Jake Neighbours plays role of DJ with songs from AC/AC, John Mellencamp; practice day follows day of bag skate
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- There was some good, old music playing at the barn on Monday.
The St. Louis Blues came out for practice and not long after, Young MC’s ‘Bust A Move’ started blaring over the speakers. John Cougar Mellencamp’s ‘Hurt So Good’ and AC/DC’s ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Want To Rock And Roll) were among the other selections.
The DJ? Blues forward Jake Neighbours, a chore asked of him by coach Jim Montgomery.
“No, I gave (the playlist) to Jake Neighbours, who’s really good,” Montgomery said. “I think he has an old soul. I really like his style of music.”
And did the coach approve?
“I did approve,” he said. “Had some AC/DC in there. He was spot on. DJ Neighbours, he can play at my house any time.”
There was a method to the madness, and for those thinking, ‘Why are the Blues joking around or being all light-hearted,’ as some have asked, well …
“It’s not to keep the mood light. We need more energy,” Montgomery said of his club, which is 5-8-3. “That’s why we brought the music. I think for five out of our last six games, we’ve played pretty good hockey, yet we’re 2-2-2. When you’re not winning, doesn’t matter what sport, you’re not happy when you’re around the rink. But our energy is low, and we choose our own energy. I wanted energy to be up, I wanted us to be talking louder than the music, so we’re demanding pucks. There’s a couple reasons for it. It wasn’t just to get guys to put smiles on their faces. I wanted more energy.”
This was on the heels of Sunday’s practice, which included a lengthy bag skate at the end for conditioning purposes that was preceded by some hard drills.
“Practices like that are necessary,” Blues rookie forward Jimmy Snuggerud said. “I feel like it gets guys into it, more focused, more energized. Coming into today, we just bring more energy. A day like that yesterday gets good conditioning in and I think the main thing was to finish the whole practice through and through just like we need to do in the game with all three periods.”
These past two days come off the heels of a game the Blues felt like they should have finished off, a 4-3 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken, that ended with allowing a goal on a controversial goalie interference ruling with 1.9 seconds left in regulation before falling in the extra session.
It can certainly bring the energy level down when the team is trying to gain some traction.
“I think so, I think it’s pretty evident if you walk into the room or whatever before practice and there’s not much going on,” defenseman Tyler Tucker said. “Some days there is a lot going on. I think everyone knows when you might need a little something to get you going. That was kind of a new touch, I guess. Can’t say I’ve been a part of something like that. And probably a lot of guys, to be honest. Different for sure.”
And Neighbours, who was briefly on the ice Sunday after practice for the first time since blocking a shot in the second period against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 18, can feel like he’s part of the team again.
“It did. I asked him this morning, and he had a big smile on his face,” Montgomery said. “He took it seriously; he was nervous about it. A lot of people told me he felt a lot of pressure.”
He shouldn’t have, according to Tucker.
“He runs the music in the locker room,” Tucker said of Neighbours. “He’s been doing that for two or three years now. He’s usually good for the mornings, keeps it country and what not. And on game times he ramps it up to, I don’t know what that stuff’s called, but he’s got a little bit of everything. He’s got quite the list for sure.”
Snuggerud said the tunes were, “Good. Good vibes. It’s nice when you want to bring energy to the rink. It’s happy. It’s a joyful time. Those are oldies, but they’re good ones.
“(We) let him pick his own. He’s good at it. He’s just a music guy. He’s got it all down.
“When moods are down and things aren’t going the best, I feel like it’s going to bring joy to the rink every single day, puts a smile to guys’ faces and brings more energy to the rink, which I think follows along at the games very well.”
'I’m Just Going To Wait On That Call To Get The Nod To Go In And If I Do' -- If Skinner Gets Shot With Blues, It Would Be His NHL Debut
Defenseman recalled from Springfield Sunday after St. Louis sent Logan Mailloux down; could Bjugstad sit?; Dvorsky gets chance with Kyrou, Holloway; Joseph takes fall
St. Louis Blues Prospect Report (Nov. 9, 2025)
Tomas Mrsic starting to feel the scoring after adjustment at Colorado College; Adam Jiricek's offense highlighting his season at Brantford; Matvei Korotky injured in Russia
Logan Mailloux Can Always Lean On Blues Teammate Who Knows What It's Like To Break Into NHL
Tyler Tucker knows pipeline between Springfield, St. Louis in efforts to crack NHL lineup, finally doing it last year after almost three years of ups, downs
Blues Already Moved Past Saturday's Controversy
Goalie interference call that wasn't made allowed Seattle to tie it late, win in OT; Sunday's practice was more geared towards pushing each other to be better, end with bag skate
Blues Assign Mailloux To Springfield, Recall Skinner
Defenseman acquired from Canadiens for Zack Bolduc will go down to AHL, play big minutes, variety of roles and get a "reset," GM said
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.