Justin Faulk perhaps put it in the best simplest terms: “That’s a Brayden Schenn game.”
On the night when the Blues celebrated Schenn’s recent 1,000th career NHL game with a pregame ceremony, Schenn scored 41 seconds into the contest and then fought Anaheim’s Jacob Trouba with 2:37 left in the first period. Schenn finished an assist away from his third career Gordie Howe hat trick, and did so with plenty of friends and family in attendance at Enterprise Center.
Schenn scored his 16th goal of the season at the side of the net after Dylan Holloway dangled through the Ducks defense to set him up. Then Schenn fought Trouba after Trouba’s high hit on Jordan Kyrou in the Blues’ zone.
“He means a lot to this group,” Faulk said. “There’s no doubt about that, what he means to the team, the organization, the city, each guy individually. He does everything for everybody. I think if you want to pick anyone in the city and said ‘Is that guy qualified to be the captain of the Blues and represent this city and what sports and this city is all about, the character?’ He’s that guy.
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“For him to go do that tonight, score right away, step up for Kyrou, get in a fight. I know he’s got a lot of people in town. That’s just who he is as a person, as a teammate and as a guy.”
Schenn played his 1,000th game on Feb. 27 in Washington, but Sunday was just the team’s second home game since then, so that’s when the Blues honored their captain.
In the hallway by the Blues dressing room, the team lined up screens with photos of Schenn growing up and his previous stops in the NHL. The team used life-size builds of “1000” as a backdrop for the ceremony. During warmup, while Schenn wore his normal jersey, all of his teammates donned sweaters that read “Schenner” on the back with “1000” as the number.
Luke Schenn, Sidney Crosby, Ryan O’Reilly and Robert Bortuzzo were among the NHLers who filmed messages to congratulate Schenn. Schenn thanked different parts of the organization for the night, including the equipment, digital, video and public relations staffs.
“It’s one of those things where you can’t really draw it up better if that makes sense,” Schenn said. “You’ve been watching a lot of ceremonies throughout my career and respect every single one I’ve watched. When it’s about you, it’s a little different and a little bit weird, I would say.”
Schenn’s parents, Jeff and Rita, were on the ice for the pregame ceremony, as was his wife, Kelsey, and their two kids, Huxley and Braxton. Huxley waved to the adoring crowd as the ceremony ended, and Schenn said with a smile, “I think he thought the ceremony was about him.”
“I FaceTime him, and he doesn’t really want to see me,” Schenn said. “Just wants to see ‘the boys,’ he says. That’s with Jake (Neighbours) being great to him, (Joel Hofer) being great to him, (Zack Bolduc), (Tyler Tucker), Holloway, the list goes on and on. When you have those guys over for dinner, they’re so good to my kids. Obviously, makes an impact on them.”
Schenn has put his stamp on the Blues organization in his own way.
In September 2023, he was named the 23rd captain in team history, and he’s been tasked with leading the group through a time of transition as the franchise tries to return to the playoffs. He’s already played for three coaches as captain, but Jim Montgomery credited Schenn for making his “job a lot easier coming in here the way he grabs ahold of that dressing room, too.”
“Not only embody the spirit of the Blues, but all the players I mention that have been warriors here for years, and (that’s) why the Blues do have a great tradition,” Montgomery said of Schenn. “The players, you go through the years, the (Bernie) Federkos, Garry Unger, then you get in the 80s, you have (Brian) Sutter, then you have Perry Turnbull, then you have Brett Hull shows up, Scott Stevens is here, Brendan Shanahan, (Chris) Pronger, (Al) MacInnis, (Scott) Mellanby, (Keith) Tkachuk, (Barret) Jackman.
“There’s so many guys that have left an imprint and I think when you look at Brayden Schenn, the way he plays the game, he has the skill, the will, he fights, he checks.”
After the game, Kyrou said he was fine following the hit by Trouba, and “just felt like I kind of got hit blindly, I guess.”
Trouba did not receive supplemental discipline from the Department of Player Safety on Monday. The head was not viewed as the main point of contact, as Trouba was judged to get Kyrou’s arm and shoulder as well.
“That’s just instincts,” Schenn said. “You see him laying there. You don’t know if he’s hurt, if he’s not. You don’t really see the hit in real time. Just instincts (to) stick up for a teammate. We’ve been doing that collectively as a team all year.”
Kyrou: “Nothing much you can say other than he’s an unbelievable guy, unbelievable captain and he’s done that for me multiple times in my career. I have nothing but so much respect for him. He’s just awesome.”
After Sunday night, Schenn now has 13 points in the last 13 games.
“Pretty cool how it all works out,” he said. “Most importantly, we got the job done tonight and continue to climb up the standings.”
A day off
After playing Saturday in Minnesota and Sunday against Anaheim, the Blues did not practice on Monday before flying to Nashville. That’s where they play the Predators on Thursday night.
