Last week Chris Mason called out a number of his teammates for a lack of effort during a third period collapse against the Nashville Predators. Apparently Blues fans focused in on Barret Jackman as the object of their hate and discontent. When the home crowd openly cheered after finding out he would be scratched against the Dallas Stars, may be the fans took it a bit too far. From Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
“We always say that we have the best fans because of the support they give us, but to flip the switch on a guy like that, who’s battled so hard, maybe we need a reality check,” said one Blues player, who requested anonymity. “To do that, without knowing the full story, it’s definitely disappointing.”
Now the question is, did his bravery hurt the team in the long run? Over the past five games he had no points and was a minus-5, certainly uncharacteristic for the solid defenseman. Being a tough hockey player fighting through injury for the sake of the team is certainly admirable, but when it affects your play and hurts the team then maybe sitting out a few games would ultimately help.