Welcome to another issue of "who do we choose". This time around we will review the St. Louis Blues and their bump laden rise to the top of the WCHL's Western conference.

The Blues have had a rough couple years in the WCHL, from hovering 2 points out of a playoff spot last year, to hovering 4 points over the line the year before to eek their way into a playoff spot. It's that uncertainty that gets to the fans, the players and the GM alike when you just don't have enough juice to really make it, but you feel your so close.

This year something clicked, or perhaps something snapped? On paper the Blues were not supposed to lead their division, let alone their conference, but paper alone does not a team make. It's like "reverse year" in the WCHL, with teams like Calgary and Nashville, (who in our opinions are the two teams who seem to be able to take a lesser product on paper and make it perform on ice like a real contender) sitting at the bottom of their conference, both looking to miss the big dance. This year that magic has shifted, and the beneficiaries are teams like the Blues, and perhaps the Oilers as well. But we digress, back to the BLUES.

Shifting up and down the top 3 spots for most of the year, the Blues can thank their incredible success to a couple really solid guys who have come out of their shell this year, starting with Damien Brunner. Leading the Blues with 13-26-39 in 53 games he is in no small part an example of  bang for your buck considering his cheap price tag, and yet his GM hasn't resigned him, hoping perhaps to clean up come Free Agency. Another key asset is Ales Hemsky, a guy who keeps a bag packed in waiting for the next trade that sees his butt get on a bus and head out of town. Hemsky has found a home, and more surprisingly a solid two way game that has helped the Blues by both netting 33 points, and maintaining a +5 on a team where half of the guys are in the negative. While Brunner has peaked playing the top center, Hemsky is doing it from the 2nd line, a less illustrious spot, but one he seems to thrive in.

We couldn't round out the forwards without mentioning the fact that the Blues are able to maintain that top spot in the west even though their BEST forward is and has been injured for 20 games of their campaign. Despite his injury, Rich Peverly is still 2nd in scoring, and is the only player to maintain over 1 PPG. Peverly is wanting to rejoin his team soon, as his sprained ankle is healing up nicely. It could have been worse we suppose, but the Blues surely need him back in the saddle and producing again to keep up their pace. Peverly has 11-24-35 in 32 games this year, far from a slouch.

That's enough of those well and talented forwards that have collectively proved once again the truth in the expression " the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" Lets move onto the Defense, or rather "The Bieksa". Just missing the top 10 by a single point, Bieksa is the damaging force that every team underlines to their players in the pregame strategy sessions. His numbers kinda of speak for themselves, 183 PIM to come in at 2nd in the league. Add to that 136 hits coming in at 4th, and 24 points on the year and you clearly have "Powerhouse" that every team needs to plan for. Joining Bieksa is Marc Staal, but he kind of pales in comparison with only 17 points on the year and a very poor -10 rating. So we will let that dead horse lie.

The Blues put together something special it seems. Not every GM has an eye for it, and it tends to change from year to year, but have no doubt this year is the year of the underdog, with teams like Edmonton and Ottawa, the Blues and Columbus staking their ground in playoff territory, and bumping from grace some perennial favorites like Calgary and Nashville. Make no mistake, this is a VERY different year for the WCHL, up is down and left is right, and I'm sure we can all agree, while annoying to the dynasty teams, its a breath of fresh air. Whatever buttons are being pushed behind the scenes to adapt, change and tweak the way the WCHL runs, they are spreading the wealth, and taking the obviously talented teams down a notch... except maybe those pesky New York Rangers.

The last part of the Blues tetris puzzle is of course the netminder Nicklas Backstrom. He gets pelted each and every game and now has 1444 shots against in only 54 games. His stats may not look outstanding, but when you take in to account what a workhorse he needs to be when backstopping this team, his silver lining gets a little brighter. Backstrom is probably in his twilight years, so this may well be his last kick at the championship can, and we think he is taking it quite serious. 31 wins in 54 games, speaks volumes for a season like the WCHL is currently having. Even Lundy only has 33.

The Blues on paper don't look like a contender, but much like the flames don't look like a bottom dweller, paper means nothing this year, and the Blues now have more chance than most (based on their actions) to bring home some hardware and shut the critics up for awhile.

Go BLUES!!!!