St. Louis Blues Finish Unbelievable Year: Jake Allen

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 12: Jake Allen #34 of the St. Louis Blues hoist the cup after defeating the Boston Bruins in Game Seven to win the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 12: Jake Allen #34 of the St. Louis Blues hoist the cup after defeating the Boston Bruins in Game Seven to win the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Blues won the 2019 Stanley Cup with a team first attitude. Though it might get lost to the ages, Jake Allen was a prime example of that attitude.

The St. Louis Blues had to find themselves as a team before they could even think about winning the 2019 Stanley Cup. It took some time and plenty of turnover, including a major shift in net, but the team managed to do it with a team-first mentality.

Whatever it takes was the motto in the locker room. Though he will get no praise for it, perhaps no one exemplified that mentality better than Jake Allen.

As everyone knows, Allen started 2018-19 as the starter. After several tries to give Allen the starter role only to have it taken by strong efforts by Brian Elliott in 2015-16 and Carter Hutton in 2017-18.

Even so, Allen remained the goaltender of choice by those in charge of the franchise. Fans began to turn on him, employing a football fan mentality of the backup always being the favored son.

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The reality was that Allen was always steady, but fans demanded more. It was quickly forgotten that the Blues defeated the Minnesota Wild in 2017 based almost solely on the play of Allen.

Despite posting a 1.96 goals against that playoff year, the team failed to score on the power play and overall, really, against the Nashville Predators as the Preds surged to the Stanley Cup Final themselves. Nevertheless, Allen had eight quality starts in 11 games that year.

The Blues kept looking to the Snake to lead them, but the team seemed to falter in front of him. 2017-18 is when it started and it continued into this season.

Allen was never as bad as anyone would have you believe. In fact, more often than not, he kept the team in more games than they deserved.

However, everything seemed to work against him. If he played well, the offense failed to score. If the offense finally put in a few, the defense left him out to dry or he would let in the occasional soft goal.

There is no denying that Allen did let things get into his head. Without Martin Brodeur to guide him, he seemed to lose his way, his positioning and ultimately, his job.

With the Blues floundering around the bottom of the league, in fact being last in the NHL at the turn of the calendar from 2018 to 2019, they looked for a spark. Jordan Binnington was called up to the team before the holidays and allowed to get his footing by practicing with the Blues following the release of Chad Johnson.

On January 7, Binnington was given his first start in the NHL. He recorded a shutout, the team found its theme song in Gloria and the rest is history.

Allen was forced to watch from the sidelines from then on. Allen only played 13 regular season games.

In that time, he went 5-4-4, further solidifying the idea that the team just did not play as well in front of him. Whether it was something about his play or just one of those odd coincidences, even the sternest Allen supporter had to come to terms with the fact the starting spot had slipped through his fingers.

Yet, instead of causing a ruckus or pouting, Allen did all he could to support the team and the man that usurped his spot. Allen was the consummate professional.

From all accounts, Allen was a big reason Binnington was so successful. Of course, Binnington had the skill and the nerve for the position, but Allen had been in the league longer and knew the opponents better. Along with the coaching staff, Allen was a huge asset in the scouting department.

Not only did Allen help scouting opponents for Binnington, but he also did a lot of pre-scouting of opposing goaltenders. If nothing else, his mentality of the entire situation and his support of his teammates was a shining example of how guys should act, even if it tears them up inside.

“It’s not even a hockey thing,” Allen said in the Post-Dispatch. “It’s just about having the right mentality in the situation you’re in. If I was in that situation, I’d be hoping someone else would be doing the same for me.”

It might have been hard for Allen and nobody could have faulted him if he took a different route. Instead, he sucked it up and played the good soldier.

“I’m a realist, and I understand the business of this game,” Allen continued, as reported by Jim Thomas. “So probably mid-March I sat back and I took my role. I understood. I would be ready when called upon. I thought I had a really great second half of the season. It’s probably some of the best hockey I’ve ever played. But ‘Binner,’ he’s just been unbelievable. He’s the best goalie in the league. And I just bit the bullet and said: ‘All right, this is something special.’ I knew we had a good group here. It’s been amazing.”

Ultimately, Allen will be a footnote on the 2018-19 season. He still managed to be an integral part of this team, if only in the role of cheerleader.

Credit must not be taken away from Binnington. It was his skill that helped win the day and turn the tide for the Blues.

That said, Allen deserves the credit for helping him adjust to the limelight of the NHL.

“He’s been incredible,” Binnington said in Thomas’ article. “I’ve known Jake for a number of years now being in the organization. He’s always been good to me. His work ethic is really respectable, and he’s a great goaltender. I think the team is confident in either one of us. He’s a great mentor for me and goalie partner, also.”

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Allen’s future is cloudy, at best, right now. The prevailing thought is he will be traded, but the Blues might be foolish to give up on him so quickly if he is willing to take a lesser role. The summer will decide that.

For now, all we know is that Allen’s name will go on the Stanley Cup. Though he did not get the glory in the playoffs, nobody can ever take that honor away from him.