Hockey is back, guys. I love this time of year. I went to Day 2 of training camp, at the newly-named Enterprise Center this morning. It was, in a word, joyous.
How great to have hockey back! It’s wonderful that the Blues put on the Open House event for their fans. It’s a great way to showcase the team and the venue. I’m sure it really helps ticket sales, too. Thousands of fans turned out, decked in jerseys of different vintages. I was impressed with how full the lower bowl was, almost game night-level. The whole arena was open to fans to sample different seats, get autographs from Blues alumni, browse the True Blue Authentic team store, and look at the renovations. And boy that Heritage jersey looks sharp.
The players skated with intensity in front of the crowd. I watched Group B practice and then skirmish against Group A. I came away with the following impressions:
- Ryan O’Reilly looks good. He made crisp passes all morning, skated with speed, and won his opening faceoff against Brayden Schenn in the skirmish.
- Zach Sanford is skating well, and showing strength. He held off a defender while skating with the puck in the offensive zone during the skirmish.
- Colton Parayko took charge while on the ice, barking at his teammates while rush back in the defensive zone.
- Pat Maroon seems like such a nice guy. He flashed smiles all over the ice, and looked with concern when a puck went over the netting at one point, to see if the fans were okay.
- Chad Johnson’s mask is super sharp.
Check out some of the pics below. Wow I can’t wait for the season to start. #LGB
Open Ice Notes 