St. Louis Blues Players keeping Busy in Europe during Lockout -NHL Update
Europe has been a live saver for many National Hockey League (NHL) players who continue to be locked out eight weeks after the previous collective bargaining agreement came to an end on September 15, 2012, but for St. Louis Blues’ Alex Steen, it is definitely
much more than that.
Not getting a pay check is not the only issue, for him, it is the playing that keeps him active, physically and mentally.
“No. 1, I’m able to stay sane,” Steen said, according to StLToday.com. “Part of it is mental, so you’re not bored out of your mind. Everybody has a different personality and some guys are able to handle it a little better than other guys. I would have a
really hard time just working out with no end in sight. I knew for myself, I had to play.”
Currently, the Swedish forward is back in his country and on a temporary contract with the Modo hockey team of the Swedish Elite League, which for him, his a lot better than just sitting around and waiting for the deadlock between the NHL and Players’ Association
to come to an end.
“I’m having fun playing in front of friends and older family members that don’t have the energy to stay up in the middle of the night to watch me on TV in the NHL,” Steen said.
Another great aspect for Steen and many other players who have chosen to go abroad and stay active is that they will be ready when time does come to drop the puck again and head back to North America for some hockey action. Until then, they will continue
playing in Europe, dominating the opposing forces.
This week is seen to be extremely crucial in deciding on how many players could head out, especially those who have waited to see how negotiations play out. One of them is Blues captain, David Backes.
“It’s possible, but I’m not there yet,” captain David Backes said.
At the moment, Steen has appeared in 15 games with Modo and already has tallied up 14 points. A number of other St. Louis players are also playing like Patrick Berglund, Chris Stewart and a number of others.
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