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: Fans seemingly are always debating who’s the Blues better brawler — D.J. King or Cam Janssen? What are the differences in style and impact these guys bring to the ice for the Blues?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
D.J. King and Cam Janssen are both enforcers, but they’re completely different on the ice. King (6-3, 228) is considered a bigger heavyweight in the NHL, while Janssen (6-0, 210) is seen as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the league. Both can put an opponent on the ice with one punch. King might be able to land the haymaker, which could come from the left or right side, but Janssen can deliver a series of blows that can accumulate quickly.

But when they’re not brawling, that’s when they are even more different as players. King is the better puck protector, holding it in the corner and keeping it away from the opponent. He’s not an offensive threat by any means, but he can handle his own. Janssen, while not as good with the puck, is better than King at sizing up opponents on the boards and delivering bone-crushing hits. That’s a very key part to Janssen’s game. As feared a fighter as King is, the Blues wish he were as physical during the play as Janssen.

But that’s what makes the game entertaining. Every player brings something different.

JEFF GORDON
King is a true heavyweight, capable of taking on the biggest and toughest enforcers in the NHL. Janssen can fight almost anybody, but he isn’t a Tony Twist-like deterrent. But he skates well enough to make big hits and agitate the other side. Janssen has more game-to-game value on the fourth line, stirring things up. And he can certainly handle himself. He embraces his role with some flair and helps fuel the Blues’ home-ice advantage.

DAN O’NEILL
D.J. King is 20 pounds heavier and three inches taller than Cam Janssen, so that presents some obvious differences. In most of his fights, King is the physical equal of his opponent, if not superior. Janssen is often fighting someone bigger. His fights are usually marathons, not sprints. And he often overwhelms the opponenent with the number of punches he throws. It would be interesting to see both guys fight a common opponent — and I’m thinking Kanye West might be a wonderful study subject.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
What these guys do is give the Blues a “nuclear deterrent,” a form of protection for the skill players. You could also say they provide a shot of adrenaline at times when the team appears to be dragging a bit. Cam and D.J. also understand that what they do needs to fit into the structure of the game on any given night. As for the difference in style, it’s as different as their off-ice personalities. D.J. is soft spoken, a bit reserved and when he fights he works calmly to set up one or two big blows. Cam is outgoing, energetic and fights like his hair is on fire. What they’re both working on is improving the other aspects of their games, per Andy Murray’s wishes, so that they’re more than just brawlers and can serve as important physical forces outside of their fights.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
The immediate difference one sees between D.J. King and Cam Janssen is the size. King stands about 6-3, 230 while Janssen weighs in much smaller at about 6-foot and about 205. King is also a true NHL heavyweight, Janssen is not. Janssen may not be a heavy but he’s proven he’s willing to go the heavies anytime. Their styles are pretty different on the ice. Janssen is one of the more effective pests in the league. He irritates the opposition by getting under the skin of opposing players and more often than not can have an impact on a game without dropping the gloves. Players around the league know King is extremely tough and can throw with anybody but he doesn’t play the same physical, aggressive style you see Janssen bring to the ice.

You can argue King is better with the puck than Janssen and is pretty good at controlling the puck along the wall, especially below the goal line in the offensive zone. The Blues would like to see King have more of a presence on the ice and play a more tenacious, in-your-face style. There are ways to play tough without dropping the gloves and King could throw his body around a little more than what we’ve seen in his short time in the NHL.

Opposing D-men know when Janssen is on the ice. He’s a tremendous north and south skater and uses his speed to deliver some serious bone-crushing hits nearly every time he touches the ice. King may be considered the better fighter but Jannsen undoubtedly plays tougher. Janssen plays an even bigger role on home ice with his ability to get the crowd into the game. He’s also one of the more popular players among his teammates and the fans. I wrote last year the Blues record when Janssen dresses is incredibly impressive.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Nashville’s come-from-behind shootout victory over the Red Wings Thursday night has made tonight’s Blues-Columbus game all the more important. The Blues need a win. Assuming the Note can pull this one out, who needs to be the team’s three stars tonight and why?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD

Keith Tkachuk: A lot of eyes will be on ‘Big Walt’ tonight, and I am talking about guys in the locker room, not fans. The target of much postseason criticism, Tkachuk must be a leader tonight in a pressure-packed situation. He may not finish with two goals and two assists but his presence better be felt.

T.J. Oshie: You could pick any one of the three kids, but I picked Oshie because of the way the crowd feeds off him. If the “kid line” has success, the Blues will have success.

Chris Mason: Simple … if Mason isn’t one of the Blues’ 3 stars, the team’s chances of winning are tremendously diminished.

BERNIE MIKLASZ

Chris Mason: Do we really need to explain why? The goaltender has been the Blues’ firewall during the team’s comeback charge, starting 31 consecutive games and posting a .916 save percentage through that stretch. He’s 3-1 vs. the Blue Jackets since taking over as STL’s No. 1 goalie. Mason has to be stingy tonight.

David Backes: For as well as he’s played, Backes has missed a chance to really shine against the Blue Jackets this season. He has one goal and is a minus-2 against them in five games. The thing is, Backes has had plenty of scoring opportunities against Columbus; his 17 shots on goal are the most by a Blues player vs. the CBJ this season. Backes has to cash in tonight. When he scores goals, the impact is obvious; the Blues are 15-6-6 this season when they get a goal from their future captain.

Jay McClement: He’s probably the most underrated Blue. Usually assigned to shadow the other team’s top line, McClement has done a fine job of limiting the potential damage inflicted by the top guns. He’s played well against CBJ this season. It’s imperative that the Blues get a stellar performance from the McClement, Alex Steen and B.J. Crombeen checking line.

There’s also that Oshie fellow. Rick Nash has heard of him.

DAN O’NEILL

Chris Mason needs to be the No. 1 star because, bottom line, the Blues can’t win without stout goaltending. Mason bounced back with a good performance against Phoenix, but he has been a little vulnerable to the soft goal in recent games.

T.J. Oshie needs to be the No. 2 star because he simply has been the team’s best player for the past several games. Oshie is the straw the stirs the drink, to put it in Reggie Jackson terms.

Jay McClement needs to be the No. 3 star. The McClement line was the Blues’ best in Phoenix and McClement has been a two-way star down the stretch. He will need to win key faceoffs and keep the Rick Nash-Manny Malhotra line under wraps.

JEFF GORDON

Chris Mason needs to be the first star, obviously. Goaltending is everything at this time of year. Mason sprung a few leaks in recent games, but now it’s time to get into playoff form. This game offers that opportunity.

The atmosphere at Scottrade will be highly charged. Since Barret Jackman figures to be on the ice against Rick Nash much of the night, he needs to be a star.

And T.J. Oshie will have a target on his back, again, so he must be ready to play a great (and alert) game.

TOM TIMMERMANN

Repeating a theme, the Blues can’t have a bad game by Chris Mason. In a game like this, you need your goalie to be your best player.

As for the other two people who need to step up …

A good game for Brad Boyes, who despite having three goals and two assists for the Blues against Columbus is even in plus-minus, would bode well for here and down the line.

And another big game for David Backes would mean he’s staying hot. The Blues caught a break that Columbus clinched its playoff spot the other night. This would be a much tougher game if Columbus was playing to clinch its first playoff spot. Now the Blues will have a big edge in emotion.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)

I’m not sure if this will be as adventurous as when they actually pick the three stars down at the Scotttrade Center, but I‘ll give it a try.

My gut tells me to pick Cam Janssen only because that would mean he’s in the lineup — but we know that’s not going to happen. The team shouldn’t need him to get the building rocking tonight anyway. With the way the Blues have lacked intensity in the opening period of recent games though, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to throw him in there.

Since he’s excluded here’s my 3 stars for tonight. Maybe a little off the cuff, but c’mon, I can’t be that predictable.

Carlo Colaiacovo: I have a felling this guy will have a strong game tonight and will bury at least one PP goal. He’s rested after sitting out practice yesterday and I know he’s fired up to be in this position. This kid is driven and I expect him to deliver this evening.

Keith Tkachuk: As the leader of the Blues he needs to step up tonight and do just that … Lead! The playoffs are so close to being a reality for this club and I feel it would only be fitting if it was Big Walt who stepped up and had his biggest game of the year in the most important game. Wait, didn’t we say the last game was the most important? And the one before that?

Patrik Berglund: He’s due! The trend as of late is that Berglund shows up big once every four or five nights. Something tells me he’s in for a big game. The Blues will ask the youth to rise up and I have a feeling the Friday Night Lights will shine the brightest on this kid. Wasn’t it Columbus netminder Steve Mason who stole this kid’s Calder Trophy?

Bonus Round … T.J. Oshie gets the Hard Hat!

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)

The first name that comes to mind is Chris Mason. The team’s surge in the standings has directly coincided with his taking over as the #1 goalie, so it is impossible to overstate how important his play is to the team. The Blues need him to come up big again tonight.

You know T.J. Oshie will have a great big bullseye on his back tonight as Rick Nash will certainly try to get some payback for Oshie’s big hits on him in the last two games between these teams. The Blue Jackets might be better off just not going there because Oshie feeds off that kind of stuff. He’ll have a big game on both sides of the ice tonight.

David Backes needs to be the Blues’ version of Rick Nash tonight, providing consistent offensive pressure against Jackets’ goalie Steve Mason and bringing a physical presence, as well. He’s been amazing down the stretch and, like Oshie, he feeds on these big moments.

Columbus can lock up the 6th spot in the West with a win tonight and the Blues can clinch a playoff spot with a win and some help from Minnesota in their game against Nashville, so both teams will be breathing fire when they hit the ice. Game on.

THE WATERCOOLER
(Post-Dispatch columnists and beat writers share their thoughts on a question of the day.)

Question: Is there anything that the Cardinals did or didn’t do at this year’s winter meetings that surprised you?

BERNIE MIKLASZ
No surprises here, because I had low expectations, but I was caught a little off guard by their interest in Brian Fuentes. I assumed he’d be out of their price range. We’ll see what happens. But I do think GM John Mozeliak made good use of his time. He takes a methodical approach and the winter meetings were a prime opportunity for Mozeliak to set the table for deals to come later.

JOE STRAUSS
I’m surprised to the degree the Cardinals have shown their willingness to deal Rick Ankiel for pitching help. Likewise, it’s surprising the market is so tepid for a player of Ankiel’s talent, but the explanation can be found in the overabundance of outfielders in the free agent market.

DERRICK GOOLD
On Monday evening, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak dismissed his team’s chances of signing Brian Fuentes and doubted they would even engage the lefty in talks. At the same time, the market was pushing them together. I wasn’t so much surprised by what the Cardinals did or didn’t do at these winter meetings, but I am surprised by what these meetings and this market could allow them to do. The closer they needed and couldn’t afford has dropped into their bidding bracket. The starter they must have for depth will still be around in January. The Cardinals may have had a best-case scenario calculated for this offseason, but even their rainbow dreams and pigs-fly aspirations couldn’t have looked as good for them as what has actually happened. Now, all they have to do is pull it off.

RICK HUMMEL
I’m not surprised that nothing major happened for the Cardinals. Sometimes the meetings serve more as groundwork. They’ll get a closer sooner than later but there will be plenty of starting pitchers out there, even into spring training when needs can better be identified.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

BIG APPLE BITES BACK: If CC Sabathia had landed in St. Louis, I think folks here would be doing cartwheels. Not necessarily so in The Big Apple. In fact, New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica takes the Yankees to task today about the $161 million deal. Lupica points out that though the Yankees like to talk about their farm system, that’s just talk. He adds that the team shelled out the richest pitching contract ever just a year after they didn’t make the playoffs and right before they are about to move into a new ballpark … and they’ll ask the fans to pay for it. “The Yankees panhandle like this in broad daylight, by the way, and without a hint of embarrassment,” Lupica says.

Welcome to New York, CC.

WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES: Blues goalie Manny Legace is day-to-day after being kneed in the head last night; here’s Chris Mason’s chance to show he’s the man … The Rams game will be blacked out locally this week; local football fans should now have the chance to see a good game on TV Sunday … The Cardinals appear to be leaving Las Vegas without pitching help; that just means the top of the tree hasn’t been pared enough yet … The Mets land closers Francisco Rodriguez AND J.J. Putz; that should clear away some of that pesky primo fruit … The Avalanche’s Joe Sakic breaks three fingers in a snowblower accident; it doesn’t affect the back injury that was supposed to keep him out until mid-January anyway … Pacman Jones’ is likely out for season due to a neck injury; at least no one else got hurt … Three Heisman finalists are announced; Chase Daniel is spared a trip to New York and can go ahead and start packing for San Antonio.

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SOMETHING TO PONDER

DROPPING THE GLOVES: When Blues enforcer D.J. King went down with an injury earlier this season, I didn’t know if hometown boy Cam Janssen had the size needed to keep other teams honest. But the intensity Janssen brings to a brawl is something to behold and I’ve seen him bring the Scottrade crowds to their feet on many nights. Janssen may look small compared to some of the league’s other enforcers, but so far he has seemed to hold his own — and then some. And when the fight is over and he skates toward the box, Janssen just has this crazy-eyed expression that says, “Wow, that was fun.”

But how good is Janssen as a fighter? To answer that question I called up former Blues enforcer Reed Low and ask him to share his thoughts with me on the subject. Below is what he had to say:

REED LOW: Cam Janssen is pound-for-pound one of the toughest kids I’ve seen or played against since Tie Domi in his early days, when Domi used to beat down the biggest and toughest guys in the league. One of the things that makes Cam special is that his punching power is so much better than I have seen on a lot of guys twice his size. Mix that with his unusually long reach for a shorter guy and he can catch the big guys when they think they have him.

Before I retired, Cam and I used to train together boxing, and he hit the bag so hard it reminded me of Ivan Drago (Rocky IV). When Cam throws a punch in games, he pulls with the other hand to bring the opponent into him. That works for him because he is so strong that most guys can’t fend it off, and if they try and go toe-to-toe, Cam is willing and most likely to put the guy’s nose in line with his ears.

The biggest asset Cam has is his love of fighting. I had it too, and I loved to scare the other team and was a little crazy just to make sure that they knew I could go off. Cam has this burning in his blood and it is what makes him so good at what he does. He loves it … and I mean he loves it. Cam dreams about kicking people’s (behinds). He is working on his timing this year and he’s getting some ice time and trying to balance both jobs — which is by far the hardest job in the league.

But the best thing about Cam is that off the ice he has a huge heart and would do anything for anyone. He is the first to charity events and the last to leave. This is how most tough guys in the league are because they appreciate what they have and that people enjoy what they do. I hope that the league will recognize this instead of trying to eliminate it. This breed of player is far more that just hockey fighters, they are the fight in hockey. And without the Cam Janssens of hockey, it is nothing more than another Olympic sport.

EDITOR’S NOTE: In case you’ve forgotten how Reed Low patrolled the ice for the Blues, I nabbed this highlight video off of youtube. Enjoy.

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STAT OF THE DAY

11,271 yards — That Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor will miss the rest of the season because of an injury is not all that surprising given his injury history. What is surprising is that his 11,271 rushing yards ranks 16th all-time in the NFL. That’s pretty exclusive company. A look at Taylor and those above him in all-time rushing yards.

1. Emmitt Smith — 18,355
2. Walter Payton — 16,726
3. Barry Sanders — 15,269
4. Curtis Martin — 14,101
5. Jerome Bettis — 13,662
6. Eric Dickerson — 13,259
7. Tony Dorsett — 12,739
8. Jim Brown — 12,312
9. Marshall Faulk — 12,279
10. Marcus Allen — 12,243
11. Franco Harris — 12,120
12. Thurman Thomas — 12,074
13. Edgerrin James* — 12,002
14. LaDainian Tomlinson* — 11,535
15. John Riggins — 11,352
16. Fred Taylor* — 11,271

* active players