BERNIE BITS Good afternoon! Good evening! I was in the mood to get to the keyboard to manufacture some Bernie Bits for you today … 1. The St. Louis Blues are off to a good start at 4-2-0, and while it’s too early to put a hard focus on the state of the NHL standings,...
(Note: this column has been updated to include the Blues’ win over the Kings on Wednesday at Enterprise Center. The stats have been updated as well.) The Blues have received championship-caliber goaltending this season. Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer have done...
In evaluating performance, I tend to get lost in deep-dive research. I do find a lot of relevant statistical information by going under the surface for stats, and that can be informative and valuable. But there is a downside. At times I’m guilty of making things too...
As many of you know, I’m a numbers nerd. A stat geek. A hopeless analytics addict. If I had a nickname, it would be “Metric” Miklasz. And at times all of this data is just a little boring, even for me. There’s truth and value in the process that determines – pardon...
The Blues are a resurgent 11-6-1 since sacking coach Craig Berube after a loss to Detroit on Dec. 12. We should hold off before portraying interim coach Drew Bannister as the new Scotty Bowman, but the Blues are better since the change. Under Berube the Blues were...
Former Blues coach Ken Hitchcock will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight. Congratulations to one of the greatest coaches in franchise history. Though it’s just a coincidence and nothing planned, the 2023-2024 Blues are honoring Hitch by doing a helluva...
BLUE NOTES The Blues are all over the map, and I’m not referring to last week’s trip into Canadian territory. The recent trend is … volatile. There was the 6-2 home loss to Arizona, followed by a fine 4-2 win over visiting Pittsburgh. The itinerary in Canada started...
In reading some of the prognostications from NHL scriveners scattered around North America, I hadn’t realized that the Blues had either gone out of business, or relocated to Saskatoon. OK, so maybe it wasn’t that bad. But most hockey authors have dismissed the Blues...
Undefeated St. Louis City SC continues to rise in the weekly MLS Power Rankings. Their swift ascension is pretty remarkable for an expansion team, and City continues to be a delightful story. — After City’s 3-0 shutout of San Jose, SoccerAmerica’s Paul Kennedy moved...