by BY DAN O'NEILL ¿ doneill@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8186 , St. Louis Post-Dispatch

According to a website that purports to keep track of such things, King has had a highly successful 27 fights in his NHL career, losing a couple of bouts with Derek "The Boogeyman" Boogard. And let's face it, when you challenge the 6-8, 258-pound Boogard, it's kind of like messin' with Sasquatch.

Even with his imposing presence and intimidating reputation, it is also safe to say King has been among the least-feared tough guys in the NHL over the last two seasons. How's that, you might say? Simple. He's never around.

King missed the entire schedule after injuring a shoulder on his first shift last season against Dallas. On Saturday night, returning from a thumb injury in training camp, King suffered a hand injury on his first shift of the new season against Dallas. On Monday, the Blues learned the 25-year-old left winger will miss eight to 10 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair the damage of two dislocated bones and a small fracture in his right hand.

"Poor guy," Blues President John Davidson said. "We all really feel for him. He's a hell of a guy and a team guy. He's worked his tail off in all areas. He got a bad shake on it, but we expect him to be 100 percent when he comes back."

Say one thing for King, he went out with a bang, literally and figuratively. King injured the hand while smashing it, unimpeded, against the forehead of Dallas ruffian Krys Barch. Both players left the ice and went to their dressing rooms after the scrap, but only one returned.

"I couldn't believe (Barch) came back and played," said Davidson, a former NHL goaltender. "Explain that to me. But I don't know a whole lot about that stuff. I had a few (fights), but not too many. I wasn't as good as (King)."

Again, the Blues are fortunate to have depth in the enforcement department. St. Louis native Cam Janssen is not nearly as physically fearsome as King. At 5-11, 205 pounds, Janssen is Kelly Chase to King's Tony Twist.

But like Chase, now a Blues broadcaster, Janssen knows how to play the part King has been unable to fill. Janssen goes about the work in a slightly different manner, injecting energy with big hits, addressing discipline issues with pugnacity, substituting street smarts and a healthy bit of petulance for menacing stature.

"D.J. is one of the, if not the toughest guy in the business," Davidson said. "Cam is not as big as D.J., but Cam knows how to do that job very well, in all ways. Not only in just fighting, and he's excellent at that. But he knows how to play the game, knows how to forecheck, knows how to hit. He's really improved his game; both of them have improved.

"A lot of times in our business, as guys who have been around and watched it and played it know, you really need those guys."

colaiacovo on ice

Carlo Colaiacovo was among the group participating in a spirited practice Monday at St. Louis Mills. Colaiacovo was knocked flying by a low check from Dallas forward Steve Ott during Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Stars. Although he left the ice with an "upper-body injury," the Blues defenseman looked none the worse for wear in Monday's series of battle-oriented contact drills.

"That was good to see," Blues coach Andy Murray said. "He did everything."

Murray reiterated he felt the check by Ott, who backed into an oblivious Colaiacovo and hit him below the waist, was dangerous and inappropriate. "I think it was low," Murray said. "Steve Ott is a hard-working player that has really improved, made himself into a good player. I don't think he needs some of that other stuff."

stastny returning?

The Blues will add a forward from their Peoria affiliate in time for Wednesday's game at Carolina, and while the club was not saying who the mystery forward would be, it seems likely it will be either Yan Stastny or Derek Armstrong.

Statsny needs to clear re-entry waivers to join the parent club because his contract ($500,000) exceeds the $105,000 cutoff level. When he was one of the last cuts from camp, Armstrong purposely accepted a contract of $105,000 to ensure he wouldn't have to clear a waiver hurdle to rejoin the team. But Armstrong was battling the flu all of last week.

With both T.J. Oshie (appendix removed) and King out of action, the team had only 11 forwards on the ice Monday, suggesting they are waiting for Stastny to get through waivers, which would happen today.

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