"The first time the Blues phoned the Montreal Canadiens about Jaroslav Halak, general manager Doug Armstrong had to apologize for the timing of his call. It was April, the Canadiens were in the midst of a playoff run, and they weren't focused on whether they'd re-sign Halak or Carey Price in the summer. "We said 'You have two young goaltenders, and now is not the time to ask what you are going to do, but if there's (a trade to be made), we're going to be interested," Armstrong said. "They won the second round and we made that call again, saying, 'Hey, congratulations, but ...' " Following several peak-time calls from the Blues, the eventual blockbuster trade with Montreal in June and a lavish press conference to welcome him earlier this month, Halak-mania finally hit St. Louis Tuesday night. Wearing No. 41, the netminder received a rousing ovation before the team's first preseason game, and though he allowed three goals on 18 shots in the Blues' 3-1 loss to Colorado, many agree the best is ahead. "It's exciting that it's hockey season," Blues President John Davidson said Tuesday night. "The first game, even though it's exhibition, that's exciting. But for Jaro, I know that the goal is Game 1 of the regular season." The Blues knew they were getting the goalie with the fourth-best save-percentage in last year's playoffs when they traded prospects Lars Eller and Ian Schultz to Montreal. But not until Halak got on the ice for training camp this week did some realize the talent of the former ninth-round pick. "Watching him play in practice, this guy is a very intelligent goaltender," said Davidson, a former goalie with the Blues and New York Rangers. "There's no wasted energy. He just gets it. I found out during my last training camp, less is more. You don't have to be diving and making sensational saves. It's fun to watch and fun to do it. "But you learn to conserve energy and be smart. You don't have to work as hard to get the job done. This young man is so young, but he gets that. That's why he is who he is."" http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/article_34c509ea-ff0c-5c8d-96d5-608ed57c8dc1.html
