Hitchcock calls Blues practice the best one in years

Yes, it’s gotten to the point where a good practice is suddenly worth writing about.

Following their practice on Monday, Ken Hitchcock described the team’s practice as “really, really good” and the “best one I’ve had here in almost two years.” That sense of optimism comes at a time where the Blues are 3-5-2 over their past 10 games and struggling to do anything offensively.

Here’s Hitchcock’s full quote, via STLToday:

“Best one we’ve had in a long time. It was really good, really good. I knew it was going to be good when we were getting on the plane in Columbus (to return to St. Louis on Saturday night). I knew we were going to make some headway. There’s building times and this is it. We’ve got a real opportunity. We’re in the quagmire with everybody else, and it is an opportunity that starting today the players really took advantage of.

I told the coaches that it’s the best one I’ve had here in almost two years. The focus, the energy, the communication, disposition, compete level … it was really good.”

That’s great to hear, but no one is going to care unless that actually translates to games. All of the items that Hitchcock complemented from practice – communication, compete level, energy – need to improve in actual competition.

Will the team’s strong practice yield any dividends in Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres? It remains to be seen whether Hitchcock’s praise will prove to be more empty words or a sign of an actual change the Blues desperately need.