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Blues release enforcer Kelly Chase
Posted: Friday June 30, 2000 03:56 PM
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- One of the most popular athletes in St. Louis has apparently played his last game with the Blues. The Blues have released enforcer Kelly Chase to free up money to sign potential free agents -- their own and possibly others. General manager Larry Pleau informed Chase on Wednesday that the team would not pick up the option on the final year of Chase's $500,000 contract. "Kelly's been great for us since I've been here, but we have to make tough decisions," Pleau said Thursday. Chase, who turns 33 on Oct. 25, has spent eight of his 11 NHL seasons with the Blues -- the first five and the last three. He signed as an unknown free agent out of Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan, in 1988 and became one of the team's most popular players, whether stirring up trouble on the ice or diving into charitable work off it. His work in forming the Gateway Locomotives hockey team for the developmentally disabled helped him win the NHL's King Clancy Award two years ago. After former Blues general manager and coach Mike Keenan waived him in January of 1995, Chase played parts of three seasons with Hartford and had a brief stint in Toronto before Pleau, at the urging of former GM Ron Caron, brought him back to St. Louis in September 1997. Chase's playing time has diminished in the last two seasons as the Blues have depended less and less on enforcers to keep the on-ice peace. Just two seasons ago, the Blues featured three of the NHL's top enforcers in Tony Twist, Rudy Poeschek and Chase, none of whom is on the team. Now, their ranking tough guy is minor-leaguer Reed Low. The emergence of grinding winger Jamal Mayers, as well as the team's emphasis on skill, dropped Chase down the depth chart. After playing 67 games in the 1997-98 season, Chase dropped to 49 games the next season and 25 games last season. He did not appear in either of the last two playoffs with the Blues. In 433 career games, Chase has 17 goals and 53 points, with 2,017 penalty minutes. The Blues also severed ties with defenseman Rico Persson by not giving him a qualifying offer. Both Chase and Persson are unrestricted free agents. With the free-agent signing period beginning on Saturday, Pleau said his top priority is to re-sign unrestricted free agents Mike Eastwood and Tyson Nash. Pleau also has tendered qualifying offers to restricted free agents Michal Handzus, Lubos Bartecko and Todd Reirden and minor-leaguers Brent Johnson, Bryce Salvador, Derek Bekar, and Low. The only outstanding business is the option on Marc Bergevin's contract, which the Blues expect to pick up today. Once the free-agent market opens on Saturday, the Blues expect to be active, pursuing help on defense and forward. The Blues also might look at a veteran goaltender to replace backup Jamie McLennan, lost in the expansion draft, and allow Johnson to continue playing regularly in Worcester.
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