The Saint Louis Blues are the 2019 Stanley Cup Champions!!

For most people, that means nothing. You may be thinking, who are the Blues?!? What is the Stanley Cup?!? But if you are a Blues fan, winning the Cup means everything. For the first time in its 52 year history, the Blues won the National Hockey League championship. Hockey may not be America’s pastime or its favorite sport, but you would never know that if you lived in or around Saint Louis. Saint Louis is often described as CardinalNation, but right now, you would have to say that the Cardinals are taking the backseat to the Blues.

photo from St. Louis Blues Facebook page

I will admit, I am not the biggest Blues fans. Heck, I am not the biggest hockey fan. Growing up, I watched the baseball and football Cardinals on TV and knew nothing about the Blues. It was not until I moved to Saint Louis more than twenty years ago that I learned about hockey. I did not know the difference between a floor check and a cross-check, but that didn’t stop me from going to my first game with my future wife.

I would describe myself as a casual fan. I don’t live and breath sports like some of my friends. I don’t subscribe to the cable packages so that I can watch all of the games. I haven’t even been to a game in more than ten years. But when it comes down to it, I am a hometown fan. I will check the sports headlines to see if Blues won or not, and then check the standings to see how the playoff chase is going. I don’t keep up with the players and their stats and how they compare with the teams.

And this year was no different. I knew that the Blues were supposed to be a great team. But when they fired their coach and were sitting in last place I knew that this was not going to be their season. But still, I would check the headlines for the scores and check the standings. I noticed something different after the first of the year. The headlines mentioned a Blues winning streak that had taken them out of last place and moving into playoff contention. The winning streak topped out at eleven and suddenly people were talking about making the playoffs. All the while, the people of Saint Louis never doubted their chances.

When the playoff began, the Blues were the hottest team in the League although many people (outside of Saint Louis) doubted if they could win the Stanley Cup. By making the playoffs, I turned up my attention to the team. I always want my hometown team to win it all, even if I didn’t know the difference between a Parayko and a Pietrangelo. I began to watch the playoff previews, to learn more about the players and I realized how special this team was.

And, after four tough series, the Blues prevailed and are now Stanley Cup champions. And Saint Louis could not be happier. I never knew how much Saint Louis loved hockey and their Blues. An estimated 500,000 turned out for the Championship parade in downtown Saint Louis.

photo from KMOV Channel 4 – the rally under the Gateway Arch

I will be sharing more about the Blues and their run for the Stanley Cup in another post, coming soon. If you are a Blues fan, let me know what was your greatest memories of the championship and what it means to you.

*~* JAY *~*