It's time for the captain to rally the troops.
St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who was selected to wear the 'C' following the departure of David Backes this past offseason, addressed the firing of head coach Ken Hitchcock after practice Wednesday, saying it's time the team pulls itself together.
Related: Emotional Armstrong laments firing 'best friend' Hitchcock
Pietrangelo: "This is a wake up call for a lot of us. It's time to work together as a group and play a system like it needs to be played."
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 1, 2017
Fellow blue-liner Kevin Shattenkirk added the Blues need to add some shake to that wake.
Shattenkirk: "It's not an easy day. You never want to see that happen to anyone, but it seems like we need to shake things up a bit."
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 1, 2017
Certainly it's on the back end where new bench boss Mike Yeo needs to focus, as the Blues have allowed 157 goals against to date, the fifth-highest total among all teams.
Related: Jake Allen key to Ken Hitchcock's early dismissal
Pietrangelo and the Blues will get their first crack at righting the ship Thursday against Toronto.
Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.