Instead of opening season, uncertainlty remains in NHL

Lockout moves into fourth week, talks to resume

Wednesday; D'Agostini latest Blue to sign in Europe

By LOUIE KORAC
CHESTERFIELD -- Instead of practicing the final few days before departing to Denver for the season-opener Thursday, T.J. Oshie and a few handful of teammates and NHL players were once again left to fend for themselves.

Despite being on its own, the National Hockey League Players Association continues its unified stance against the owners. And because it is entrenched in that unified stance, instead of talking about opening night taking place Thursday for the Blues in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche, the talk is still surrounding the uncertainty of an NHL season and the lockout that has it on hold.

(Photo by Mark Buckner/St. Louis Blues)

Instead of building being filled to capacity, NHL arenas will sit empty, like

Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The NHL season was to open Thursday but

will not because of a second lockout in eight years.

Oshie, David Backes, Andy McDonald, Barret Jackman, Kevin Shattenkirk, Matt D'Agostini, Alex Pietrangelo, Brian Elliott, Jamie Langenbrunner and Scott Nichol are still skating together at the Hardees IcePlex, along with St. Louis natives Ben Bishop (Ottawa), Chris Butler (Calgary) and Cam Janssen (New Jersey). It's their way of staying up to par when/if the NHL and NHLPA consummate a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and the season can be salvaged.

"I think reality kind of set in after the New York meetings I went to (recently)," Oshie said Tuesday. "After that, I kind of realized what we're dealing with and what's going on.

"It sucks, but we want to play under a fair deal that's fair for both sides. We're just waiting and hopefully we don't lose too much of the season."

Until then, former Blues defenseman Jeff Brown and Jamie Rivers are running the workouts and the players continue their unified stance.

"We're unified just as much as (the owners) are," said D'Agostini, who left for Germany Tuesday night after signing a contract to play with SC Reissersee of 2-Bundesliga. "That's why it's not moving anywhere now. It's good for us. We're not giving into the outrageous demands. We're staying firm.

"If they see more and more of us taking off for Europe, I think the owners will start panicking, too, because I'm sure they don't want to lose a full season just as much as we don't either. We'll see how it all unfolds."

Despite the ongoing tug of war between the owners and players, hockey fans are suffering most and will be heard from even more when the realization finally hits that a puck won't drop Thursday. The Blues, Avalanche, Boston, Philadelphia, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver were all set to unveil the 2012-13 season. The league has already canceled games from Oct. 11-24, 82 games in all. It will slice more games off the schedule as time marches on without an agreement.

"As much as (fans) enjoy watching hockey, as much as they enjoy coming to games and rooting on their hometown teams, we love playing hockey that much more," Oshie said. "We want to get out there. We just feel that we can't do that and we won't do that until there's something fair on the table for both sides."

As for D'Agostini, he joins Alex Steen and Patrik Berglund (Sweden), Chris Stewart (Germany), Vladimir Sobotka and Roman Polak (Czech Republic) and Vladimir Tarasenko (Russia) as Blues playing overseas. Kris Russell signed to play in Finland but has since returned after suffering a lower-body injury, believed to be a knee. But D'Agostini feels like this could be a consistent trend in the coming weeks for the players, particularly if the ones still here don't feel like there's traction being made with the CBA.

"I think people will start signing more and more in the next few weeks," he said. "They realize we might be waiting around for a while.

"I just want to play some games and get back into game shape so when we do settle this, I'll be ready to go. It's a good experience to kind of not jump all over, go to Germany and experience that type of game and play some hockey games. There were other options, but my agent is really close with this team and he's dealt with them before. I'm excited about going there. He told me all about it. It's a nice little town. People will treat me like one of their own."

(Photo by Mark Buckner/St. Louis Blues)

Matt D'Agostini (36) is the latest Blue to jump overseas to play during the

NHL lockout, agreeing to play for SC Reissersee of 2-Bundesliga.

The two sides are expected to meet Wednesday in New York. Non-core economic issues are slated to be topics of discussion. But will it also be the beginning of something meaningful as far as discussions on the core economic issues? Time will tell. But in the meantime, the reality of missing games is already being felt, as the entire preseason was wiped out, and now the regular season will begin to follow suit.

"It's really setting in," D'Agostini said. "... I'd just like to get back into the swing of things, start getting my head focused again, to get back into the routine of playing some games again. Hopefully it will get me turned around.

"I'm not too certain on how long it will last but from what I hear, it sounds like it will (last). It doesn't sound like they're getting anywhere too fast. I don't want to be sitting at home thinking about it anymore."

Added Oshie: "Right now, it seems like the owners are holding strong ... I wasn't around for the last lockout but it sounds like it's going in that direction for them. The differences I hear from players -- especially the older players and veterans -- is that all the players are together this time. We're all under one voice. That obviously has to do with (NHLPA Executive Director) Don Fehr and what he's done. ... He wants to get us the best deal possible that's fair. He keeps reiterating for us to stick together. The boys have been. That's great. I think that's the biggest thing how unified we are as a union.

"All I know is we're sticking together right now. We're holding out for something that's fair."

And fans just keep holding out ... holding out for the game to come back.

Blues, Davidson officially part ways

Team's President of Hockey Operations can walk away with head held high

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- John Davidson and the Blues are parting ways, probably sooner than the 59-year-old had hoped or expected.

Davidson, the Blues' President of Hockey Operations since 2006, has mutually agreed to a buyout of the remaining three years of his contract, which still had roughly $6 million remaining on it. He originally agreed to a four-year, $8 million extension in the summer of 2010.

Terms of the buyout were not disclosed, and Davidson said he has no immediate plans regarding his future.


(Getty Images)

The Blues went from the bottom of the NHL to

being among the top teams last season in John

Davidson's seven-year tenure  as President of

Hockey Operations.

Often times in these circumstances, when parties go their own separate ways typically means the two sides only agree that they're better off without each other. However this situation is the exception to the rule.

Davidson was hired by the previous ownership group, led by Dave Checketts, on June 30, 2006 to revitalize a franchise that had seemingly become disconnected with its fan base.

The Blues were fresh off a last place finish in the NHL (21-46-15) coming out of a lockout year, and Davidson instantly became the face of the franchise.

But with economic times tough on many of the smaller market franchises around the league, the Blues have been forced to reduce costs after reportedly losing $20 million a season ago, and new chairman Tom Stillman, who led a group in purchasing the team from Checketts this past summer, had to make concessions somewhere along the line.

Davidson understands the Blues are in a financial situation where costs need to be cut, and unfortunately, his contract was one area that needed to be eliminated.

"There's no animosity at all," Davidson said. "When you see new ownership purchasing something like a sports club, there's always going to be change. Tom and I have had a number of discussions. It took a while, but we found some common ground in our discussions ... we chatted about expenses and contracts and we just came to a conclusion that my contract would be a burden on the club. We worked something out where we're both satisfied with. It takes the burden off the team financially. It allows me to find something somewhere else, depending on what I want to do.

"It's just business. It is. It's a tough time to leave. We really enjoy St. Louis, very much so in every aspect."

Stillman acknowledged that this has nothing to do with Davidson's work. It was all about economics.
"He has done a great job here, so it’s certainly nothing about his work," Stillman said. "But, as you know, we are working to get our business, our financial house in order. We feel the organization was bloated and our expenses were way out of line. And we have to marshal our resources so that we can focus on continuing to put a winning, contending team on the ice. That’s what this is all about.

"The management team recognizes all of that, including JD. And JD is a good man, a real professional, a true Blue. So he worked with us like a pro, and I think we arrived at something that helps the Blues franchise and is fair to everyone involved. I salute him for working it out in a way that helps the Blues. JD is a good man."

When John Davidson took over, it was a task of trying to rebuild a proud franchise.

Davidson, fresh from his television analyst job with Madison Square Garden, was faced with a tremendous challenge.

Seven years later, the Blues are among the league's best after a season ago finishing with 49 wins. They did it by building from within and going with one of Davidson's famous lines of "Come grow with us," which he used to help lure Blues fans back into the building.

"His savvy, his connections, his ability to connect with people is remarkable," Blues captain David Backes said. "He'll still have that wherever he goes or whatever endeavor he finds next. It'll be big shoes to fill for whoever tries to jump in them.

"The position that we're in now compared to when he got here the year before me and since I've been here, it's been phenomenal. It's definitely been aided by his work, his efforts ... not just the work he does around the arena but it's heartfelt with all the work he does with the animal rescue stuff. He's got the same sort of jungle running around his house that I do. It's sad to see him not be part of the Blues and the St. Louis community anymore, but a great man and hopefully we can find somebody that can pick up the slack."

The team went from the bottom of the NHL to finishing with the second-most points in the league last season (109) before bowing out in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to eventual champion Los Angeles. During his tenure, the Blues made two postseason appearances (2009, 2012), won the Central Division championship a season ago and experienced a revival in the community that saw their average attendance rise from 12,520 (30th) in 2006-07 to 18,809 (9th) in 2011-12.

"We went through where we had 6,000 people in the building for a long time, but they were the best 6,000 you'll ever find, because they were there through the thick and the thin," Davidson said. "They stayed with us and the crowds grew."

Davidson, who was a goalie during his playing career, was a first-round pick of the Blues in 1973, where he played for two seasons before being traded to the Rangers. He would finish out his abbreviated career there before moving over to the Rangers' broadcast booth for the next three decades with Sam Rosen.

"There's a lot of guys that learned a lot from JD," said Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. ... It's tough to see a guy like that go. He's the one that brought me here. I know there's a few guys that have been here since he's been here, so it's a bit of a change for us.

"Any time you develop a relationship with somebody, it's tough to see him go, whether it's a player or someone in management."

Davidson met with the Columbus Blue Jackets over the summer regarding an undisclosed position but nothing ever came of that situation. It's the only opportunity that has opened up outside the Blues organization to this point. And whatever lies ahead for Davidson, he doesn't know at this point.

"I don't know. I really don't know," he said. "I've talked to Columbus once, with permission, and it was a good discussion. Other than that, I haven't talked to anyone.

"I'm not saying anything in any aspect yet, whether it be television or management or whatever. I'm just going to try to discover whatever I try to do next (and) it won't be retirement. It'll be the right thing for myself and my family."

Under Davidson, the Blues have molded a surplus of talent, including drafting Pietrangelo, Backes, T.J. Oshie and David Perron as well as No. 1 overall pick Erik Johnson. The Blues also acquired notable players Alex Steen, Andy McDonald, Jaroslav Halak, Kevin Shattenkirk, Chris Stewart and the right to trade for a draft pick in which the Blues took Vladimir Tarasenko, as well as brought in experienced coaches like Ken Hitchcock and Andy Murray.

Davidson can walk away with his head held high despite not being here for the climax.

"Now, it's got a chance," Davidson said of the Blues' chances of succeeding. "This club is standing at third base and you see home plate. You've got to get to home plate. This team's got a shot at it. I feel very proud of that, being a part of a group that put that together.

"I'm going to be a big fan, I'm going to watch because I know how hard they're going to be to beat now. It'll be interesting to see where they go. They're in good hands. Doug will do a good job. I just hope the puck gets dropped pretty soon because this team's ready to go. The coaching staff's an excellent staff, it's a great staff. ... This is a complete organization. It's solid. I like that it's in a great place. It's got a shot to be in the upper echelon. You have a window that's open for a certain time, and the window is wide open for this club now. We'll see where it goes. I feel very proud to be a part of that group."

NHL cancels first two weeks of regular season

Games from Oct. 11-24 are wiped out;

Blues lose five games, including three at home

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The National Hockey League made official what nobody wanted to hear but knew was inevitable: the first two weeks of the regular season have been canceled.

The league made the formal announcement through a release early Thursday afternoon that a total of 82 games affecting the 32 teams have been wiped out because of the ongoing league lockout, which the league claimed "was necessary because of the absence of a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players' Association and the NHL."

The start of the regular season was to begin on Oct. 11.

In a statement released by the NHLPA, executive director Don Fehr said: "The decision to cancel the first two weeks of the NHL season is the unilateral choice of the NHL owners. If the owners truly cared about the game and the fans, they would lift the lockout and allow the season to begin on time while negotiations continue. A lockout should be the last resort in bargaining, not the strategy of first resort. For nearly 20 years, the owners have elected to lock out the players in an effort to secure massive concessions. Nevertheless, the players remain committed to playing hockey while the parties work to reach a deal that is fair for both sides. We hope we will soon have a willing negotiating partner."

As far as the Blues are concerned, they were in Colorado against the Avalanche on Oct. 11. The Blues will lose a total of five games, including Oct. 13 at Nashville, the home opener on Oct. 18 vs. Detroit as well as home games on Oct. 20 against Minnesota and Oct. 23 against Chicago.

And with no deal imminent between the league and NHLPA, it is grim at best that the season would begin on Oct. 25, which is the next date to begin eliminating games.

The Blues have a home game scheduled on the 25th against the Avalanche.

The entire preseason schedule was already canceled, and the league claims that it lost in excess of $100 million in revenue.

The two sides last met on Tuesday in New York but no progress was made. No more talks are scheduled officially but could resume at any time.  

Davidson to leave Blues

Team's President of Hockey Operations agrees

to buyout, announcement expected in coming days

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- When John Davidson took over as President of Hockey Operations in 2005, it was the 59-year-old's first task at trying to rebuild a proud franchise.

The Blues began the post 2004-05 lockout season with the worst record in the NHL (21-46-15) and Davidson, fresh from his analysts job with Madison Square garden television, was faced with a heck of a challenge.

Seven years later and the Blues being among the top teams in the NHL a season ago, Davidson and team have decided to part ways.

(Getty Images)

John Davidson has been the Blues' President of

Hockey Operations since 2006.

Multiple reports have surfaced that Davidson has been bought out of the remaining three years of his contract at an undisclosed amount. He had in excess of $6 million remaining on an extension he signed in 2011.

The Blues have yet to make a formal announcement but one is expected in the coming days.

Davidson became the lead man in the hockey operations department when the team was purchased by a group led by Dave Checketts. In essence, he became the face of a franchise that had become disconnected to a certain degree with its fans and a city that seemingly took a big hit following the lockout that cleaned out the 2004-05 season.

The team went from 30th in the NHL in 2005-06 to finishing with the second-most points in the league last season with 109 before bowing out in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to eventual champion Los Angeles.

But since the acquisition of the Blues by Summit Distributing CEO Tom Stillman and partners, it became known that the group would have to cut costs and make the Blues a workable franchise. Davidson's contract apparently helps alleviate some of the immediate burden.

Davidson was unavailable for comment Thursday but several players that skated Thursday informally appreciate Davidson's efforts to reconnect the franchise back to its fans.

"His savvy, his connections, his ability to connect with people is remarkable," Blues captain David Backes said. "He'll still have that wherever he goes or whatever endeavor he finds next. It'll be big shoes to fill for whoever tries to jump in them.

"The position that we're in now compared to when he got here the year before me and since I've been here, it's been phenomenal. It's definitely been aided by his work, his efforts ... not just the work he does around the arena but it's heartfelt with all the work he does with the animal rescue stuff. He's got the same sort of jungle running around his house that I do. It's sad to see him not be part of the Blues and the St. Louis community anymore, but a great man and hopefully we can find somebody that can pick up the slack."

Former Blue and current New Jersey Devil Cam Janssen was part of the lean years following the lockout and remembers what Davidson was able to do.

"He was unbelievable for this city," Janssen said. "He was an ambassador that came in and someone that this organization was basically striving for for a long time that could get the attention of the fans in the right way and bring them to the games and really promote the Bluenote basically like it's never been done before. He came in and kind of brought a whole new level of the fan base that I saw on a personal level.

"... Just an awesome guy, has played the game and understands it. What a great job he did in this town and it shows because you're on the bench and you look up in the stands and you see a packed house on a Monday night playing against Columbus, that just shows you. We weren't in first place, and we had a lot of young guys on the team, but JD promoted these young guys and kind of laid it out for the fans to see: here's what we've got, here's the talent we have and come watch us play. He did a great job on that because it definitely worked. At the time, St. Louis kind of dropped away from hockey there and he turned it around and it just blew up."

Davidson, known for his "Come Grow With Us" television spots, was a first-round pick of the Blues in 1973, where he played in goal for two seasons before being traded to the Rangers, where he would finish out his abbreviated career before moving over to the Rangers' broadcast booth for the next three decades with Sam Rosen.

"There's a lot of guys that learned a lot from JD," said defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. ... It's tough to see a guy like that go. He's the one that brought me here. I know there's a few guys that have been here since he's been here, so it's a bit of a change for us.

"Any time you develop a relationship with somebody, it's tough to see him go, whether it's a player or someone in management."

Davidson reportedly met with the Columbus Blue Jackets this past summer regarding an undisclosed position but nothing ever came of the situation. Davidson was recently handling work on the business side of the franchise but could move back into broadcasting or take up a position somewhere else in the hockey operations department.

"A former player, I don't think he knew anything but to shoot straight and let guys know what was going on so that they can make an informed decision for themselves," Backes said of Davidson. "You can't ask for much more from management than that."

Under Davidson, the Blues have molded a surplus of talent, including Pietrangelo, Backes, T.J. Oshie and David Perron as well as No. 1 overall pick Erik Johnson, as well as bring in experienced coaches like Ken Hitchcock and Andy Murray. He also helped acquire Alex Steen and Andy McDonald, among other moves under Davidson's time here.

(9-28-12) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Pietrangelo begins skating after surgery;

players wait before deciding on going overseas

By LOUIE KORAC
CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- Among the skaters with fellow teammates and other NHLers Thursday included Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.

Pietrangelo, who had surgery to remove a bursa sac from his ankle a month ago, resumed skating on Monday after beginning off-ice workouts a couple weeks after the surgery, according to Pietrangelo.

"Yeah, I feel good. I feel better than I thought I was going to," Pietrangelo said after the informal skate at the Hardees IcePlex. "There's still a little bit of soreness. There's going to be a period to kind of get back into shape. Those guys are in top form right now; they've been skating for two months. For me, it's trying to get up to speed. Whenever you go through something like that, it's going to take a couple weeks to kind of get into regular form. I'm not too worried about it."

The surgery, performed on Aug. 29, was something Pietrangelo felt like he needed to do now since there was the possibility a lockout would keep players away from game action. The irritation was something that had been prolonged and bothersome for quite some time.

"When you've got so much pressure on your skate going on your foot, it just irritates it," Pietrangelo said. "It might sound like nothing, but it gets painful. After a full year, it was just something we had to take care of. It was just the right time to do it.

"We tried a few things to get rid of it and it didn't work, so especially with the time now that we have, we don't really know when it's going to turn back around. We thought it would kind of be a good time to do it, get it out of the way. At that time, there was still lots of time if camp started on time."

Pietrangelo was joined on the ice Thursday by Scott Nichol, T.J. Oshie, David Backes, Matt D'Agostini, Jamie Langenbrunner, Kevin Shattenkirk, Barret Jackman, Jaden Schwartz, Mike McKenna, Sergei Andronov and Evgeny Grachev as well as Calgary's Chris Butler, Chicago's Brandon Bollig, and former Blues Ben Bishop and Cam Janssen.

* Playing overseas a possibility? -- The Blues already have more NHLers playing overseas in leagues throughout Europe during the lockout.

Alex Steen and Patrik Berglund are in Sweden, Vladimir Tarasenko is in Russia and the KHL, Chris Stewart is playing in Germany, Roman Polak and Vladimir Sobotka are in their home country playing in the Czech Republic, Kris Russell will be playing in Finland and Jaroslav Halak could latch on with his hometown Slovakia club HC Slovan Bratislava, which competes in the KHL.

But depending on the length of the lockout, others could join them as well but not certain.

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, one of the Blues' player reps for the NHLPA, said he'll stick around and feel out the negotiation process.

"I've thought about it. As of right now, I'd like to wait and see and maybe feel the temperature of this thing at the end of October," Shattenkirk said. "If it looks like it's going to be something that's a little longer, then I'll really start to entertain the ideas of overseas. There have been a few opportunities, but I just still think it's a little too early for me at this time."

Any ideas where?

"The plan is to just throw my name out and see who might be interested and see what league fits well and fits best," Shattenkirk said. "I really haven't done too much research on the whole thing."

Veteran Andy McDonald is another one considering options overseas but like Shattenkirk, will wait a couple weeks before deciding.

"I'm definitely considering it," McDonald said Thursday. "I kind of want to get a better sense of which way things are going here with negotiations. There's no sense of me personally rushing over there right now.

"I definitely want to play hockey and want to play in some games. If it looks like this thing's going to be long, then I definitely will be going over there to get some games in and making sure that I'm staying on top of my game."

Pietrangelo, who like Shattenkirk doesn't have the option of joining Peoria and playing in the AHL because they don't have two-way contracts, will take his time deciding when and/or if he will look elsewhere.

"I would tell you if I had any idea, but right now, with the ankle, I'm just kind of taking it slow and see how it goes," Pietrangelo said. "Once I get back up to how I feel I can play a game and feel when I'm ready to jump into real speed, then I'll decide what I want to do. For now, it's just working with my ankle and trying to get that healed up.

"I'm not even considering anything right now until I feel like I can jump into a game, which is not anytime soon with the way it's feeling."

* Remainder of preseason canceled -- The NHL announced on Thursday that the remainder of the preseason schedule has been canceled due to the lockout.

The initial cancellation eliminated the first five games for the Blues, and with the recent wave being wiped out, the Blues lost games on Oct. 2 vs. Nashville, Oct. 3 at Dallas and Oct. 6 vs. the Stars.

The Blues are scheduled to open the 2012-13 season Oct. 11 in Colorado but with no progress being made between the league and players, regular season games could start being canceled as early as next week.

* Hitchcock coaching clinic -- Blues coach Ken Hitchcock should be firmly entrenched in training camp getting the team ready for the 2012-13 season. But with the lockout in place, he will be giving back to area coaches instead.

The Blues announced Wednesday that the 60-year-old Hitchcock, who won a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999, along with assistant coaches will run a three-day coaching clinic Oct. 9-11 from 6-8 p.m. at the Ice Zone inside St. Louis Mills.

The seminars are free and open to travel coaches on the 9th, high school coaches on the 10th and house league coaches on the 11th. Space is limited so to register, go to the team's website here: http://blues.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=83330.

Blues players say NHLPA is strong, unified

There's hope season can be salvaged, skaters unsure

 

By LOUIE KORAC

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- They came off the ice wearing their brand new National Hockey League Players Association jerseys. Some sported black ones, some in white and some in gray.

The NHLPA logo on their chests are big and bright, but on the left crest were in bold letters "#THE PLAYERS."

But for members of the Blues along with a handful of fellow NHL players from St. Louis that continue to skate on their own while the owners are locking players out, they continue to keep in shape and hone their skills in case one day -- any day -- they all wake up and the only game they know is back.

(Getty Images)

Blues' Barret Jackman (5) and Kevin Shattenkirk (right) are part of the team

training in St. Louis during the lockout.

"You can't really forget that ... right now you'd rather be gearing up for a preseason game getting ready for the season," Blues defenseman and team player rep Kevin Shattenkirk said after today's players-only informal skate at the Hardees IcePlex. "This is where the patience starts to come in and you really have to stay focused and really just be ready to be called upon at any time."

Nobody knows when that will be, but for the time being, the NHLPA is unified in its stance against the owners, who feel like they're paying the players too much money. The players see it otherwise in a game that has grown in not only popularity since the 2004-05 forgotten season but also in revenue as well.

Instead of playing their third preseason game in as many nights Thursday in Minnesota, the Blues were renting out their own ice time but doing so as part of a larger unit.

"The players are definitely unified," veteran forward Andy McDonald said. "We had our meetings a few weeks back in New York and the guys are aware of the issues and want a different system going forward. I don't see the players changing their stance at this point. We're willing to negotiate and get a deal, but we want a different system so we don't have the same problem when this next deal gets done.

"We try and stay positive and think things are going to get done quickly and we'll be back playing games, having training camp and getting into the regular season. You try not to get too down about it. You certainly try to keep yourself ready for when it does get done."

For younger players like Alex Pietrangelo, who's rehabbing his surgically-repaired ankle in which he had a bursa sac removed, staying mentally strong comes from a veteran presence that has been through the mental and physical wars of a lockout.

"We're lucky to still have a few guys around here," Pietrangelo said. "We have a pretty good group that are keeping each other company. Everyone's staying in shape. We're lucky we have guys who are competing with each other here. We're able to kind of stay in form.

"It's a tough thing to go through right now. It's the first time for me, but luckily we've got the older guys around here that are kind of guiding all of us through it and how to treat it."

Staying positive may be the only leverage the players have at present time. The stalemate has already canceled the entire league's preseason and now threatens to go beyond into the regular season, which is supposed to begin Oct. 11 for the Blues in Colorado.

As Shattenkirk said it, being locked out and not having access to team-owned facilities is a way to try and break the players' union down.

"It definitely worked for them last time," Shattenkirk said of the owners. "Why wouldn't they at least try something along the same lines?

"Hearing from guys involved in the last lockout, it seems much more cordial than the last negotiations. Just the fact that they're meeting (Friday) to keep negotiations open, I think, is great and I think both sides have been ... at least open to any ideas and listening and trying to maybe keep the talks going as much as possible. Maybe there's something reached eventually."

That "eventually" could be today, could be tomorrow, next week, next month or unfortunately for everyone involved -- next year or longer. The players are prepared for whatever happens.

"I think it's definitely a possibility," Shattenkirk said when asked if the lockout could go the entire season. "I think we're (the players) definitely not going to give in and take something that's unfair. It's upsetting for us because we know there's plenty of people affected by this, especially more than us. I think right now it's a matter of really fighting for what we believe is right."

(Getty Images)

These were happier times for (from left to right)

Patrik Berglund, Jason Arnott and Andy McDonald

and the Blues.

The players believed in what was right in 2005 and eventually conceded. But this time around, they're dug in with claws firmly entrenched.

"Don has done a great job this summer really preparing us for this and keeping everyone informed, which I think is important," Shattenkirk said of player union chief Don Fehr. "We've kind of been collectively talking to each other as teams and making sure that everyone's up to date on everything. That has kept everyone unified together through this whole process.

"It's definitely going to hurt the game. There are a lot of people out there who are really disgusted by this and really frustrated over it. I see the reason. ... This is something we don't want to have come around every six or seven years. Hopefully, people that are turned off to it, we can win them back and get the game popularized again like it has been the last six or seven years."

But when can this game be "popularized" again? There seem to be mixed feelings on when that time will be.

"It's tough to say," Shattenkirk said. "I'd like to say there's definitely going to be a season, but you really can't say that. They missed a year in 2004-05. I'm sure guys thought it would be resolved sooner than that. But I think it's promising that they're keeping negotiations open and there hasn't been anything where the sides have said we're (holding off on) this for now and we're waiting it out."

McDonald, who at 35 was part of the last lockout, was more optimistic when asked if he felt like there will be a 2012-13.

"I do. I really do," he said. "At some point, both sides will get a deal done and this will all be behind us."

NHL cancels first slate of preseason games

League wipes out games through Sept. 30; Blues lose five games 

By LOUIE KORAC
The National Hockey League announced Wednesday that it has canceled all of its pre-season games through Sept. 30 because of the league lockout.

The announcement was just a formality, as preseason games were slated to get underway next week.

From the Blues' perspective, they had five games wiped out, including their opener on Sept. 25 at Nashville. Also canceled are games Sept. 26 in Tampa Bay, Sept. 27 at Minnesota as well as home games on Sept. 28 against Tampa Bay and Sept. 29 vs. Minnesota.

The Blues, who are slated to open the regular season Oct. 11 at Colorado, have three preseason games scheduled in October, including a home game Oct. 2 vs. the Predators, Oct. 3 in Dallas and Oct. 6 at home against the Stars. However, it's expected that those games will be wiped out at some point next week.