St. Louis Blues: Time To Rally The Troops

The St. Louis Blues are playing in another elimination game. There is little fans can do to actually do anything about how prepared the players are. However, as fans, we can still rally our own.

Fans of the St. Louis Blues are no doubt feeling the nerves. Their team is on the brink of being kicked out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

For the first time all postseason, the Blues face a situation that is do-or-die that will not eliminate the other team if they win. Their backs are against the wall, but the San Jose Sharks are not.

As usual, there are plenty of fans who are jumping ship. You see the typical comments about how long they’ve followed this team and they always fall apart. No point in getting your hopes up, because this team is going to lose. The Sharks are just better. The Blues can’t win without Tarasenko, etc. and so on.

I get it. I’m human. I’m not a never ending well of positivity. I’ve felt the same things deep in the recesses of my soul.

However, I also don’t see the point of going in with a negative attitude. What fun is that?

I’d rather have hope. I’d rather accentuate the positive.

There are positives to cling to. The last time the Blues were in this same exact position was in 1986 (though it was a home game then). We got the Monday Night Miracle.

Blues-Sharks. @stltoday pic.twitter.com/B4RXW0WkKB
— Benjamin Hochman (@hochman) May 25, 2016

The Blues are 2-0 in elimination games this postseason. Yes, they haven’t faced elimination without the prospect of eliminating their opponent in the same game yet, but the point remains that they’ve won.

The Blues are also 2-0 on Wednesdays this playoff year. Game 6 starter, Brian Elliott has a stellar .980 save percentage on those Wednesdays and has played some of his best hockey in elimination games.

More from Bleedin' Blue

As good as the Sharks have been, the Blues still can control their fate. The Blues showed how good they could be in Game 4 and won in a laugher.

Game 6 won’t be that easy, but it showed that the Blues can win when they play at their peak.

Martin Jones no longer looks like the brick wall he was in Games 2 and 3. The Blues didn’t even play a full 60 minutes and yet they won Game 1 and could (perhaps should) have won Game 5.

The Blues play their best with their backs against the wall. They play better on the road. Those will be combined for Game 6.

It’s been well documented that Vladimir Tarasenko isn’t living up to either his or anyone’s standards right now. His body language is poor and he seems to be overcomplicating the game.

However, it only takes one to break the funk. Tonight could be that night. You can never tell. Nobody would have expected Kyle Brodziak to score two goals in Game 4.

As fans, we’ve just got to believe. It’s hard, but that’s our job just like playing the game as hard as they can is the players’ job.

This is possibly the biggest game this franchise has had in years. As frustrating as they have been, this team is possibly the best we’ve seen in decades.

Think about it. Though they have driven us mad and this team is a game away from hitting the golf course, they’re still two wins away from a Stanley Cup Final. That’s closer than even the team got in 2001.

As fans, we don’t all get along. We fight over goaltenders and coaches. We don’t agree on who is good and who is not, who is playing hard and who is coasting. The list could go on and on.

The one thing we all agree on is we want this team to win. We want it so badly that it physically hurts us at times.

So what is the point of being negative? Where is the fun in thinking the series is over before it actually is?

More from Editorials

Even if the negative-nellies are right and the Blues do crash out, what is gained by not believing in them? Does it truly make you feel better to say “see, I knew they were going to blow it?” just in an effort to be right?

I’ve been there done that. Didn’t do anything for me. If a team I supported did lose and I had said they would, I didn’t feel any less disappointed when the game was done. If anything, I had sucked any possible enjoyment out of the final moments of that season.

Personally, I’m not going to do that for this season. The Blues might suck the soul out of me again. I might be wearing all black tomorrow and curse the stars above tonight. I might not.

This team has been through more and succeeded than we could have ever thought of if you’d told us how things would pan out. Injuries piled up and they won. They’ve had to face two game 7’s and won.

They’ve been up against star after star, facing the likes of Kane, Toews, Keith, Sharp, Spezza and Benn, and won. They just have to summon it again.

I believe they will. I ask you to join me.

Let’s all have fun tonight. Let’s band together and root on our team. The joy in succeeding after being positive far outweighs anything that’s being avoided by thinking it’s over.

So, to paraphrase the speech from Network, I want you all to get up now. I want you all to get up out of your chairs and couches. I want you all to get up, go to the window and yell “Let’s Go Blues!!!”

st. louis blues /

So go on with your day. Turn on whatever inspirational speeches will help. Listen to some Rocky music or whatever will get you pumped up.

The time will come when this season will end, but I do not believe it will be this day. We can deal with that possibility when it comes. Whether we win the Cup or lose tonight, the end of hockey season is close. I’d rather support my team until the end than begin to ponder the endless summer already.

Today, let’s cheer the Blues on to victory. Everything else can wait.

Home/Editorials