T
here are different ways that Brian Elliott can apply his Wisconsin education to his craft as a goaltender for
the St. Louis Blues. Now that the National Hockey League has reopened
its doors after a four-month lockout, Elliott can go
back to work confident that his schooling will once
again pay dividends like it did last season when he
resurrected his career.
After 5,500 fans showed up Sunday to watch the
Blues' first practice in preparation for their Saturday opener against Detroit, the 27-year-old Elliott
admitted, "We've been preparing for this since the
lockout began. We were ready to go in September
and it's just been a long wait. You're anxious and
the nerves are coming back right now.''
But it's a good thing the competitive juices are
flowing again, Elliott conceded, after so much un24 » VARSITY
JANUA RY 17, 2013
certainty over whether the NHL would scrub the
entire season. As it is, the league will downsize
from a standard 82-game regular season to 48
games ― which will be played over 99 days culminating on April 27 ― in what amounts to a sprint,
not a marathon.
"You have to get over some physical hurdles,''
Elliott said, "and it's a mental challenge to keep
pushing yourself ― getting your muscle memory
to kick. You can't stop and glide when you're on
the ice as a player. And you can't take anything for
granted as a goalie. But we're all excited and it's
just a matter of going out there and executing.''
Elliott is hoping the Blues can recapture the momentum from last season, when they collected 109
points and finished atop the Central Division with
a 49-22-11 record, including an impressive 30-6-5
mark on home ice. Elliott did his part by going 23-
