ST. LOUIS — And then they were tied.
The St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild split their first two NHL playoff games. Friday night, the seven-game series makes its way to St. Louis.
St. Louis-area Blues bars are gearing up for a weekend of playoff hockey.
O.B. Clark’s in Brentwood became legendary when Blues players spent some time there the morning after they won the Stanley Cup in 2019. Long-time employee Michelle Peterman said during the playoffs, O.B. Clark’s is packed even during road games. Peterman said people want to be with other people to witness whatever happens in this playoff season after the season.
“It will be crazy here, Friday night,” she said. “We have to order a lot of beer, a lot of ice and a lot of chicken wings.”
Bobby’s Place in Valley Park is named after Blues legend Bobby Plager, who died last year. Co-owner Tom Maurer said sometimes road playoff games can bring in larger crowds than home games.
Maurer talked about the preparations they have to go through at a bar like Bobby’s Place to get ready for the first home playoff game.
“For the most part, it’s just staffing,” said Maurer. “You want to make sure your staffing is over what you usually anticipate, because you’ll get people standing by tables and you’ll have people standing by other people at the bar. It’s just a very crowded situation, so you want to be overstaffed.”
Maurer says the playoffs take NHL hockey up to the next level of excitement and business.