ST. LOUIS — Usually, if an older player is making a last ditch effort to win a championship, I'm completely on board. It's always cool seeing the emotion come out of a veteran player that finally reaches the mountaintop.
Here in St. Louis, we can't say that about Joe Thornton.
Obviously since he plays for the Blues' opponents in the Western Conference Final, St. Louisans are already against the 21-year veteran, but one hit back in 2010 made Thornton enemy number one in St. Louis for the rest of his career.
When Thornton scored twice in game three of the Western Conference, the St. Louis fans in the Enterprise Center gave him a heavy dose of boo's. As they should.
Thornton's hit on Perron nine years ago started the Blues forward's troubles with concussions.
As you might suspect, that wasn't the last time Thornton would pull out a cheap shot on the Blues over the years.
So, no. While the rest of hockey might be pulling for the veteran of more than two decades of NHL hockey to finally lift the cup over his head, Thornton will get no such goodwill in St. Louis, as he shouldn't.
I'd even say the boos after his goals in game three weren't nearly as loud as they should have been.
Blues fans should let him hear it every time the puck touches the tape on his stick.
Everyone else in the hockey world can join in on the Joe Thornton 2019 playoff love fest, but here in St. Louis we'll gladly decline to join the bandwagon.