Tale of Two Teams, the 2017 Winter Classic Alumni Game

ST. LOUIS, MO – In recent years, the addition of an alumni game before a regular season game in the outdoors has added, and in some cases, surpassed the appeal of the competition that counts in the standings.

At the Heritage Classic in Winnipeg earlier this year, the Alumni game tickets were selling for two and three times the face price of the regular game. With Gretzky and Kurri where the oil drop jerseys and Selanne and Hawerchuk wearing the classic Jets logo, what appeal the game represented in advance of the regular season tilt in the elements.

The same cannot be said of the Alumni game in St. Louis in advance of the 2017 Winter Classic. While one team has some big names, the other will cause even the loyalist of fans to struggle identifying the participants.

For St Louis, vintage firepower and only slightly reduced muscle and tenacity is on display. Seven Hall of Fame players will wear the blue note (Oates, Hull, Gretzky, Federko, Stastny and Gretzky up front with MacInnis and Pronger on defense).

Add to that group of fan favorites a bunch which spans the decades. Larry Patey, the Cavallini brothers (Gino and Paul), Pierre Turgeon, Keith Tkachuk, Kelly Chase. Garth Butcher, Jeff Brown and Barret Jackman will be on the ice for the home team.

In goal, Mike Liut and Ed Staniowski from the late 70s and early 80s, will tend to the crease.

Blues coaches include legends Red Berenson, Bob Plager, Brian Sutter and Garry Unger.

As for the St. Louis’ big names, leading the pack is Wayne Gretzky, who played 18 games with the Blues during the 1995-96 season. He is best known for his reign in Edmonton and Los Angeles before ending his career with the New York Rangers.

Gretzky arrived in St. Louis, his wife Janet Jones’ hometown, in the Spring of 1995 and left after a second-round playoff loss in game seven of overtime to the Detroit Red Wings at the stick of Steve Yzerman. Let’s just say St. Louis coach Mike Keenan and Gretzky just couldn’t get along and my guess I that it wasn’t because #99 was out of line. Gretzky finished his career in, well 1999.

In fact, the entire 27-man Blues roster (detailed at the end of the article) combined for 5,931 goals and 10,848 assists in the regular season (16,779 points). For Chicago, I think my Sunday night adult league team has more collective points., 2016

The Blachkawks have no Hall of Famers on their roster. In fact, I bet none of them have ever walked into the hall of fame as a visitor.

Last year in Minnesota at the Stadium Series Alumni Game, Denis Savard and Chris Chelios skated, but that won’t be the case this year. Jeremy Roenick also skated against the North Stars / Wild Alumni, but won’t be there for this game.

At least for Blues’ fans, some will remember goaltender Murray Bannerman who thwarted St Louis teams in the late 70s and early 80s. They know one of the other goaltenders, Darren Pang, but largely if not exclusively because he is the current Blues’ color analyst.

Jamal Mayers played for the Blues at one point, but won the 2013 Cup as a member of the Blackhawks.

Blues fans will remember Grant Mulvey, Troy Murray, Steve Konroyd and Gary Suter, but beyond these names, it is a cast of fill-ins. Thanks for playing, completing the roster to we can ice a team.

The Winter Classic Alumni Game will be played on Saturday, December 31st at 1:30 p.m. It will consist of three 20-minute periods with a running clock and two 12-minute intermissions. The 2017 Winter Classic will be played on Sunday, January 2nd at Noon. Both games will be played at Busch Stadium, home of the Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals.

Complete team rosters are below.

Blues Alumni Roster

Forwards

Larry Patey (#6), Keith Tkachuk (#7), Dallas Drake (#10), Adam Oates (#12), Brett Hull (#16), Gino Cavallini (#17), Scott Mellanby (#19), Bernie Federko (#24), Peter Stastny (#26), Terry Yake (#27), Kelly Chase (#39), Scott Young (#48), Pierre Turgeon (#77) and Wayne Gretzky (#99).

Defense

Al MacInnis (#2), Bruce Affleck (#4), Barret Jackman (#5), Garth Butcher (#5), Jamie Rivers (#6), Paul Cavallini (#14), Jeff Brown (#21), Bryce Salvador (#27) and Chris Pronger (#44).

Goaltenders

Mike Liut (#1), Martin Brodeur (#30), Ed Staniowski (#31) and Chris Mason (#50).

Blackhawks Alumni Roster

Forwards

Adam Burish, Kyle Calder, Daniel Carcillo, Jim Cummins, Eric Daze, Ben Eager, Dave Mackey, Jamal Mayers, Grant Mulvey, Troy Murray, Brian Noonan, Reid Simpson

Defense

Adrian Aucoin, Reggie Kerr, Steve Konroyd, Jack O’Callahan, Steve Poapst, Brent Sopel, Gary Suter

Goalies

Murray Bannerman, Darren Pang, Jimmy Waite