcome to life kid. Playing on the ice at Scottrade one night and getting interviewed with your face on the jumbotron, and then the Note canning your fav player the next day…
Manny is a great guy, but it all comes down to a point that Andy Murray made earlier this season — sometimes a goalie has to steal some wins for his team. Manny has had stretches where he has been very solid, but he was seldom a difference maker. The Blues desperately need someone to be “the man” between the pipes. I don’t know if Mason is that guy (though he’s playing at an elite level right now), but I know that Legace can’t be.
I was totally with you in this article untill you said and i quote:
“Few (if any) NHL teams are looking for pricey back-up goaltending. Perhaps Tampa Bay will bite, given the injuries down there.
“It’s extremely tough,” Legace told P-D hockey reporter Jeremy Rutherford. “You play your heart out for a team, and the minute you hit a little bit of a rough patch, they dump on you.””
Yeah you guys migth want to proofread your web stuff…