THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Brett Hull will enter the Hockey Hall of Fame next week. There are a lot of great names and great players in the long history of the St. Louis Blues. If you had to pick one person historically as the face of the franchise, would that person be Brett Hull?

JEFF GORDON
Brett Hull made the Blues a mainstream attraction during his days here. Scottrade is the House that Brett built. But I would consider Bernie Federko the face of the franchise. His brilliant play kept this franchise going forward through really dark times. Save for a cameo with the Red Wings, he spent his career with the Blues. He has remained heavily involved with the franchise in his retirement. He has old-school ties to the Plagers.

DERRICK GOOLD
I would like to say Al MacInnis, the gentleman from Port Hood with his exceptional play and understated presence, but the face of the Blues was, is and probably always should be Brett Hull. Grinning, of course. Not only is Hull the most charismatic player ever to where the Note, he changed what hockey means to St. Louis. I wish I could remember the exact number: Before Hull arrived there were less than five rinks in the greater St. Louis area. His goal-scoring binges and his panache inspired an exponential proliferation of rinks. Hockey was in because Hull was here. All around the area, you can still find rinks that Hull built. What that meant was hockey took hold in the area as more than just a spectator sport. Couple the increase in rinks with the Blues alumni who became coaches and managers of hockey teams, and suddenly St. Louis was on the map as a source for hockey talent. Starting a few years ago, St. Louis natives started going in the NHL draft. Blues’ Cam Janssen and Ben Bishop are both part products of the rink rage, and they are from an era of young St. Louis-native players that can be considered the Hull Generation. Heck, even Mr. Hockey Andy Strickland, I bet, is a chronic puckhead with an incurable case of mullet envy because of Hull. The Golden Brett didn’t just make watching the game popular with his flamboyant scoring. He made playing the game popular, and for that he’s the face of hockey in St. Louis, Blues and otherwise.

DAN O’NEILL
“Face of the Franchise” is a term that is a little hard to get your arms around. Certainly, there has been no one more dynamic or important to the franchise than Hull. He is the leading goal scorer (527) in Blues history, he is the most colorful/controversial player in Blues history and he is the person most responsible for the team building the Kiel Center (now Scotttrade). Two years before Hull came to the Blues, they were drawing 13,000-14,000. By the time he left, they were drawing 19,000. I have my personal favorites — Red Berenson, Brian Sutter, Mike Liut, Barclay Plager … but there is no question Brett Hull has been the most influential player in the team’s history.

DAVE LUECKING
It’s a tough call because the team has had some great players over the years — guys like Bernie Federko, Brian Sutter, the Plagers and Al MacInnis — but I’d go with Hull. He brought pizzazz to the franchise, creating a buzz in town only a few years after the team almost left for Saskatoon. His charisma on and off the ice put butts in the seats, at home and on the road.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
In a way this is a trick question. Is Brett Hull the greatest player to ever play for the Blues? In my opinion yes, but that doesn’t automatically make him the face of the organization. This organization has a lot of faces for me. No one is more recognizable than Bob Plager. Hall of Famer Bernie Federko played all but one of his prolific years here. Then you have guys like Kelly Chase, Brian Sutter, and Al MacInnis. John Davidson is certainly the current face but he’s closer to being the all-time face of the New York Rangers than he would as a Blue.

But what separates Hull from the rest is the impact he made on the sport of hockey in St. Louis. To this day no one has ever had the star power Brett created. He took over the city when he played here and made several of his teammates household names in the city. He was a one-man show unlike any player that’s ever skated for the Blues and made going to games an event. Just like no Cardinal will ever be bigger than Stan the Man, no Blues player can steal the spotlight from the Golden Brett.

Except maybe T.J. Oshie … he’s got a ways to go still.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Tough question but I’d have to say no, Hull is not the “historical” face of the franchise. He is certainly the most dynamic scorer and dominating presence the franchise has ever had, but to me the “face” of a franchise has to be more than a guy who lit the lamp a lot while wearing the Blue Note. Hull spent 10-plus seasons here — the best of his career no doubt — but he was also a big part of Stanley Cup winners in Dallas and Detroit, making his legacy a little tougher to read.

The real historical face of the St. Louis Blues franchise is Bernie Federko. He is a homegrown Hall of Famer, he spent 13 of 14 NHL seasons wearing the Blue Note before being traded for Adam Oates and he’s been an integral part of the franchise in the nearly 20 years he’s been retired. He was a great player and has become an ambassador for the team in his retirement. Hull was simply a great player.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: What a night Thursday was. Cards lose in the bottom of the ninth. Mizzou gives up 27 points in the fourth quarter and falls to Nebraska. Blues give up 1-0 lead to lose their home opener. In your time covering sports here in St. Louis, what has been the most devastating loss you’ve witnessed?

DAN O’NEILL
What happened Thursday night was bad, but not close to being the most disappointing for this scribe. There was the Cardinals losing Game 7 of the 1968 World Series to Detroit, with Bob Gibson on the mound and Curt Flood misplaying a ball in center field. Gibson losing Game 7 — unthinkable. …There was Missouri’s overtime loss to Nebraska in 1997 when the Cornhuskers caught a bogus tipped pass in the end zone to stay alive. … Missouri’s basketball loss to UCLA in the 1995 NCAA Tournament when Lollipop Guild member Tyus Edney went the length of the floor with six seconds remaining. … the Don Denkinger call in the 1985 World Series. … Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Rams in the Feb. 2002 Super Bowl. … Neil O’Donoghue’s miss from 50 yards as time expired in Washington, denying the Football Cardinals a playoff spot in 1984. … all were more disappointing than Thursday.

JIM THOMAS
Well, that’s a lot of ground to cover. I was in Oklahoma that sunny day in 1986 for the Norman Conquest: Sooners 77, Missouri 0. LB Brian Bosworth — The Boz — eating a hot dog, standing near the stands in the second half. … I covered a succession of Missouri basketball losses to the likes of Northern Iowa and Rhode Island in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. … And I’ve seen the Rams lose in just about every manner conceivable. But I have to go with Super Bowl XXXVI, New England’s stunning Super Bowl triumph over St. Louis. The Rams, Mike Martz, the Greatest Show on Turf were never the same after that one.

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
For sure, the Rams’ 20-17 Super Bowl loss to New England in 2002 was the worst in recent memory. Watching the Rams tie the score and then seeing Tom Brady march the Patriots 53 yards on six completions for Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal was tough. But I’m going to throw another heartbreaker into the mix for the hockey fans. … It happened on Dec. 6, 2006. With a sellout crowd in attendance at Scottrade Center, where a lavish pregame ceremony took place to retire Brett Hull’s No. 16, the Blues laid a complete egg in a 5-1 loss to the Red Wings. To me, that was rock bottom of the Blues’ freefall. I’ll never forget Hull doing an interview with a few us during the game, and he made a comment about it being a great night despite the debacle on the ice. A few days later, Blues coach Mike Kitchen was fired, and the Andy Murray era began.

BILL COATS
Game 7 loss to the Tigers in the 1968 World Series. Cardinals were up 3-1 in the series, then Curt Flood slips in center field, then Mickey Lolich shuts down the bats. That took a while to get over.

KATHLEEN NELSON
Game 7, 1985, the game after the Denkinger fiasco against KC. The Cardinals lost 11-0. For goodness sake, it was the seventh game of the World Series and the Cardinals totally flopped. Their inability to rebound for the biggest game of the year was far more disheartening than losing because of a blown call.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: What is the most exciting and/or memorable sports moment you’ve witnessed live during your career?

(To all of our readers, after seeing what all the journalists have to say to this question, please go to the comments field below and share your favorite sports eyewitness accounts.)

BERNIE MIKLASZ
I have been blessed to witness so many spectacular moments from my perch along press row. There was Mike Tyson, in his prime, delivering a cold-blooded first-round knockout of Michael Spinks in 1989. Ozzie Smith’s dramatic HR to beat the Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS. Joe Montana throwing the winning touchdown pass to John Taylor to lead the 49ers to a come-from-behind victory in Super Bowl 23. Adam Wainwright’s strikeout of Carlos Beltran to clinch Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS at Shea Stadium to send the underdog Cardinals to the World Series. And Wainwright doing it again (Brandon Inge this time) to wrap up the Cardinals’ 10th World Series championship. McGwire’s 62nd homer was awfully exciting at the time.

And before I name my No. 1 moment, let me make special mention of my runner-up: Michael Jordan sinking the winning jumper at Utah in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. The clutch shot provided the Chicago Bulls with their sixth NBA title of the Jordan Era and it would be his last appearance in the NBA championship series. And what a way to go out: the Bulls down, Jordan stealing the ball from Karl Malone, and making his way upcourt to burn Bryon Russell with a crossover dribble to give MJ an open look on that winning 17 foot jumper for his 44th and 45th points of the night.

But the No. 1 is Mike Jones making “The Tackle” of Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson just short of the goal line to save the 1999 Rams’ thrilling victory in Super Bowl 34 on Jan. 30, 2000. So many things set up that moment, including Ricky Proehl’s TD catch to beat Tampa Bay in the 1999 NFC Championship, and Kurt Warner and Isaac Bruce hooking up for that remarkable 73-yard TD pass to put the Rams ahead of Tennessee in that Super Bowl. But the Jones tackle made the dream season into something shocking and real: a Super Bowl championship for a St. Louis NFL team and before 1999 that was something I thought I would never see.

JEFF GORDON
The home-run pass from Kurt Warner to Isaac Bruce in the Super Bowl edges out George Brett’s ALCS homer against Goose Gossage and Villanova’s title game conquest of mighty Georgetown. The whole Rams season was astonishing, then it ended spectacularly with Bruce’s catch and The Tackle. (For me, that play was more a case of Kevin Dyson not getting it done after making the catch.)

MIKE SMITH
In the “arena” at Lake Placid for the 1980 Winter Olympics, there was “press seating” next to the ice for 150 credentialed journalists. You had to line up hours ahead of time to claim one of the seats, but the shuttle bus from our “lodge” out in the Adirondack wilderness broke down that day. Three of us actually hitchhiked into town, putting us behind the first 150 camped out in line.

So, do you believe in miracles? Aware of some space at the back of the broom closet that served as the “broadcast booth” for the game, press officials sent gophers next door to Lake Placid High School to borrow risers from the music department. They schlepped the risers to the broadcast booth, set tiny school chairs on them and crafted an auxiliary press box for about a dozen of us.

And that’s how I got to watch the Miracle On Ice game, sitting three feet directly behind … Al Michaels.

RICK HUMMEL
Sitting at ringside and hearing the ring announcer declare St. Louisan Leon Spinks, an enormous underdog, the winner by a split decision in the world heavyweight championship bout against champion Muhammad Ali in Las Vegas in 1978. I remember climbing onto the ring apron and holding the ropes and saying to myself, “Now, what I am going to write?” because I, like the judge sitting next to me, felt that Spinks had fought well but hadn’t won the fight. I wasn’t prepared for the announcement that Spinks actually had won.

DERRICK GOOLD
One from each of the two beats I’ve had at the Post-Dispatch, and oddly neither of which was too “exciting” for the locals.

First, hockey: Back at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, I covered the tremendous Gold Medal game between Canada and Team USA. Never been at a louder rink and never seen as much at stake as there was for the Canadian team that day. Great game. Great history. Afterward, Wayne Gretzky handed me the “lucky Loonie” they had buried at center ice so I could check the date.

Second, baseball: In 2004, after Game 4 of the World Series, as Red Sox fans wept and got free admission into the ballpark to see the “curse” calmed after 86 years, I stood beside Johnny Pesky as he tried to get into a locked Boston clubhouse in between hugging anyone and everyone who happened by. I don’t think I’ve seen joy like Pesky’s unbridled joy too often in my life. And then the door opened and Pedro Martinez doused everyone with champagne.

BILL COATS
The finish of the 1982 Indianapolis 500. Veteran Gordon Johncock seemingly had the race won, but young Rick Mears began closing on him in the final laps. They pulled even down the front stretch with a lap to go and went wheel-to-wheel the rest of the way. Johncock nosed in front out of the final turn and won by 16-hundredths of a second in front of about 400,000 screaming fans.

GERRY FRALEY
The 2006 Rose Bowl, with the national championship on the line, came down to one play. Trailing 38-33 with 26 seconds remaining, Texas had a fourth-and-five from the USC eight. The play, “Sneak 928,’’ called for quarterback Vince Young to throw. With his first two options covered, Young pulled back the ball and ran to the right side. USC’s lauded defense, which included linebacker Rey Maualuga, could not catch him. Young got to the corner, ran through the tackle of lineman Frostee Rucker and scored the winning touchdown.

That bold play encapsuled Young’s remarkable game. He came as close as a player can come to winning a game single-handedly, running for 200 yards and throwing for 247 yards.

One question lingered for the group of reporters standing just outside the corner of the end zone for that play. Why were several USC song-girls cheering and shaking their pom-pons as Young scored?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
The date was March 26, 2005. The venue was Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. I was covering the Illini basketball team, and with Dee Brown, Deron Williams, James Augustine, Roger Powell and Luther Head, they were hopeful to get to St. Louis for the Final Four. But here the Illini were trailing Arizona 75-60 in an Elite Eight game with four minutes remaining in regulation. A promising season was nearly extinct. Then in one of the most thrilling comebacks in NCAA Tournament history, the Illini went on a 20-5 run, tied the score on Williams’ improbable 3-pointer, and won 90-89 in OT. Some called it “The Resurrection at Rosemont.” I’ll never forget re-writing my entire game story, or watching the Illini travel to play in the NCAA championship game in my backyard. Of course, they lost to North Carolina in the final, but not before producing the best sporting event I’ve ever witnessed.

Editor’s Note: Jeremy provided the following link for anyone who might want to take a stroll down memory lane with that unbelievable come-from-behind Illini win.

ROGER HENSLEY: I’ll never forget being at Minute Maid Park in Houston for Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS. The fans there were going absolutely berserk as the Astros led the series 3-1 and were just one out from securing a 4-2 win over the Cardinals that would propel them to the World Series. Albert Pujols stepped to the plate with two men on and two outs and the Houston crowd was yelling at the top of their lungs thinking closer Brad Lidge was about to turn out the lights on the series. As soon as Pujols made contact with the ball, I mean instantaneously, you knew it was leaving the park, and it flew all the way up onto those silly train tracks in Houston. I have never in my life witnessed a place go from being so insanely loud to pin-drop quiet so quickly. It was just an amazing moment to experience. Of course the Cards did go on to lose that series with Astros back at Busch Stadium, but it doesn’t diminish the memory of that moment one bit. (A close second may be Edmonds diving catch in centerfield in the 2004 NLCS.)

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

ALBERT TAKES A STAND: I thought Joe Strauss brought the heat in this morning’s Post-Dispatch when he quoted Albert Pujols as saying, “My goal is to try to win. If this organization goes the other way, then I have to go the other way.” Those are some pretty strong word’s coming from “The Franchise.” Pujols appears a pretty straight-shooter in the article and tries to be diplomatic by not pointing fingers at anyone, but it’s clear that as a guy who’s deferred millions of dollars in his own paycheck to give the club financial flexibility he is frustrated by the team’s tight purse strings. I wonder what team owner Bill DeWitt and general manager John Mozeliak thought when they read Pujols’ comments today? I know my reaction … “wow.”

If you missed the story, you can still check it out on our Web site. And in addition to the payroll questions, make sure you read to the bottom of the story to get Pujols’ take on steroids. He’s sticking by his guns on things he’s said in the past about performance enhancers and his convictions appear pretty strong on the issue. He doesn’t sound like a guy who’s worried his name is going to be on the list of 104 players who were randomly tested in 2003 (known now as the A-Rod list.)

SPEAKING OF STEROIDS: Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz tells the Associated Press that he believes players who test positive for steroids should be suspended from baseball for the whole season. Now you’re talking. Big Papi, who once said the only thing a test would find inside him was a whole lot of rice and beans, often has been a voice of reason in baseball. Just a big, fun-loving guy who genuinely seems to just have fun playing the game. A full-season suspension would hit players where it really counts — in their wallets — so I think this might be the most sensible thing I’ve heard yet. And today I’ve become a bigger fan of Ortiz.

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THINGS TO PONDER

THE POWER PLAY DANCE: I don’t yet really know much about this latest craze going on at the Scottrade Center known as the “power play dance,” but I’m determined to find out. I’m taking my daughter to next Tuesday’s game with Phoenix, and if I see enough folks doing it we might just have to do a write-up in the paper about it. I need to see for myself if it’s just a couple folks doing it, or if it’s really catching on as a phenomenon at the games. I see a lot of posters on our forums discussing the merits of the dance — whether it’s cool or dorky or whatever — but I’m not sure why anyone would criticize others for getting fired up and showing their support in whatever way they so desire … within reason, of course. But if it’s really catching on at the Scotty, I’m betting my 10-year-old will be doing the dance by game’s end.

THE COMBINE’S VALUE: Hey, Rams fans, ESPN has a live chat going on all day today with a panel of their experts breaking down the upcoming NFL Combine and what it might mean to your favorite team. If you haven’t stopped in, it might be worth a look.

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STAT OF DAY

35 — The largest margin of victory in the regular-season goal-scoring race. Who did it? Brett Hull for the 1990-91 St. Louis Blues. Hull netted 86 goals that season. There were three runners-up for second-place at 51 goals apiece … Steve Yzerman, Cam Neely and Theoren Fleury. (Source: Hockey’s Top 100, the Game’s Greatest Records.)