Bleedin' Blue
Fansided

Finding St. Louis Blues Fan’s Most-Hated Players In The Central

By Jason Martin

ST. LOUIS, MO - MAY 3: Pat Maroon #7 of the St. Louis Blues scuffles with Miro Heiskanen #4 of the Dallas Stars in Game Five of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Enterprise Center on May 3, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - MAY 3: Pat Maroon #7 of the St. Louis Blues scuffles with Miro Heiskanen #4 of the Dallas Stars in Game Five of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Enterprise Center on May 3, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – APRIL 16: Pat Maroon #7 of the St. Louis Blues pressures Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Winnipeg Jets in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Enterprise Center on April 16, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – APRIL 16: Pat Maroon #7 of the St. Louis Blues pressures Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Winnipeg Jets in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Enterprise Center on April 16, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Dustin Byfuglien

The Jets have been really good over the past two seasons. Like the Blues, they fell one point shy of winning the Central division in 2019, and that forced a first-round matchup between the two teams.

Byfuglien is one of the game’s best defenseman and is always a preseason candidate to take home the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman. Despite the premature accolades, Blues fans still find a special place in their heart for him.

The 6’5 260-pound blueliner has played for both the Jets and the ever-hated Chicago Blackhawks. Even though Byfuglien was not nearly as effective in Chicago as he is in Winnipeg, anyone who plays for the Hawks at some point in his career will be looked upon with certain malice.

He has no problem throwing around his body when he plays against the Blues, and though this may just be him compensating for the Blues’ physical style of play, anytime you see someone hit a player you love, you tend to develop a hatred.

I think Byfuglien’s status as a rival to Blues fans has a level of respect. Byfuglien is a bonafide superstar, and anytime you have a player of his caliber in your own division, you tend not to like him so much.

I would not consider the Jets a big rival to the Blues. The two teams have not faced each other in the playoffs all that often over recent years, and that can be attributed to the Jets lack of performance.

However, now that the Jets seem to be Stanley Cup contenders year after year, I am sure Blues fans will find new players to look down upon when they touch the puck at Enterprise Center.

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