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The St. Louis Blues enter this season without carrying a piano on their backs, their first-round elimination of the boogeyman Chicago Blackhawks last spring and subsequent trip to the Western Conference finals a certain measure of playoff accomplishment they had been craving for a long time.Still short of a Stanley Cup finals berth, of course, which their loyal fan base remains hopeful for, but at least the narrative has changed.The new script surrounding this team is that a younger core has taken over, with longtime David Backes moving on to the Boston Bruins in free agency, and clutch veteran winger Troy Brouwer getting an offer he couldnt refuse from the Calgary Flames.The team now belongs to top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who replaced Backes as captain, but also to Jaden Schwartz,?Alex Steen?and Vladimir Tarasenko. The emergence of forward Robby Fabbri last season as a top-six force also helps mitigate the losses of Backes and Brouwer, as does signing unrestricted free-agent winger David Perron.Life would have been better had Vladimir Sobotka found his way back to St. Louis from the KHL, but more on that later.Theres both an experienced, steady voice behind the bench in longtime coach Ken Hitchcock, but also a fresh one in Mike Yeo, who will officially take over as head coach in 2017-18. Its a bit unusual of a setup, but both coaches seem comfortable with the one-year overlap. For Yeo, its a chance to learn from a man with two lifetimes worth of hockey knowledge.The Blues remain a contender but not without questions.Best new facesPerron and backup goalie Carter Hutton are the most notable additions, the former having begun his career with the Blues and enjoyed productive years there before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers in the summer of 2013, and then making stops with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks before returning where it all began for him. He played some of his best hockey in a while last season after joining the Ducks.Dont underestimate the value of Hutton, who pushed Pekka Rinne for starts midway through last season with the Nashville Predators. Hes a good, steady hand behind young anointed starter Jake Allen, who no longer has to share the No. 1 job with Brian Elliott (who was traded to the Calgary Flames).Yeo is probably the most important new face, the former Minnesota Wild head coach lured by the chance to learn from Hitchcock before taking over the Blues by himself in a year.Biggest unknownsWhat happens with top-four blue-liner Kevin Shattenkirk? Hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and many thought he would have been traded over the summer -- there were certainly more than a few teams that tried at the June draft in Buffalo -- but here he is starting the season with the Blues. The Blues value his puck-moving skills on the back end and whos to say they wont try to sign him as the season goes on. Or perhaps hes a trade-deadline chip. Or maybe he simply walks away next summer into free agency, but not before the Blues have another deep playoff run. I think the Blues could live with all three scenarios. The bottom line, though, is that it will be a story worth monitoring all season.Does Sobotka figure out an exit from Russia and join the Blues sometime this season? This story has had more twists and turns than a Jason Bourne movie, but the bottom line is that whatever out clause that seemed to exist in Sobotkas KHL contract disappeared last season when he got topped up financially due to a falling ruble. Long story short, if he wants his KHL team to release him to the Blues -- where he has indicated he wants to return after a two-season hiatus -- hes going to have to pay his way out of it. Stay turned. He would be a big-time addition if it ever does happen. With the losses of Backes and Brouwer in particular, Sobotka would bring skill and sandpaper into a top-nine role with the Blues.Center Paul Stastny in the second half last season played his best hockey for the Blues (including 13 points in 20 playoff games) since signing that big contract two years ago. Can he continue that consistent play this season? I think he does.And finally, how does it work all season long between Hitchcock and Yeo? All signs point to a cordial and beneficial arrangement, but its not every day you have this kind of situation. And how do the players respond to the unorthodox setup?Sure thingsSteen is the Blues version of the Chicago Blackhawks Jonathan Toews or Los Angeles Kings Anze Kopitar, the teams most complete two-way player and a guy who never takes a night off. He exudes character. Hes strong on both sides of the puck and never seems to make the wrong decision with it. He can play both center and wing, which adds to his versatility.Superstar winger Tarasenko scored 40 goals last season after scoring 37 the year before. The 24-year-old is just getting better. Does he top countryman Alex Ovechkin for the Rocket Richard Trophy this season? Tarasenko should be motivated by a playoff performance hed rather forget.PredictionI dont think winning the Central matters as much to the Blues as the process of getting ready for another playoff run. I see them comfortably battling for third or fourth with the Blackhawks, and another opportunity to go deep in the spring. Fourth in the Central. Cheap sWell Water Bottles . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. Swell Bottle Sale Canada . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. http://www.discountswellbottles.com/ . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Discount Swell Bottles . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. Swell Bottle Canada Sale . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries.Sky Sports has changed the way we enjoy sport and big strides have been made since the first channel was launched in 1991. When Sky Sports hit television screens on April 20, 1991, coverage of sport was vastly different to the comprehensive, interactive viewing experience that is offered today. Vote: 25 Moments Pick your favourite from 25 years of Sky Sports coverage... Just two years before Sky Sports started, there were 26 live football matches on ITV and nine-and-a-half live matches on the BBC, with the BBC only showing the second half of England vs Greece. Now, Sky Sports will show 126 Premier League games and 127 Football League games in the 2016-17 season.On April 20, 1990 - one year exactly before Sky Sports started - snooker was interrupted by Fireman Sam and Tales of Aesop.Now, Sky Sports offers seven channels 24/7 with round-the-clock sports coverage, but how else has the viewing experience drastically changed over the last 25 years? More hours of coverage... 700,000+ hours of sport broadcast on Sky Sports since 1991 60,000+ hours of sport to be broadcast on Sky Sports in 2016 13,000 hours of football last year on Sky Sports 7,000+ hours of cricket last year on Sky Sports 6,000+ hours of golf last year on Sky Sports March 1991The month before Sky Sports began, 27 hours of sport was screened by terrestrial broadcasters. Now (on average) 5,000 hours of sport are shown by Sky Sports alone. Sky Sports shows extensive coverage of football Throughout March, only 70 minutes of football was shown by terrestrial broadcasters. Now, each month, Sky Sports offers hundreds of hours of comprehensive football coverage.April 1991 On April 19, the day before Sky Sports began, there was one hour and 40 minutes of sport on television, 35 minutes of golf and one hour and five minutes of racing. Now, on Sky Sports alone, seven channels run 24 hours a day, offering round-the-clock coverage. Formula 1 has a designated channel on Sky Sports No football was shown by terrestrial broadcasters on the day Sky Sports started.dddddddddddd Now, across Sky Sports seven channels, football fans can watch football in one form or another every day of the week.Far more football Sky Sports will bring you even more Premier League games next year In the last season that top-flight league football was just on terrestrial TV, 18 live league games were offered, with the first match on in November, three months into the season. Now, Sky Sports, from the 2016-17 season, will show 126 games live from the top flight.Rugby on the rise Rugby fans can watch the sports top teams in action There was no regular weekly coverage of live club rugby before Sky Sports started its first season in 1996. Now, viewers can enjoy domestic rugby from across the British Isles and France, as well as European competition club rugbyBoxing is booming Anthony Joshua is Britains latest world champion Boxing has changed dramatically and big fights now fill huge arenas, with the current number of British world champions rising to 12 in total. The 1991 opening weekend schedule:Saturday April 2015:00 Live Cricket: West Indies vs Australia, fourth Test, day two from Bridgetown Barbados18.30 British International Darts: Scotland vs England 20:00 Live Boxing: Prince Charles Williams vs James Kinchen from Atlantic City22:00 Live Cricket 24.00 Scottish Football Magazine01.00 Ringside repeat A Test match between the West Indies and Australia featured on the first weekend of Sky Sports Sunday 21 April10.30 British International Darts: Scotland vs England [repeat]12.00 Scottish Football Magazine 13:00 Live Refuge League Cricket: Leicestershire vs Derbyshire18:15 Live British Rugby League - Premiership 1st Round20.15 Italian Football Whats On Sky Sports? Click here to see whats coming up live on Sky Sports this week ' ' '