Same ole' Song and Dance?

Andy Murray took over for Mike Kitchen as the head coach of the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday morning. The question on Murray's head is whether or not he can straighten a rather distraught hockey team right now? His credentials check out, there's no doubt about that, and Blues President John Davidson says: "I believe he is the right person for the job."

Well, if there's one thing I've learned about coaches taking over in the middle of a season, it's that they usually AREN'T the right person for the job rather they're more of a safety net. However, Murray may be different. He brings over 25 years of coaching experience, both at the NHL and International level. He is the Los Angeles King's all-time leader in wins, at 215, and his King's teams have recorded 90 or more points three times. He became the second fastest coach to win 100 games in King's history, and maybe he'll step on the ball with the Blues as well. Murray is also the only coach in Team Canada Olympic history to coach the squad to two gold medals, 1997 and 2003. He most recently coached in the NHL with the now non-existant Winnipeg Jets from 1992-1995.

Murray takes over for Kitchen who, in all fairness, never had a legitimate shot at coaching the Blues. I really thought they would give him at least one more year, but I guess I was alone in that assessment. It seems a popular move in Blues Country. But keep in mind that Kitchen did have it rough, he had to deal with a team fire sale and a year without an owner. But hey, it's a "win and win now" sports society these days. And losers don't have a place.

In Murray's first game as coach, the Blues took it on the chin against the rival Blackhawks. The 'Hawks netted three third period goals to win 3-2. The Blues had goals from Christian Backman and Doug Weight.

The Bluenotes goes west towards the mountains and skate against the Colorado Avalanche and former Blues coach Joel Quennveille tonight. They look to improve on the league's worst record, and snap an 8 game losing straight. Their last win was a 3-2 shootout victory over Detroit on November 24th. They have one game in their last seven visits to Colorado.

Due to recent injuries in the Blue's net, Davidson announced the recall of twenty year old Marek Schwarz from Peoria. Schwarz was a first round pick (17the selection) in 2004 entry draft. In 12 games with the Riverman thus far in the season, he's 9-2-0 and has a .912 save percentage. He ranks fourth in AHL with a 2.28 goals agaisnt average. He splits time in Peoria with Jason Bacashihua, who has also been recalled and is minding for the Blues as starters Manny Legace and Curtis Sanford recover from their respective injuries. Schwarz started last night's loss against the Blackhawks, shuting the bad guys out through two periods.

In Other BluesNotes:
*The Blues first overall pick in the 2006 draft, Erick Johnson, has been selected to play on the 2007 National Junior Team.