Jay-Bo appreciation thread

[BlueDream]

Yeah the soft part was sarcasm. I thought that was obvious due to me giving credit to him stepping up on McGinn.

Ah well. I should have put the smiley instead. My bad!

 

[Halak Ness Monster]

Bouwmeester has to be loving life right now.

Goes from not making the playoffs for his whole career to being on the best team in hockey.

The Blues are now 29-6-3 with Bouwmeester in the regular season.

Every thing the guy does is top notch. I expect to see Pietrangelo and JayBo paired together on team Canada. These guys are playing phenomenal hockey right now.

Armstrong with another great trade and contract extension. We've got Bo for 5 more years!

 

[LGB51]

He might be serious.....

I don't think he is serious either...because he said so

 

[David71]

how has he looked for the blues this season? do you think he''ll be one of the final cuts to make it to team canada paired with piets? do you blue fans think he's a soft player?

 

[BlueDream]

how has he looked for the blues this season? do you think he''ll be one of the final cuts to make it to team canada paired with piets? do you blue fans think he's a soft player?

He's been flawless and should absolutely make Team Canada, IMO. Not only would him and Petro form a great pair because of their chemistry, but I would actually argue that Bouwmeester has outplayed Petro at times this season. He plays exceptional defense, uses his frame nicely to knock pucks away, and gets pucks out of the zone quickly. He is also scoring a lot of points.

He's awesome. He doesn't deserve the soft label but I knew that before he got here.

 

[Hooliganx3]

how has he looked for the blues this season? do you think he''ll be one of the final cuts to make it to team canada paired with piets? do you blue fans think he's a soft player?

Most places I have read seem to think Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester will be a pairing.

 

[Skew06]

He does everything right. He's the player that half of the fans pretend Jackman is. A good, solid d-man who quietly goes about his job. MOVES THE PUCK WELL. Smart decisions. Doesnt get caught watching the puck. I couldnt be more happy with him, and now that we have him locked up long term, I think that it's right up there with the Stewart/Shattenkirk steal.

 

[JustOneB4IDie]

Now that we have reached the 1/2 point of the season, Jaybo IMO has been the best Blues defender in the 1st half of the season, and to think at this time last year everyone thought getting Jaybo for Cal and Gary was that ship has sailed, go figure.

 

[BigB]

I feel so blessed to have Jaybo. Feeling he has been our best and over Pietrangelo this first half of season. They look just amazing as a pair for sure.

 

[Robb_K]

When people say he's soft, he's no more or less soft that Petro, Shatty, MacInnis, Housley, Coffey, Bourque and Lidstrom.

Bouwmeester plays a more "physical" game than most of those players, and he is probably more effective on defence than Shattenkirk is, and than Housley and Coffey were.

 

[BlueDream]

I do think Bouwmeester has been our best d-man this year, at least defensively. He's one of the most reliable players I've seen back there.

 

[taylord22]

I didn't think he was the "right" partner for Petro prior to the trade, but there's little doubt at this point. Those two play incredible hockey together.

I think we all knew that he was a good puck mover, and that he played 'good' hockey in Calgary, but he was overpaid, overrated, and soft. The latter two, after getting a better sense of who he is, seem almost definitely a causation of personal drive. I'm sure he gave a great effort most nights in Calgary, but there has definitely been a shift in his determination even compared to last year. More emotion. More smiles. More shoves protecting the net. etc. etc.

He's been our best positional and net-front defender all year long. I hesitate saying he's best overall simply because Pietrangelo's work along the boards continues to be masterful.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

I'm going to retroactively toot my own horn on JayBo.

The discussion around here was to steer clear of JayBo, but quietly I was hoping Army would go after him. Breathing any word of that would have drawn fire from too many people.

so.....

 

[erderuft]

Bouwmeester has been great, and I really hope he makes the Canadian olympic team. He really should. Wonder were he'd be in the olympic roster depth chart if he wasn't traded to the Blues. In the running at all? Doubtful.

 

[542365]

Bouwmeester has been great, and I really hope he makes the Canadian olympic team. He really should. Wonder were he'd be in the olympic roster depth chart if he wasn't traded to the Blues. In the running at all? Doubtful.

Yeah I honestly doubt it. Even if he was named, can you imagine the uproar if he was named and Subban wasn't if JBo was never traded here? That would be hysterical to read.

 

[Alklha]

They were determined to take 4 LHD, so even if he was still in Calgary I think it is safe to assume he'd have made the roster. Also, at least Armstrong and Babcock would have been fighting to have him there.

Difference is that instead of fighting it out with someone for icetime, there will be a Bouwmeester-Pietrangelo pairing that will see plenty of ice-time.

 

[Zamadoo]

I am a huge Bouwmeester fan. Great skater, great defender, Iron Man, and perfect fit for the Blues top pairing. I recently acquired a Jay Bouwmeester jersey in honor of his excellence!

 

[TheRyanExpress]

I have to admit my ignorance. I used to think Bouw was overrated on the Flames, mostly because of his contract. It's typical when a guy signs a big deal to get a bullseye on his back, and I bought into that. When we traded for him? I didn't like it. I thought we were going to get the overpaid, underperforming mess that he was in Calgary.

I'm happy to admit that I was wrong. Dude is one of the smoothest skaters I've seen in a long time. He's rarely out of position and if he is, his long arms/stick make up for it. What I wasn't privy to was that Calgary's D wasn't as aggressive as the Blues' D. He's been such an excellent addition. With Bouw, Petro, and Shatty locked up for a long time, our D core is rock solid for the foreseeable future.