Absolutely Perfect
This story originally appeared in the Oct. 5, 2019 edition of the St. Louis Game Time paper. For more information or to subscribe, email gtbradlee@gmail.com
The ceremony on Wednesday night was absolutely perfect. “Hey buddy, it’s here” leading into the shot of the Cup’s silhouette, caressed by a smoky blue light, would’ve made Martin Scorsese proud. I wonder if the people in charge realized just how well it worked.
I grew up (as did millions of other hockey fans) watching the NHL on ESPN. Although ESPN hasn’t been the league’s television partner since 2004, to this day, my conception of hockey remains Gary Thorne’s voice, blocky purple and white graphics, and that crunchy theme song. Those broadcasts used to open with a similar, smoke-and-blue-light shot of the Cup.
As if there weren’t enough mystique around that particular trophy to begin with, for us kids watching and idolizing the game, the players, and the history, that image elevated it to something out of a fairy tale. It was an all-consuming vision: King Arthur’s sword, the road to it paved with peril.
I hadn’t thought about that image of the Cup in years. Wednesday night, it came rushing back to me. Suddenly, there it was, draped in blue again, just like I remember it. This time, it was ours.
Five thoughts on an absolutely perfect night, regardless of what happened in OT.
1. Having Tom Calhoun announce the players’ playoff achievements as they were introduced was a beautiful touch. Pat Maroon’s goal in Game 7 against Dallas and Alex Pietrangelo’s goal in Game 7 in Boston are already canonized, but the Cup run comprised dozens of moments that, unless we fight to keep them alive, will go largely forgotten. (I broke down six of them in our commemorative edition, which you should check out if you haven’t. I’ll probably write about plenty more throughout the year.)
Robby Fabbri was introduced as “scoring the first goal in the Dallas series.” He went five-hole on Ben Bishop, about six minutes in. Dallas had dominated the game until then; in fact, Fabbri’s goal was the Blues’ first shot. That series could’ve turned out very differently if he doesn’t score there.
Sammy Blais’ numbskull but gutsy and completely awesome breakaway SLAPSHOT goal on a still-dazed Bishop put Game 6 away. It, too, got a shout-out. Robert Thomas’s toe-drag and shot off the post before Maroon’s tap-in shouldn’t be forgotten either. On Wednesday, the little things weren’t.
2. The team welcomed back some old friends: the Campbell Cup, the Conn Smythe Trophy, Laura Branigan … and the early goal. It was more happenstance than anything, but the Blues’ Western Conference Final win over San Jose came on the strength of early goals. Jaden Schwartz scored early in Game 2. Ivan Barbashev banked one in off a Shark’s stick in the first minute of Game 4. Oskar Sundqvist got one about six minutes into Game 5. David Perron’s deflection early in Game 6 was a harpoon into a wounded team. And of course Ryan O’Reilly’s wraparound in the first minute of Game 4 against Boston was the salve the Blues needed after the drubbing two nights earlier. On a night for memories, Blais’ goal :53 in was particularly fitting.
3. Even the roster decisions, while perhaps not great in the long run, have been fitting. As both Front Page Jeff and I wrote about for Wednesday’s paper, whatever happens over the next four or five years is gravy. Winning the Cup again would be great, but the deed is done, the mountain is climbed, and as long as the team is at least somewhat competitive and entertaining, games should be constant victory laps. Keeping the roster almost entirely intact allows us to take them. Jake Allen is not good and makes too much money, but he was a member of the 2018–19 St. Louis Blues. He could give up five on 19 shots next time out, and I’d still want to give him a standing ovation. Same goes for Alexander Steen, Jay Bouwmeester, whoever. They’re now immortal, and they can stick around however long they damn well please.
4. The players were surprisingly amenable to the celebration. The narrative since about July has been: “Put it behind us, let’s go win another one.” They could have — and I half-expected it — been squeamish about skating the Cup around the ice and taking photos with the banner. “We’ve got to focus on the job tonight,” they could’ve said. But they were good sports. They clearly knew how much it meant for us fans to have the celebration on home ice that we didn’t get in June.
5. Banners fly forever. Especially banners raised while Gloria blares through the speakers.
If you enjoyed this story — and even if you didn’t — you should check out my book, Ticketless: How Sneaking Into The Super Bowl And Everything Else (Almost) Held My Life Together.
