Posted on 05/22/2019 4:43:15 AM PDT by ShadowAce
Yes, it really happened.
No, you were not dreaming.
Your St. Louis Blues are four wins away from their first Stanley Cup, four wins away from that parade, four wins away from a curse cured.
A tornado warning tried to stop them.
Like the Sharks and the Stars and the Jets, it failed.
These Blues changed coaches, changed goalies, and, in front of a sold-out Enterprise Center crowd on a stormy Tuesday night, changed perceptions of an organization that had been blocked from the Stanley Cup finals since 1970.
Hey buddy, they’re still here. And there, crying in the hallway near the dressing room, was Kelly Chase, the man who first read that Blues rallying cry. And there was little Laila, the Blues’ superhero, interviewing Alexander Steen. And there was Bobby Plager in his playoff beard, celebrating for two.
A crowd of 18,684 assembled beneath a scary sky, and that's not counting the mass at Ballpark Village. The hockey gods stirred over our downtown. Tornado sirens sounded. So? Those who could not be here watched from their basements — if their reception didn't cut out. The storm calmed. The sirens stopped. Not long after the Blues scored the first goal of the game, the rain ceased.
Blues legends Chris Pronger, Brett Hull and a long list of teary-eyed, well-oiled alums tried to make sense of a 5-1 Blues win. Current Cardinals Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong cheered like Average Joes. Old friends Chris Long and David Freese popped up on the big screen, stirring roars. It was a movie in real life, and it just now reached the best part.
“We’re not done, boys,” Blues coach Craig Berube told his men.
“There’s still one more opponent to beat,” Vladimir Tarasenko said.
Boston beckons.
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
Haha!!! You’re not alone.
I always had the impression that Orr’s goal was a dramatic Game 7 winner.
Turns out Boston swept the series.
To be fair, a lot of those organ players were pretty dreadful too . . . like the one in Slap Shot that Newman had to set straight!
The 1970 series was a sweep by the B’s.
Boston doesn’t have Orr or Esposito and a bunch of other greats this time but they do have a hot goalie in Rusk so we shall see. That last matchup was still in the wake of the expansion of 1968 and west division which St Louis represented back then was considerably weaker at the time than the 6 legacy teams in the east.
Yeah, it was kind of BS for the NHL to allow all the new teams in one division, where one of the expansion teams was guaranteed a spot in the finals.
Agreed. However, at least it wasn’t ear splittingly loud like today. Man, the even blast music when tennis players change sides. The worlds gone mad. :-)
Would be nice to see them win it!
They probably did that for marketing purposes. If a new team has no chance at advancing anywhere, the local fanbase won't pay them any attention. Having an expansion team guaranteed to go to the Finals sparks interest and attendance.
Now with 31 teams, they can add new teams in where they fit best. I think they did it correctly back then.
The Schnarks couldn’t stop an ice cream truck. Riddled by injuries, they were out hustled, out muscled, out played.. and now, they are out..
I’m pulling for the Bruins and BoBBy Orr.. But the Blues ain’t a bad team at all. Should be a good series.. seriesly. ;-)
Hockey was a different game 50 years ago. now, get the puck out of here.
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