It’s important that I preface what I’m about to say, by stating that; yes I am from Vancouver and yes I am a Vancouver Canucks fan.
This I’m sure will make it very surprising that I have a desire for a non-Boston Bruins team to win the Stanley Cup. However, I had completely jumped off the Canucks bandwagon a few years before their 2011 playoff run, in which they faced the Bruins. As a result of this, I wasn’t too heartbroken when they were mercilessly slaughtered by Boston at the time. I only began to cheer for my hometown team once more in 2016.
So now that I’ve likely alienated myself form both the hardcore Boston and Vancouver camps, let’s get into it.
Won’t Anyone Think About Joe?
There is a chance that Joe Thorton has played his last game in the NHL, we don’t know yet, but there is a chance. With that in mind, just imagine if this face:
earns another playoff ring before this next face gets his first:
It begs the question: “what’s the point of it all?” Not just Hockey, but everything. Should we all just rip off our shirts and start running into traffic, is there such a thing as order or balance? Was Thanos right?
It’s definitely not a fresh take to point out that Brad Marchand is less than an honorable player, but sometimes the obvious facts can’t be ignored. Sure Boston fans love him, however, outside of that loud minority, I can’t imagine too many Hockey fans wanting to see Marchand lift the Cup again.
Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask, I’m sure we can agree that their talents are potentially worth of another Stanley Cup ring. With that being said, if the St. Louis Blues would be so kind as to get some extras made up for those guys, that would be nice of them.
You’ve Earned It St. Louis
St. Louis shouldn’t just try to win because the San Jose Sharks lost though, they should win because they’ve fought the hardest out of any team to enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Before the NHL All-Star break, the St. Louis Blues were 23rd in the league and a far cry from being a true playoff contender. Before entering the playoffs however, the Blues finished 2nd in the entire NHL, only behind the Tampa Bay Lightning (yikes) and ahead of their current rivals the Boston Bruins.
Even though the Blues entered the playoffs having performed well in the last half of the regular season, according to oddsshark.com the Blues were considered the underdogs. St. Louis was to be the underdog team against the Winnipeg Jets, again against the Dallas Stars and only when they made it to the Conference Final did the Blues become the favorites. Even then, some sources had the Blues vs. Sharks series going either way.
A Hard Fought Journey to the Stanley Cup Final
The Blues definitely earned their Stanley Cup Final appearance this year, although this is not to say though that the Bruins didn’t fight hard as well. The Toronto Maple Leafs are not a team to be taken lightly and it took the Bruins seven games to beat them as a result. However, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Carolina Hurricanes both seemed to pose little threat to Chara and Co. This fact, of course, give Boston the ability to play from a position of strength going forward, as they haven’t been challenged as much as other playoff teams.
The Blues are fighting as the underdogs, the grinders, the team that cheesy sports movies are based around. The Blues are not playing as the team that gets to waltz their way into the final round. There is no knocking the power of the Bruins, but I’d just like to point out that the role they’re currently playing is usually reserved for the bad guys in sports movies.
New Hands Can Hold the Mug
The great thing about the San Jose vs. St. Louis Final, was that we knew one team who has never before won the Stanley Cup would be making their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Boston however, has won a cup (we don’t need to mention their most recent one, thank you.) In fact, they have won a total of six Stanley Cups. that’s a cool half dozen, which to me doesn’t really seem to fit the city’s M.O. I feel like Bostonians are more of a baker’s dozen type people, just a hunch. Long story short, Boston needs another cup like Brent Burns needs more teeth. He doesn’t, it’s a good look, just keep it that way and let some other kids smile for a change.
St. Louis you now represent everything to every hockey fan outside of Massachusetts. You’re on the precipice of completing what Vancouver never could, what San Jose keeps missing and what the Buffalo Sabres only have fever dreams about. St. Louis please, do it for the rest of us.
Puck Geek 