Team of the Decade: St. Louis Blues Edition

LastWordArmy

Registered User
Sep 11, 2011
9,056
3,543
Canada
St. Louis Blues Decade Team

This past decade of St. Louis Blues play was, simply put, the most successful in team history. They made the playoffs in all but two years and were held to just the first round only twice. Of course, they then capped off the decade with the first Stanley Cup win in the team’s history. It was a decade that saw the Blues truly come into their own. The emergence of players like Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko brought the team a truly elite identity that they hadn’t had since Brett Hull left the lineup in 1998.

The St. Louis Blues decade team is composed of these figure-heads: players that built the team into a truly magnificent franchise, one that is now viewed as arguably the best team in the league. Even names that have since left the team spent their time in St. Louis building the confidence and determination of the entire city, something that mounted in their ultimate Cup win.

St. Louis Blues Team of the Decade - Last Word on Hockey
 

simon IC

Moderator
Sponsor
Sep 8, 2007
9,219
7,606
Canada
eeek did you seriously put kevin shattenkirk over jaybo as our LHD???

if you are gonna do that, miswell make it parayko
I completely agree! Bouwmeester should have the LD spot. Heck, I would even put Barret Jackman in before Shattenkirk.
 

Bluesnatic27

Registered User
Aug 5, 2011
4,712
3,209
I actually do appreciate someone to look positively on Shattenkirk given he was a really good defenseman with the Blues, but no, he shouldn't go in the LHD spot.

But having Steen in for Schwartz makes no sense to me. I don't care if Steen was here longer, Schwartz was always the more impactful player.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: simon IC

Blueston

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Dec 4, 2016
18,706
19,286
Houston, TX
I actually do appreciate someone to look positively on Shattenkirk given he was a really good defenseman with the Blues, but no, he shouldn't go in the LHD spot.

But having Steen in for Schwartz makes no sense to me. I don't care if Steen has been here longer, Schwartz was always the more impactful player.
Afraid this is recency bias. Steen was our best all around forward most of the decade.
 
Last edited:

DeuceNine

Like You Read About
Aug 6, 2006
813
205
Stymieville
St. Louis Blues Decade Team

This past decade of St. Louis Blues play was, simply put, the most successful in team history. They made the playoffs in all but two years and were held to just the first round only twice. Of course, they then capped off the decade with the first Stanley Cup win in the team’s history. It was a decade that saw the Blues truly come into their own. The emergence of players like Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko brought the team a truly elite identity that they hadn’t had since Brett Hull left the lineup in 1998.

The St. Louis Blues decade team is composed of these figure-heads: players that built the team into a truly magnificent franchise, one that is now viewed as arguably the best team in the league. Even names that have since left the team spent their time in St. Louis building the confidence and determination of the entire city, something that mounted in their ultimate Cup win.

St. Louis Blues Team of the Decade - Last Word on Hockey
If you're going all-decade, you have to include last year, which seems to be intentionally omitted or diminished for some reason. You have to have a Selke/CS winner on that list; the first goalie to win a Cup here; Tank of course; and JayBo and Petro on D. I'll agree on Steener for the work ethic, and kick in a "floater" vote for Perron.
 

izzy

go
Apr 29, 2012
86,760
18,732
Nova Scotia
Afraid this is recency bias. Steen was our best all around forward most of the decade.

yeah as much as hes fallen offthe last 2 years, he was a force on both ends of the ice

could have done without him being constantly on the point during the powerplay to take slapshots, but other than that he was amazing
 

Brian39

Registered User
Apr 24, 2014
7,029
12,744
I actually do appreciate someone to look positively on Shattenkirk given he was a really good defenseman with the Blues, but no, he shouldn't go in the LHD spot.

But having Steen in for Schwartz makes no sense to me. I don't care if Steen was here longer, Schwartz was always the more impactful player.

2016/17 was Schwartz's first season where he outscored Steen and Steen has always been the better player defensively.

Steen scored 51 points in 72 games during year 1 of this decade (the 2010/11 season) before Schwartz arrived.

Steen scored 55 points in 83 games during Schwartz's first 2 years in the NHL (2011/12 and 2012/13). Schwartz played 52 games in that stretch and scored 16 points.

Schwartz became a top 6 forward in 2013/14, scoring 141 points in 188 games played over the next 3 seasons. Steen outscored him in each of these 3 seasons, totaling 178 points in 209 games played. That's .85 ppg vs .75 ppg in favor of Steen and Steen got Selke votes in each of those seasons but one. He also got two votes for the Hart in 2013/14 and votes for end of season all star team in two of those seasons.

For the first 6 seasons of the decade, Steen was more impactful. Schwartz was on the roster for 5 of those seasons. In 2016/17, I think Schwartz was more impactful, but there is an argument to be made that Steen's 2-way game outweighed Schwartz's edge in offensive production. Schwartz has been more impactful from 2017/18 onward.

I would have given the honor to Schwartz on the grounds that his more impactful time coincides with the team getting over the hump to make the WCF and winning the Cup in a 4 year span. His playoff performances in each of those seasons outweigh any of Steen's playoff performances as a Blue. But it is just incorrect to say that Schwartz was always the more impactful player this decade. Without a doubt, Steen was a more important roster piece for at least half of the decade.
 
  • Like
Reactions: simon IC

Brian39

Registered User
Apr 24, 2014
7,029
12,744
Double post so I can comment on my thoughts as a whole.

I think these selections drastically undervalue the value of a Cup win and drastically overvalue the contributions of guys that consistently got the team to the playoffs but couldn't get over the hump. As I stated above, I would have chosen Schwartz over Steen as the LW for that reason.

I can live with Backes being chosen over ROR. ROR had an amazing year in the final season of the decade, but I get the argument that Backes was the heart and soul for 6 years and was captain when we made a WCF run. This is the one position where I would have prioritized "lengthy contribution throughout the decade" over a "massive contribution to the Cup."

"Jay Bouwmeester was a crucial part of the Blues lineup through the latter half of the decade but always played a second-fiddle role behind Shattenkirk." What a brutal take. Bo averaged over a minute a night more than Shatty throughout their tenure as Blues and that gap went up to almost 2 minutes a night in the playoffs. Shatty wasn't even here for the last 3 seasons of the decade, so I don't know how the hell you can believe Bo played 2nd fiddle to him through the latter half of the decade. Shatty absolutely shouldn't be on this list. He was very good as a Blue, but the article even mentions that he played on the left side for less than 50% of his time here. He was here for the WCF run, but was largely played on the right side during that playoff run. Bo/Petro was the top pair with the 2nd pair most often being Gunnar/Parayko. Shatty took some shifts on the left side in offensive situations, but his regular deployment in that run was as the 3 RD at even strength while quarterbacking the top PP unit. He was 4th in even strength TOI per game among our D men in that run, playing 4:30 a night less than Bo at even strength. He played a significantly smaller LD role than Bo when they were here together, he played a lesser role than Bo during our WCF run when they were here together and he wasn't here for our Cup run where we leaned on LD Bo to play 23:30 a night and be half of the best shut down pair in the NHL. On top of playing a substantially larger role than Shatty during our 2 deep playoff runs (and actually winning the Cup), Bo played more games as a Blue during this decade than Shatty did. There is no way Bo shouldn't be the LD on the all-decade team. He has been the top pairing LD every year he has been here but one. The one year he wasn't was the 17/18 season where he gutted through his hip injury and missed almost 50 games.

Goalie: There is at least some validity to this argument, since Binner only had 1 (partial) season with the NHL club during the decade. But Binner had a monster year to save our season last year, became one of a handful of faces for the franchise and will always be remembered as the best money goalie in the history of the franchise for his performance in the back half of playoff series in 2019. If your putting Backes over ROR to represent the first half of the decade, Binner beats out Elliott.

All in all, it is bizarre to me that every single close(ish) call here deferred to the guy who was here longer but never helped the team get over the hump. Half of the selections weren't here for the franchise's first Cup. Of the 3 who were here, Steen was on the tail end of his career and is on the list for his contributions to non-Cup teams. He was selected as the LW representative, which is not the position he played for his contribution to the Cup. So that's 4 of 6 selections who were picked for their work outside of the Cup win. Petro and Tarasenko both would have been locks at their position even had we not won the Cup last year as they were clearly the top performer of their position for the entire decade. How on Earth are none of these selections given to a guy who came in and put a good team over the hump? This is exactly how the list would have looked after the 2016 WCF run (although I would have still argued for Bo over Shatty at LD since he actually played that position). How does the all-decade team not get a single guy who is on their specifically for his contribution to the franchise's first Cup?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: simon IC

Mike Liut

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Feb 12, 2008
19,285
8,826
Schwartz - Backes - Tarasenko
JBo - Petro
Allen


I think you need a minimum of 3 seasons to be considered on the all decade team
 

Blueston

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Dec 4, 2016
18,706
19,286
Houston, TX
Double post so I can comment on my thoughts as a whole.

I think these selections drastically undervalue the value of a Cup win and drastically overvalue the contributions of guys that consistently got the team to the playoffs but couldn't get over the hump. As I stated above, I would have chosen Schwartz over Steen as the LW for that reason.

I can live with Backes being chosen over ROR. ROR had an amazing year in the final season of the decade, but I get the argument that Backes was the heart and soul for 6 years and was captain when we made a WCF run. This is the one position where I would have prioritized "lengthy contribution throughout the decade" over a "massive contribution to the Cup."

"Jay Bouwmeester was a crucial part of the Blues lineup through the latter half of the decade but always played a second-fiddle role behind Shattenkirk." What a brutal take. Bo averaged over a minute a night more than Shatty throughout their tenure as Blues and that gap went up to almost 2 minutes a night in the playoffs. Shatty wasn't even here for the last 3 seasons of the decade, so I don't know how the hell you can believe Bo played 2nd fiddle to him through the latter half of the decade. Shatty absolutely shouldn't be on this list. He was very good as a Blue, but the article even mentions that he played on the left side for less than 50% of his time here. He was here for the WCF run, but was largely played on the right side during that playoff run. Bo/Petro was the top pair with the 2nd pair most often being Gunnar/Parayko. Shatty took some shifts on the left side in offensive situations, but his regular deployment in that run was as the 3 RD at even strength while quarterbacking the top PP unit. He was 4th in even strength TOI per game among our D men in that run, playing 4:30 a night less than Bo at even strength. He played a significantly smaller LD role than Bo when they were here together, he played a lesser role than Bo during our WCF run when they were here together and he wasn't here for our Cup run where we leaned on LD Bo to play 23:30 a night and be half of the best shut down pair in the NHL. On top of playing a substantially larger role than Shatty during our 2 deep playoff runs (and actually winning the Cup), Bo played more games as a Blue during this decade than Shatty did. There is no way Bo shouldn't be the LD on the all-decade team. He has been the top pairing LD every year he has been here but one. The one year he wasn't was the 17/18 season where he gutted through his hip injury and missed almost 50 games.

Goalie: There is at least some validity to this argument, since Binner only had 1 (partial) season with the NHL club during the decade. But Binner had a monster year to save our season last year, became one of a handful of faces for the franchise and will always be remembered as the best money goalie in the history of the franchise for his performance in the back half of playoff series in 2019. If your putting Backes over ROR to represent the first half of the decade, Binner beats out Elliott.

All in all, it is bizarre to me that every single close(ish) call here deferred to the guy who was here longer but never helped the team get over the hump. Half of the selections weren't here for the franchise's first Cup. Of the 3 who were here, Steen was on the tail end of his career and is on the list for his contributions to non-Cup teams. He was selected as the LW representative, which is not the position he played for his contribution to the Cup. So that's 4 of 6 selections who were picked for their work outside of the Cup win. Petro and Tarasenko both would have been locks at their position even had we not won the Cup last year as they were clearly the top performer of their position for the entire decade. How on Earth are none of these selections given to a guy who came in and put a good team over the hump? This is exactly how the list would have looked after the 2016 WCF run (although I would have still argued for Bo over Shatty at LD since he actually played that position). How does the all-decade team not get a single guy who is on their specifically for his contribution to the franchise's first Cup?
Gotta stand up for Steen again. I've been rewatching the wins from our Cup run (up to Game 5 of SJ series so far) and one of the things that has surprised me is how key Steen was. Both in terms of making great defensive plays to protect leads but also he made more sweet offensive plays than I remembered. Admittedly this isn't peak Steen, but when you weigh that with his overall body of work not only is he ahead of Schwartz, I think he has compelling case as our top overall forward for the decade.
 

Brian39

Registered User
Apr 24, 2014
7,029
12,744
Gotta stand up for Steen again. I've been rewatching the wins from our Cup run (up to Game 5 of SJ series so far) and one of the things that has surprised me is how key Steen was. Both in terms of making great defensive plays to protect leads but also he made more sweet offensive plays than I remembered. Admittedly this isn't peak Steen, but when you weigh that with his overall body of work not only is he ahead of Schwartz, I think he has compelling case as our top overall forward for the decade.
I would select Schwartz over Steen, but I definitely don't fault anyone who would choose Steen. Our 4th line was awesome in the playoffs last year and Steen was a big part of that. One thing that hasn't been mentioned in Steen's favor is that he wears a letter and clearly has the respect of the locker room. I'd say that Steen vs Schwartz was my toughest call on this list.

It's such a shame we squandered a 2-0 series lead over the Kings in 2013. Steener's shorthanded OT winner is probably my favorite moment of his as a Blue. It would be even fonder if we had gone on to eliminate the defending Cup champs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stupendous Yappi

Stupendous Yappi

Any famous last words? Not yet!
Sponsor
Aug 23, 2018
8,548
13,327
Erwin, TN
I would select Schwartz over Steen, but I definitely don't fault anyone who would choose Steen. Our 4th line was awesome in the playoffs last year and Steen was a big part of that. One thing that hasn't been mentioned in Steen's favor is that he wears a letter and clearly has the respect of the locker room. I'd say that Steen vs Schwartz was my toughest call on this list.

It's such a shame we squandered a 2-0 series lead over the Kings in 2013. Steener's shorthanded OT winner is probably my favorite moment of his as a Blue. It would be even fonder if we had gone on to eliminate the defending Cup champs.
That OT goal should have been such a gut punch. Quick threw the game away getting cute on a PP. Going from feeling dread on the PK to winning and going up 2-0. That group did this a couple times. Jackman’s OT winner after the Wakey Backes game and Tarasenko’s late tying goal was a similar moment.

Both Chicago and LAK had a resiliency and confidence to overcome an 0-2 hole. I think this Blues group has the same mentality now. It doesn’t mean they’d repeat, but they are never beaten until the games are over.

Full credit to the Kings for coming back from that. It was a hell of a moment by Steen.
 

Brian39

Registered User
Apr 24, 2014
7,029
12,744
That OT goal should have been such a gut punch. Quick threw the game away getting cute on a PP. Going from feeling dread on the PK to winning and going up 2-0. That group did this a couple times. Jackman’s OT winner after the Wakey Backes game and Tarasenko’s late tying goal was a similar moment.

Both Chicago and LAK had a resiliency and confidence to overcome an 0-2 hole. I think this Blues group has the same mentality now. It doesn’t mean they’d repeat, but they are never beaten until the games are over.

Full credit to the Kings for coming back from that. It was a hell of a moment by Steen.
Steen's goal was actually game 1. We then went on to win game 2 before dropping 4 straight. Oddly enough, before looking it up my memory was also that Steen's OT winner was game 2.

I completely agree about our current group's resiliency. One thing that always frustrated me about Chicago from 2010-2015 was their ability to sleepwalk through a regular season game, get outplayed for 45 minutes, but still come away with 2 points based on a 15 minute effort where they popped 2-3 goals. We saw that a lot from the Blues this year.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->