ST. LOUIS — How’s your view from out here?
Idyllic from where I’m at – the air is fresh, the sun is bright and there’s a newness like going to a lush vacation spot.
The Blues have pulled the fanbase to a spot we’ve never been before – up 3-2 in a conference final with 11 playoff wins. No Blues team has had eleven playoff wins since 1986. Only three current Blues were even alive then: Tyler Bozak, Alexander Steen and Jay Bouwmeester.
Brett Hull never got this far with a Bluenote on his chest. It took a miracle (on a Monday night, of course) for Hall of Famer Bernie Federko to get this far.
So now what? Are you peeking back at what has happened, especially since the Hand Pass Ripoff in Game 3; or are you looking ahead to the glorious sight of what’s to come?
I know where Craig Berube has the players looking – straight dead ahead on tomorrow night.
Back in ’86, the Monday Night Miracle was the peak for that team – they were gallant in getting as far as they did but lost to a superior Flames team in Calgary in Game Seven that year – a 2-1 outcome that was applauded as a tremendous achievement..
Amazing that in the 51 previous seasons of hockey, a Game Six of a conference final is the most memorable game in franchise history, isn’t it?
This team will probably tell you they’ve got more left in the tank.
And here’s why the fun’s not stopping here this time around:
- Momentum. The Blues have been a team possessed since The Hand Pass, outscoring San Jose, 7-1, over the last two games.
- Health: Playoff hockey is a march of attrition. We thought it was bad when we lost defenseman Vince Dunn in Game Three. The Sharks had four of their veteran, playoff-experienced team in various stages of disrepair in the third period yesterday; General Custer had more men around him at the close of the Battle of Little Bighorn than Pete DeBoer did. Erik Karlsson, the benefactor of The Hand Pass, has been slowed by some kind of leg injury and has been a non-factor since Friday. Linchpins Joe Pavelski and Thomas Hertl and forward Joonas Donskoi also left the ice. The Blues are sore, too, but anyone with a pulse and wearing the Note will be ready tomorrow.
- The Berube Factor: No question in my mind that just like after losing Wednesday night he pulled his team aside and made sure he had everybody’s attention. Instead of having to tell his team to put a painful loss behind them, this time he was no doubt emphatic to put the decisive 5-0 win behind them and be absolutely certain there will be no letup for Game Six. Crush ‘em.
- Home Ice: It hasn’t been much of a factor thus far, but can you hear in your mind how loud Enterprise Center will be tomorrow night? Twenty thousand rabid, Cup-starved – and dare I say, blood-thirsty – sets of lungs will be imploring the team to go harder, faster, and more intensely than they probably already will. Try this on for size: With a win, the Blues will have clinched each of their three series wins at home.
It won’t be easy – no doubt DeBoer will muster his skaters for one final big push, in the miraculous hope of getting to a Game Seven back in Cali.
I want to share two sets of words that have become ear worms for me this morning.
- You may have turned off the TV in disgust after The Hand Pass but I went back over the Game Three video today and after the teams left the ice, NBC studio analyst Patrick Sharp had this to say:
“Maybe this play is a turning point for the St. Louis Blues. Once they calm down, understand what happened, realize they’re on the bad end of an unfortunate call, maybe that brings them together and they come back even stronger.”
Granted, Sharp was a longtime Blackhawk (ick!), but Bingo! Spot on, Patrick.
He’s got the perspective that three Stanley Cup rings give you, and Berube agreed with words he probably didn't even hear. He did what all great coaches do: he galvanized the team and they have since found a new level.
- Blues G.M. Doug Armstrong finished off a season post-mortem news conference lamenting the lack of his team’s killer instinct back in 2014. It’s a little graphic, but in the context of a playoff run the words ring true. Remember?
“We need that killer instinct . . . you need to take the knife and jam it in their eye and into their brain and kill them.”
Don’t you believe this team has that approach now? Haven’t they met every obstacle in their way since January and hurdled it?
The mind can be an incredibly strong thing. This team possesses a mental toughness forged through adversity, and it has led to a quiet confidence that seems unshakable.
And then let’s throw desperation into the cocktail.
It’s the lure of the Cup – something all hockey players dream about having their names etched on. The closer you get to it, the more unquenchable the pursuit becomes.
We fans may not get to touch the Cup, but we’re living the dream – and the desperation. Captain Alex Pietrangelo put it into words this morning. “The more you play, the older you get,” the 29-year-old said, “you realize these opportunities may not come all the time and you want to make sure you take advantage of them.”
My money’s on the Blues getting it done tomorrow. I said before the series started they’d win it in six and I’m sticking to it.
Let the adventure continue into the rarefied air of the Stanley Cup final.
And enjoy the view.
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