St. Louis Blues get their kicks before first practice in Sweden
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - It’s a common scene in many NHL arenas these days: players in a circle juggling a soccer ball before a game to loosen up.
The Blues are one of a few teams in the league that haven’t copied the pregame ritual the last few years, but with an influx of youth on the roster, that could be changing.
Today at the Globe Arena, T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, Alex Pietrangelo, David Perron, strength coach Nelson Ayotte and broadcaster Chris Kerber got in a game before the start of practice. When you’re watching this video, keep in mind that Kerber (in the jacket and slacks) is wearing a walking boot on his left leg.
As the Blues kept playing, things got a little hairy when the ball landed on a nearby table. But Oshie and Berglund found a way to keep the ball alive . . .
After the fun, the Blues did actually hold a practice. I’ll have those notes, along with more video, posted shortly.
JR
Great stuff, JR…Thanks!
Amazing the eye-foot coordination the boys show, especially the one with the cast on his foot!!! WTG, Kerbs!
See ya soon…
…on the way tomorrow, I am…;-)
Wow it looks like Kerbs didn’t miss a meal this summer. Wow the guy is huge!
That lunge by Pietrangelo made me a little queasy at the end of the second video, could be due to me having blown an ACL in the last 6 months and my nervousness of another one to a young prospect Dman of ours, but glad to see the boys bonding, LETS GO BLUES!!!
Brilliant! My two favorite sports: soccer and hockey. I get in these little groups with my friends too. It’s so much fun just to juggle a ball around and it helps with your footwork too. Hope we win in Sweden.
Excellent Video! These are the kind of things that will bring a team closer together and the fans closer to the team.
Keep up the good work.
I’m a Wings fan living in STL, but appreciate soccer skills anywhere.