Call-up Chiarot beaten to punch

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This article was published 30/10/2013 (4418 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. LOUIS — Ben Chiarot has waited a while for this. And so when the phone buzzed for his first call-up to the National Hockey League, naturally, he thought first of calling his mom and dad.

But by the time he got to calling his girlfriend with the news — he was with the St. John’s IceCaps in Providence, not in Newfoundland — she has already got wind of his change of address, temporary as it may be.

“I called my girlfriend… she actually found out from (Patrice Cormier’s) girlfriend, so she wasn’t too happy that she had to hear it from one of the other girlfriends about it,” said Chiarot with a sly grin Tuesday morning at Scottrade Center. “She knew before I actually told her so she wasn’t too happy.”

Chiarot was summoned from the Rock after the Jets placed Paul Postma on the injured-reserve list, retroactive to Oct. 27. Postma is out indefinitely because of a blood clot in his leg. The 22-year-old Hamilton product, originally selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft, has five points (2G, 3A) in nine games with the IceCaps this season but it’s the simplification of his game — not the offensive production — that got him promoted.

“At the end of the (Jets’) camp Chevy (Kevin Cheveldayoff) and Zinger (Craig Heisinger) told me how they wanted me to play. Last year I wasn’t really doing what they wanted me to do, so this year I just decided to stick with it,” said Chiarot. “They said that if I do that I’m a lot more valuable to them than doing what I was doing.

“It’s just keeping it really simple, moving the puck as quick as I can and playing physical. In the past I’ve rushed the puck and I’d be all over the ice. They’re not looking for me to do that so I’ve just been sticking with what they want me to do and that’s what’s got me here.”

And, just FYI, like Cormier before him when the call came for Chiarot to join the Jets he was watching a movie. The flick?

“Bad Grandpa,” said Chiarot. “It wasn’t my choice.”

BUSY, BUSY: St. Louis was rocking Monday night with both a World Series game between the Cardinals and Boston Red Sox and Monday Night Football contest featuring the Rams and Seattle Seahawks engulfing the downtown.

Some of the Jets, including Eric Tangradi, managed to score baseball tickets.

“There was definitely a lot of buzz in the city. It was really neat,” said Tangradi. “I don’t think there are many times you’ll be able to say you made it to a World Series game. We were able to scoop up some tickets. I definitely needed some binoculars from my seat, but I can tell people I was there.”

HONEST ONDREJ: Ondrej Pavelec when asked about all the shootouts he had been involved in prior to Tuesday’s contest:

“That’s the way it is. It’s not a thing you can control, but there have been a lot of shootouts so far. It’s part of the game.”

Pavelec, asked if he was starting to feel more comfortable with the game-ending skills competition:

“I still hate it.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait