This week features another team-specific podcast with the focus set on the St. Louis Blues. The Blues NHL Podcast is hosted by former NHLers Jamie Rivers and Darin Kimble, two ex-pros who racked up their fair share of scraps back in the day. The two combined for 1,467 penalty minutes in 765 total career NHL games. To be fair, 1,082 of those penalty minutes are sole property of Kimble, but a quick YouTube search will show you that Rivers wasn’t usually someone you’d often see walking away from a fight (Check it out). The duo is joined by fan and broadcaster Jim Cromer.
Blues NHL Podcast – Unfiltered Hockey Talk
Being that the podcast is only loosely connected to the St. Louis Blues organization, with no formal affiliation with the NHL club that I am aware of, this allows for a more uncensored approach to discussing events around the Blues.
Rivers and Kimble have spent their lives around the game, and in addition to playing the game at the pro level, Rivers today is extremely involved in youth hockey in the St. Louis area. He runs hockey camps through his company Synergy Hockey that help young players develop skills in a what appear from afar to be extremely successful programs.
This love of hockey is apparent in the way that the pair discusses the Blues on the show. The Blues NHL Podcast is more fan-oriented than anything else, and certainly plays off the emotions fans express about certain players and personnel. Whether it has to do with a controversial goaltending situation, or the addition of hometown boy Patrick Maroon, the topics fans are most passionate about dominate the conversation.
And if Jake Allen is playing bad, they’ll let you know about it. But if Jake Allen is playing well, and fans want to hit him with misguided criticism because the team is playing poorly, Rivers and Kimble will make sure everyone is set straight. There is a market out there for no-nonsense hockey talk, where fans tune in not to be taken for a ride, but to be told stories for what they are. If you are a fan of the Blues and this style appeals to you, make sure you give the pod a listen.
A Familiar Approach
A few weeks ago I reviewed the Spittin Chiclets podcast which is the ultimate in uncensored hockey talk. Now the Blues NHL Podcast is very different from Chiclets in the way that they do not incorporate many side stories that aren’t directly related to hockey into the show. However, both shows are hosted by two former NHLers, who aren’t afraid to drop in a few four-lettered words here and there. Is Spittin Chiclets far more aggressive in that respect? Yes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should listen to this podcast with your ten-year-old in the room.
In Review
Overall I think the Blues NHL Podcast is stellar for reasons that go beyond the show itself. The hockey talk is great, and that is reason enough to tune in, but it is also encouraging to see the way youth hockey is being shaped in St. Louis and how much support it is getting from former and current NHL players, along with the Blues organization itself.
Huge thanks to @patmaroon for coming out and spending time with our campers!! #ClassAct #HomeGrown @Synergy__Hockey https://t.co/BUfyxRImmj
— Jamie Rivers (@JamieRivers08) July 25, 2018
Every once in a while Rivers will give an update on his youth hockey programs with information on how to get your own kids involved if interested. I highly recommend keeping an eye on youth development in the St. Louis area if you don’t already. Along with hockey camps like those run by Synergy Hockey, the Blues just announced the ground-breaking of the new St. Louis Community Ice Center set for completion in September 2019.
Awesome to see projects like this coming to fruition around the league. Especially in a non-traditional market. https://t.co/cj38QKghXt
— Jeremy Perrigo (@jeremyperrigo) August 17, 2018
Right now is a great time to be a part of the hockey scene in St. Louis. Check out the Blues NHL Podcast if you are looking to expand your St. Louis Blues intake with honest, unfiltered conversation from two guys who know what it takes to play at the highest level.
You can find the podcast on its website here. Or you can find the show on twitter @STLBluesPodcast. You can find Jamie Rivers on twitter @JamieRivers08 and Darin Kimble @kimby2929.
