Judge Smails

another great article on David from a Vancouver publication http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/news/sp...3331128&p=1

you're right JR, I tell you from the fans' perspective from sitting in the seats every night, people LOVE this kid but understand he's still a kid. The fans come out of their seats when he's got the puck in the offensive zone. I hope he continues to develop and becomes part of our core for the next 15 years.

interesting piece on David by Andy Strickland of Hockeybuzz Perron Is A Lightning Rod For Blues Fans February 13, 2009, 1:08 AM ET [15 Comments] Andy Strickland St Louis Blues Blogger • 1380 ESPN • RSS • Archive • Bio This one is a little more difficult to discuss than one would think. We went through this last year and the topic has become one of the more touchy subjects inside the Scottrade center. My point here is that I’m not looking to drum up any controversy here. There is no question David Perron sparks more discussion and controversy in the chat rooms and on the message boards than any other Blues player. He’s a lightning rod for fans who hardly hesitate to state their case when they feel Perron has been wronged. There are some fans who strongly feel Head Coach Andy Murray has it out for the 2nd year player and he holds Perron to a different standard than he does the other young players. This belief has been magnified this week on the heels of Perron being demoted to 4th line status. While only scoring seven goals on the year, Perron is still second on the team in points while leading the club in assists. His desire to make the extra move, hang on to the puck too long, and his inability to hit the net have contributed to Perron failing to capitalize on numerous scoring opportunities this season. Murray has always made it pretty clear on what he’d like to see Perron improve on. His interaction with his teammates on the ice, needing to work harder, moving the puck, and at times failing to play within the team system are normally the criticisms directed towards Perron. The bottom line here is Perron is still learning how to play in the NHL. The Blues have high expectations for their players and it’s up to the player to meet them For the most part Perron has met those this season. This wasn’t necessarily the case last year when Perron was immature and a little over confident. He came into the NHL with a slight reputation and his lack of understanding of how an NHL dressing room works allowed him to live up to his billing. I’m not so sure David acknowledged the code a young player must follow and how respectful you need to be to veteran players. David came into the NHL with a lot of issues and from a much different background than most kids who find themselves in the NHL at 19 years of age. Last season while he was irritating members of the Blues organization internally he was becoming a fan favorite on the ice. His ability to handle the puck adds a level of flash to his game which of course attracted the fans right away. Last season Blues management even went as far as to say Perron is going to be a star for the Blues. For the most part this season has been night and day for the 20 year old French Canadian compared to a year ago, at least in the locker room it has. Blues players tell me this year David gets it, they say he’s now part of the family and part of the group. On the ice the Blues still feel he has plenty of room to grow. Are the Blues hard on Perron? The answer is unquestionably yes, but at the end of the day he is 20 and that’s just the way it is. The Blues have elected to groom certain players at the NHL level and therefore they must live with the good and the bad that comes with it. From my point of view it comes down to how well the Blues communicate to the player what their reasoning is when making certain decisions. I’m not going to sit here and tell Murray this guy needs to be playing with that guy, but I will ask what situation is best suited for the player? Is David Perron a fourth line player? It’s obvious he’s not going to wow you with his play inside his own end and is a player whose future in this league will be as a player who creates offense. How effective is Perron to a lineup when he’s not playing with players who think offense and play in the offensive zone? Murray provided a reasonable explanation as to why Perron played a fourth line role against Vancouver, but the explanation sounded as if it was a one game adjustment. In my opinion if Perron is going to be demoted to the fourth line the day after he registered a goal and an assist and was a + 3 last Saturday vs. Colorado then he needs to be told why. What kind of message is being sent to the player if he’s being demoted after playing one of his strongest games of the year? The last thing you want is a young guy not knowing where they stand, it should be addressed. As long as Murray sits Perron down and lets him know what’s expected of him and what he needs to do better to earn a spot on the top three lines then all Perron should do is worry about the stuff he’s in control of, which is how hard he works and how well he plays. Without proper communication with a young guy it can easily be mistaken as a vendetta and we all know that’s not how you develop a player. Can Perron play better? Absolutely he can, he’s been given plenty of opportunities this season to be an impact player and has little room to be unhappy with his role. That’s up until now, but again he’s 20 and if you’re lucky enough to b in the NHL at the age of 20 you would have to be crazy to have any complaints. Once again the Blues are responsible for how they develop their kids and making sure the communication door is open is critical. The Blues will likely want to discuss the idea of extending Perron this summer even though he’s under contract through the end of next year. I think it’s only fair to question whether Perron will be interested in re-signing with the Blues? He could play out his contract and wait and see if an offersheet gets thrown his way after next season. I don’t want to overreact here knowing he’s played a lot of hockey this season and only played two games with the fourth line, but it certainly feels like we’ve been down this road before doesn’t it?

what a fantastic goal by David in the 1st period tonight in Nashville. He brings the puck up the sideboards, reverses, goes back down below the redline - with Shea Weber hanging on him - drives back up towards the goal, cuts in front and rips a wrist shot over Pekka Rinne's shoulder. That's the David Perron we all love in St. Louis

tough night for David against Vancouver, only 9 minutes of ice time on the 4th line and this from local writer Bernie Miklasz of the Post-Dispatch "INEXCUSABLE LOSS FOR THE BLUES: Just a terrible yack job to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday at the Scottrade. You can’t blow leads like that at home, not after putting a visiting team down 2-0 early and didn’t stay aggressive. The Blues took the initiative and then oddly backed off and became passive for much of the final two periods, and the Patrik Berglund / T.J. Oshie / Andy McDonald combo was the only line that consistently brought the energy. Vancouver’s Mats Sundin had his way in front of the net all night. Of Sundin’s 19 minutes of ice time, roughly 17 minutes were spent attached to goaltender Chris Mason’s hip. I embellish for effect, but still… did anyone knock Sundin down all evening? The Blues defensemen handled Sundin with such care, and were so deferential, I thought they were going to ask him for an autograph when he parked in front of Mason. But on a serious note: Sundin is still a great player. … I’m a fan of young Blues winger David Perron, but the dude needs to play harder on a consistent basis…

absolutely beautiful goal by David tonight. Took a pass in the high slot, went right, ripped a quick wrist shot over Budaj's shoulder. Also had a helper on Oshie's goal in the 2nd period.

good overall game, had a helper on Berglund's PP goal. not sure what he was thinking on his shootout attempt, maybe thinking too much.

on Tkachuk, there's a running joke here in STL about him being the team "Grandpa" and that's he old and out of touch so that story was just more joking on his part. The running theme this season is about the young players on the team and how they're stepping up. Players like David, Patrik Berglund, David Backes and TJ Oshie are really coming together. Then add, Erik Johnson, Brad Boyes and guys in the pipeline like Lars Eller, Petro, Sonne, Palushaj, Cole and the future looks very bright. David has become a leader among the young players. The story previously posted about the little boy with diabetes and what David did to help the kid is just another great example of what a great young man David is and how's he's not only excelling on the ice but doing things off the ice. We've proud of you David!

lifted from a recent article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch by Blues beat writer Jeremy Rutherford Blues vet Keith Tkachuk commenting on having so many young teammates “Before reclining into his seat and getting comfortable on the Blues’ charter flights, veteran center Keith Tkachuk looks around the plane at his baby-faced teammates and shakes his head. Young Blues players are already locked into their favorite video game, a war game called ‘S.O.C.O.M. 2,’ on their handheld PSP devices.” “It’s one of those things I’m not very fond of, seeing guys playing PSP,” Tkachuk said. “I know the (NHL) has changed so much, but I see these guys playing PSP, it’s the same games that my kids have. I remember the days where guys played cards the whole flight and had a beer. Now it's all protein shakes and PSP games. I'm glad I got an opportunity to play in a different era and now play in this era. It's interesting to see the difference ” When I wrote that YOUNGER Blues were playing S.O.C.O.M. 2, I was referring to David Perron and T.J. Oshie. But when I went to practice Monday, I was reminded that Jay McKee, Chris Mason and Dan Hinote are three of the biggest video-game junkies on the team. “The older guys are the better players,” McKee griped

David was added to the Young Stars game and it won't be long before he's a fixture in the main game. As a Blues season ticket holder, I've watched David grow and mature as a player. The fans love him and marvel at his skill, tenacity and work ethic. He plays a much more physical game as well. The Blues have billboards around town with David's picture advertising him as "The Playmaker" I'll try to get a photo of one posted - but they're by the interstate so it's hard to stop and take a photo.