ST. LOUIS — Ten years ago, the St. Louis Cardinals were kings of the town.
They went to a World Series in 2004, won it in 2006, employed the best player in baseball in Albert Pujols and would win the World Series again in 2011.
There wasn't a doubt who the big brother was in town. The St. Louis Blues were the little brother, the team that went to the playoffs many times, but simply couldn't get it done. When 2010 was wrapping up, they had finally recovered from arguably their worst stretch of play (Two words: Mike Kitchen) in franchise history, becoming a competent, if not playoff-savvy, hockey team once again. It was the way a vicious cycle can seem.
These days, things have changed in a big way. The Blues are coming off a Stanley Cup championship last summer, and just hosted the All Star Game in February. The NHL, players, coaches and ownership got to see how devoted the city was to their hockey team. According to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic on 101.1 ESPN radio, the support shown at the All Star Game was the final piece of the puzzle in securing the Blues as the opponent of the Minnesota Wild in next year's Winter Classic. Oh, by the way, the Blues hosted the Classic in 2017, beating their rival Chicago Blackhawks.
It's not like the Cardinals have collapsed in the last decade, and if you go by attendance, they are still king. In 2019, the Cardinals ranked second in Major League Baseball in total attendance as well as average per game. This year, the Blues rank 14th in total and average per game attendance. Ironically enough, they ranked 7th in 2009-10.
But the Cardinals endured one of their worst stretches of play in decades, missing the playoffs in three straight seasons. For them, that's right next to treason and cold Imo's pizza. The only time that happened to the Blues was during the previously mentioned inglorious stretch from 2005-08. That's it.
The Blues ended a Stanley Cup drought last June when they outlasted the Boston Bruins, hoisting Lord Stanley and pouring Charlie Gitto marinara sauce, gooey butter cake and Grandma Petro's sauce into the the bowl at the top. The streets were crammed with blue instead of red. Brett Hull is still drunk from June 12th's events. Players become legends that day, immortalized in endless parties and copious amounts of Budweiser.
Let me put it this way. For the second straight year, Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong did nothing at the trade deadline, instead standing by his team's current roster instead of making a trade just to make a trade. There has been little to no outrage about the team standing pat. Now, part of that is due to the result last year produced. But I think there's a growing confidence in this team's structure and management that wasn't there before. Frankly, many those new admirers wanted Armstrong canned just a few years ago.
And then he traded Jori Lehtera and a couple draft picks for Brayden Schenn. He then traded Ryan Reaves for Oskar Sundqvist and a draft pick that would become Klim Kostin. In his magic trick trade of the decade, Armstrong acquired Ryan O'Reilly while sending Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka to Buffalo. He then traded for and extended Justin Faulk this past September. Most people would slam that trade right now, but it's still early and Faulk is improving.
The point is, there's trust in management and furthermore, in this team. If Vladimir Tarasenko can get back in one piece by the end of the month, their chances should be as strong as last year. Who did they lose over the summer outside of Pat Maroon and Joel Edmundson? Nobody.
Speaking of Tarasenko, the fan support putting this team 14th in attendance is an impressive mark for a team without its star player, even for one coming off a Stanley Cup victory.
There was a time when the Blues were the little brother in St. Louis. The fiery group of rogues who won a little, but not nearly enough. The team that made noise, but couldn't finish the job. They were inferior to the Cardinals in just about every way.
Now, Cardinal Nation is having second thoughts about their team's chances in 2020. The Blues are poised to go right back to the Stanley Cup, once again using an extended winning streak to reverse a tough streak of games. They are resilient, and so are their fans.
In the middle of a burgeoning sports town, it's the hockey team that stands above the rest.