T.J. Oshie missed the St. Louis Blues practice this morning, and Coach Davis Payne told the Post Dispatch that it was an "unexcused absence."
That would be the last thing the Blues would say in the matter, beyond the fact that it'll be handled internally, which led Andy Strickland of True Hockey is speculate that Oshie will miss Tuesday's game for the Blues considering how the team handled Patrik Berglund's skipped practice last season. He said GM Doug Armstrong would discuss the matter tomorrow morning.
In the meantime, we'll have to settle for enforcer Cam Janssen as the voice of the Blues on this matter … which really isn't a bad thing, considering how candid he was with the boys on Sports Radio 1380's The Sports Edge this afternoon.
Listen to the full Cam goodness here; as for his comments on Oshie, they're as follows:
Q. Cam, T.J. Oshie with an unexcused absence [today from practice]. Can you tell us anything about that?
JANSSEN: "Boy, I knew that was coming. [Laughter] You know, I don't really know what the hell's going on. But I do know that he's OK. And that uh … that uh … oh, boy, guys …"
Be careful, be careful.
JANSSEN: "Yeah, I know, I know, I got it. It's just one of those things. Hey, it happens. He's gonna bounce back from it. He's a good kid and he's great in the organization. Everybody loves him. He's a hell of a hockey player. He'll bounce back from this one.
"I'm not saying he was right by any means. I'll tell you what: He's going to get his, and the boys are pissed at him, and that's the way it is. But that kind of stuff happens. There's no excuse, don't get me wrong, but that kind of stuff happens. Everybody'll get over it and we'll move on."
And Cam in hockey, more so than any other sport, those problems can be solved in the locker room.
JANSSEN: "Absolutely. The older guys will sit down with him, we'll talk to him and we'll be sure it doesn't happen again. There'll be a big, big fine coming. I'm sure he'll be paying for our drinks at the year-end party. And that'll be that. "
As we wait for official word on Oshie's absence from practice, please do enjoy a day's worth of "Where Is Oshie" posts on Twitter and Houses of the Hockey's Oshie Photoshop expo.
By the way, in what we assure you is a totally unrelated link that's merely offered for pure entertainment purposes and not in reference to anything else -- here's the poster for "The Hangover 2."