St. Louis Blues Top 10 Moments Of 2019 Stanley Cup Final

Nobody could have imagined the St. Louis Blues making the 2019 Stanley Cup Final the way the season began. Once there, they gave us some of the best sports memories we’ll ever have.

They say you never forget your first.  First relationship, first kiss, first date, first child, first whatever – they always seem to stay with you.

Whether it takes another 50 years or they win back-to-back, that phrase seems tailor made for the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues.

As a franchise that put its fans through so much over the years, they seemed destined to break hearts.  Even in the best of times, Blues fans always felt the other shoe would drop eventually and kept waiting for the inevitable bad to happen.

St. Louis opened 2018-19 with so much promise.  The Blues had finally made some big splashes in the summer of 2018 and fans went into the season with renewed hope.

The opening of the season quickly squashed all that as the Blues won three of their first 10 games and only had nine wins through the first two months of the season.  It looked like all that promise was just another broken promise between a team and its fans.

However, a coaching change in November seemed to give a little spark.  Results did not quickly follow, but you could see a different dynamic to the team.

Then, everything fell into place in 2019.  The Blues won a franchise record 11 games in a row.

They were pretty much the hottest team in the league from the All-Star break through the end of the regular season.  It was only their horrendous start that kept them from ascending to the top of the Central Division before the season ran out.

In typical Blues fashion, they made us sweat almost every step of the way.  It took six games to win against Winnipeg, seven against Dallas and as draining a six games as you might have against San Jose.  Nevertheless, the Blues made the Stanley Cup Final.

For the first time in 49 years, Blues fans would witness history.  With so many memorable nights and franchise firsts, there was something for everyone.

Now, take a trip down memory lane.  Whether you are reading this months after the Cup win or years later, these are the moments none of us will ever forget.

Honorable Mention: Maroon’s comments to Bruins bench Game 2

Once the Blues got to the Stanley Cup Final, we were all confronted with the question of whether getting there was going to be enough. For some fans it would have been. For others, getting that close without winning it all might have been the cruelest twist of fate you could encounter.

Things got even more real once the Blues actually played a game. They got all our hopes up by scoring the first two goals of Game 1 and then allowing four consecutive goals against.

The Blues were introduced to the highest stage of the game in a rather rude way. When the Boston Bruins scored the first goal of Game 2, it looked like it was going to be a very long, yet short series.

However, it was a goal by Robert Bortuzzo, the hero of Game 2 against San Jose coincidentally enough, that brought the Blues back to life. From that point, it was game on.

Despite the goal being a big moment, it was another moment for Pat Maroon that was most memorable. It was the moment that Maroon literally told the Bruins they were in trouble.

Point of fact, Maroon actually used more colorful language. But, if you boil it down to things we can safely print with children around, that’s what it meant.

The bottom line was Maroon knew what fans could only hope. He knew that goal was what the Blues needed to get going.

Yes, St. Louis would allow one more Boston goal, but they had found a way to get themselves going. It might have taken a lucky bounce, but that was all Maroon needed to let the Bruins know they had plenty in store for them.

Maybe Game 2 was a little early to be chirping that much. Still, in hindsight, it looked rather prophetic.

10. Build up to Game 6

For those that were not in the arena or at the watch party downtown, maybe this one does not have as much meaning for them. Maybe it does. It is kind of one of those things that each person would experience differently.

However, though the team ended up losing in epic fashion, the end result cannot change what all Blues fans were feeling heading into and right up until puck drop of Game 6. We all knew this was an epic moment that might only come once in a lifetime and we all soaked it up as much as we could.

Myself, I went to Game 6 with a group of friends that had known one another since middle school. Few, if any of us, probably should have been spending that kind of money on tickets to one hockey game, but it was something that needed to be experienced.

None of us had ever even seen the Blues play in a Stanley Cup Final game in person, much less with the Cup actually on the line. We needed to be there if it was going to happen.

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We got downtown early, to take in the festivities. We got there so early, in fact, none of the pregame crew were out at their desks. The only people doing much were the crew from NHL Network and few people really knew who they were.

Regardless, there was already a buzz around the arena. That energized feeling grew even more as we headed down to check out the area set up for the viewing party on the street.

While it would be filled to capacity after we left, there was still a large throng of people already out in the heat. They were buying overpriced beer and merchandise already and the game was still hours away.

Once they opened the doors of the arena, it was a giddiness that reminded me of being a kid on Christmas morning. You knew what was about to come next, but you did not know what you were going to get.

We all just went back and forth in the concourse, taking it all in and seeing all the people. Everyone was happy and eager for the game to start. There was a certain amount of nervousness in the air, but fans were all confident.

The building was jumping when the pregame skate began. As Gorilla Monsoon used to say during WWF pay-per-views, you could cut the electricity with a knife.

The game had not even been played and it was hard not to be emotional. I’m sure many a tear were shed just at the idea the Blues could do the unthinkable over the next few hours.

We all know now they did not do it during that game. Still, that does not take away from the specialness of that buildup.

8. Tarasenko goal in Game 2

One of the big knocks against Vladimir Tarasenko during his career is a perception that he does not show up in the big moments despite being a star. I’ve often found this amusing since hockey is not a sport that lends itself to the stars ALWAYS being the one to step up in the big moments, but there have been a number of big games in the past where he went silent.

So, it was important for him to get off on the right foot against Boston. We knew they were going to focus on him, but he needed to find a way to break through that.

After being rather silent against Dallas, Tarasenko was coming off a red-hot finish against San Jose. He kept that going with a nifty one-timer against the Bruins in Game 1.

It was his goal in Game 2 that really got everyone to notice him. It was a great mix of effort and skill, both of which are not always present at once for Tarasenko, and showed how much he could impact a game.

Tarasenko showed good burst sliding by along the boards and then finding Jaden Schwartz in the middle of the ice. Instead of bailing on the play, Tarasenko took the foot off the gas just a bit to open up for a pass or come in for the rebound.

Tarasenko juked out Tuukka Rask by not one-timing the juicy rebound, but an empty net was guarded by the long reach of Zdeno Chara. However, Tarasenko was not to be denied.

He lunged back for the loose puck and got enough on it to chip it over the stick of the defender and over the pad of the goaltender.

It was a huge goal from a momentum standpoint. The Blues had tied the game 1-1 only to see the Bruins retake the lead less than a minute later.

Shades of Game 1’s meltdown were creeping into the game and the Blues needed something to stem the tide. Tarasenko being denied looked like the end only for him to breathe fresh life into the team by backhanding it in on the second effort.

That gave the Blues the respite they needed, going into the intermission tied instead of focusing on needing a goal. From there on, they could refocus on defending, countering and getting the job done, which they did in the end.

7. Binnington’s save on Marchand in Game 7

Jordan Binnington was so on during Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final that it might have been possible to make a Top 10 list of his saves alone. I’m sure there are plenty of fans that would have been into that, but we did not go that route.

That said, Binnington was there when the game was still hanging on the edge of the knife blade. He was there for the team the entire 60 minutes, but this early stage was when things were the most nervy.

The Blues looked dangerously close to being overwhelmed by the moment in the early stages of the game. After a great initial burst by the Blues, the Bruins were coming and coming hard and fast.

About eight minutes into the period, the Blues were under siege and they took a rather foolish penalty, giving the league’s best playoff power play unit a shot to crack a scoreless game. It looked like they were about to too.

The Blues penalty kill had been solid for stretches toward the end of the series, but their defensive box got drown down too close to the net, allowing Brad Marchand into prime real estate. He fired a shot from the top of the slot with a seemingly open net and almost assured of a goal.

Binnington had other ideas. He stretched his body as far to the right as he could and that was enough.

In reality, his jersey made the save as much or more than he did as the puck got caught up in his armpit after deflecting off his chest pad. The bottom line was it stayed out of the net.

That was a huge game changer. Instead of Boston scoring the first goal of the game, firing up the crowd and setting things in motion in a completely different way than it played out, the Blues remained right in there and in a position to get those crushing goals just minutes later.

One small moment could have completely changed the way the entire game played out. Instead, the Blues stayed on even ground and answered with some haymakers.

6. Gunnarsson sweeps the goal line to preserve Game 5 win

One of the things that was infuriating during the final was Boston fans’ propensity to say the Blues were just lucky in their wins. Their argument was that Boston crushed St. Louis in their wins and the Blues barely escaped in their wins.

There is some truth to that, but it ignores a lot of the intricacies of the game. The Blues earned their wins with hard work and determination.

One of the biggest examples of that was a game-saving play by Carl Gunnarsson to help preserve the day for the Blues in Game 5.

With the game in the balance, the Bruins looked poised to take advantage of a Blues turnover with under three minutes in the contest. Binnington was without his stick after a collision in front of the net and the Bruins took the shot from distance.

Interestingly, the loss of the stick did not come into play since the shot went glove side. Nevertheless, the puck snuck through the elbow and the collective breaths of two entire cities and two fan bases were held for only a moment, but what felt like an eternity.

In a strange turn of events, the defenders backing up actually benefited the team. Gunnarsson had taken up a spot just outside the left circle and that put him in prime position to see the puck sneak through and sweep it away before it could trickle in or Charlie McAvoy could tap it in.

These types of plays go on several times in any game and often get forgotten. This one may never get forgotten.

Game 5 is usually an insanely pivotal game, with the winner usually taking the entire thing more times than not. The Blues holding on for another away win not only proved they could win on the road and a tight game, but gave them the confidence they would need to take Game 7 in Boston too. It did not hurt that win gave them a cushion of two clinching games either.

Like the play that kept things tied in the Dallas series, Gunnarsson’s goal line save preserved the win. Without that, who knows what might have happened. Instead, we know how it all turned out.

5. Game 4

With most of these, we tried to pick out specific moments.  However, with some, it is just too hard to single it down to one small point in time.

That is the case with Game 4.  Everything about it just felt sort of special.

The Blues already had their first ever win in a Stanley Cup Final.  Game 2’s overtime victory was special because we just wanted that one win.  Clearly, all Blues fans wanted to win the whole thing, but there was a small part of us that just wanted to win at least one game so the entire getting swept in the past thing could be put to rest.

Losing Game 3 by an embarrassing 7-2 score sort of reinforced that.  It was Game 4 that really put Blues fans in a position to where they could honestly say we might win this.

So much was memorable from that game.  Whether you enjoyed it or thought it was low brow, the Brett Hull semi-drunken (compared to how he was later in the series) intro was something we will remember.  Wayne Gretzky, who only had a cup of coffee with the Blues but manages to sneak in the building from time to time, was there too.

Then there, was the game.  It was everything you want in a hockey game with teams trading goals back and forth through the second period and going into the third with a tie game.  Boston’s tying goal being shorthanded was a little more than some could bear, but still.

St. Louis would not be deterred by setbacks any longer.  They got the game winning goal with 9:22 remaining in the third period and then scored an insurance goal about eight minutes after that.

Not only did the Blues get two goals in the third, but it was key players that scored them with Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn netting the scores.  The Blues were not fortunate on this night, but had their stars step up at the most critical time.

This game was important on so many levels.  As mentioned, it gave fans and likely the team the belief they could and might win it.

It signaled to the Bruins that the Blues would not roll over and hand them another Cup, even though Boston had dominated in their previous two wins.

It also gave fans another thing to celebrate.  This was not just a win in a playoff series.  This was the first time anyone had ever witnessed a Stanley Cup Final game win in the city of St. Louis.

The Blues had been to four championship series and only won one game prior to that night.  Fans in attendance finally got to go home happy after seeing a victory and Gloria played into the night.

4. Game 7 domination

When it comes to fan’s memories of the game that clinched it all, each person has a certain individual moment when they knew it was over. The same was true of players too.

The opening minutes of Game 7 were about as nervous as anyone could be, whether fan or player. If not for Binnington’s stellar play in net, the outcome of this contest could have been far different right from the start. He played well and let the Blues get their feet under them.

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Once O’Reilly scored, you could tell a difference in the Blues’ game. They seemed calmer and more in control of themselves, if not the game.

Alex Pietrangelo‘s goal right before the end of the first period was the Boston back breaker for some. That is understandable given the fact you score right before the intermission, giving Boston 17 minutes to think and stew about how that first frame went.

However, personally, it was Schenn’s goal that sealed the deal. We had already seen the Blues squander two goal leads, with the last time coming as recently as Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

We had to sit through an entire scoreless second period with nerves frayed as though they were being rubbed on an old cinder block. It took almost 12 minutes into the final period for some relief to come.

Tarasenko burst past his man and looked over his shoulder as he glided into the corner. Unbeknownst to the defenders Schenn was streaking into the slot and neatly finished off a great pass, giving the Blues a 3-0 lead.

At that point, you felt even if the Bruins got on the board, it was going to be too little, too late. A 3-1 game would still be far different from 2-1 had Boston snuck one in.

In the end, all those extra goals would prove to be insurance as O’Reilly’s held up. Boston had plenty of chances and played a heck of a game, so perhaps dominance is a stretch from a definitional standpoint.

However, from a scoreboard standpoint, it was just that. The Blues made the most of their chances while their goaltender shut the door. Boston would break the shutout, but it truly was too late at that point.

It was a different point in the game for every person. For Oskar Sundqvist, he did not truly know the Blues were going to win until 20 seconds were left in the game. Like myself, Pat Maroon knew when Schenn scored.

That one put the game and the Cup on ice. There would be no typical Blues nervy moments. They finally provided us with a chance to breathe and take it all in.

3. Binnington’s right pad save on Nordstrom in Game 7

Talking about moments where fans knew the game was over, there were several offensive moments to choose from. Defensively, you basically only need to look at number 50 to have your pick.

Some fans will talk about the Binnington save on Marchand. It was a great play to get across the goal mouth, but the puck was sneaking just through the armpit a Binner had to fall down to keep it out.

However, one goaltending clinic stood above all the rest. Better than shutting down David Krejci, better than stoning Torey Krug and more impressive than denying Marcus Johansson, it was the save on Joakim Nordstrom that was truly a game-changing moment from a goaltending standpoint.

All those other highlights were wonderful and got the Blues to this moment. Nevertheless, even with all those saves, the Bruins were still in it. Once Binnington extended his right pad to make this particular save, the wind pretty much left the Bruins’ sails for good.

That changed the momentum of the game forever. Instead of facing a 2-1 lead, with Boston grabbing momentum, the Blues scored Schenn’s goal less than 30 seconds after this moment.

Instead of having Boston fans on their feet, banging on the glass and waving their yellow towels, they were forced to sit in their seats, stunned. A goal there could have swung the game the other way. Instead, a save with the right toe, essentially won the Stanley Cup for the Blues.

It was not the moment we knew the team would win, since Boston was putting on the pressure. It might have been the moment when Boston knew they were not going to win though.

Binnington had been a stone wall all game and that was the moment he was down and the net seemed as big as a house. Binnington literally stole it right then and there.

You have to have players score goals to win games. Fans remember the goals.

Colorado fans remember Uwe Krupp scoring the game winning goal in 1996. Dallas and Buffalo fans remember Brett Hull scoring the game winner for the Stars.

However, it was Patrick Roy and John Vanbiesbrouck‘s unbelievable night that got it there. It was Ed Belfour going toe-to-toe with Dominik Hasek to push that game as far as it went.

Similarly, while we will all celebrate O’Reilly and Schenn and Petro, it was Binnington that got it there. Without his gigantic saves, this one in particular, the Blues do not win the Stanley Cup. That sprawling move may never get immortalized as a statue, but it will live in our memories forever.

2. Gunnarsson’s Game 2

Carl Gunnarsson’s game is usually one of being indistinct. Comments have been made and articles written about how Gunnarsson can disappear and, if not for his name on the game sheet, you would never know he was out there.

He was not flashy or demonstrative or a huge influence on the second game of the final up to a point, but he was his usual steady self. However, it was a post shot and then an unbelievable story just before overtime that will cement Gunnarsson’s place in hockey history and Blues history.

With the game winding down and the score tied, the Blues were putting on immense pressure to end the third period. They were moving the puck so well and generating good offense, you felt something good had to happen – except for that nagging feeling that dominance would result in a counter attack for Boston to end the game, but I digress.

Late in the third, the puck came to Gunnarsson, just outside the left circle. Not known for his shot, the defenseman wound up like Al MacInnis and let loose a shot that would have made the Hall of Famer proud.

Unfortunately, it clanged off the far post. Blues fans were scared that was their last, best chance to get the winner.

Overtimes are scary as hell, given that one lucky bounce or one bad play can end it all. Gunnarsson was not deterred, knowing he just needed a shot at redemption.

Apparently, Gunnarsson let a certain someone know he still had plans to end it. While relieving himself in the restroom, Craig Berube had Gunnarsson come into the stall next to him.

The defender let his coach know that all he needed was one more chance. Bold words, but prophetic. Gunnarsson would get that chance.

The Blues dominated the overtime period from start to finish, even if it was not quite four minutes long. They took all that momentum gained at the end of the third period and did not relent against a tiring Bruins team, not prepared for the sudden push the Blues gave.

St. Louis just sent wave after wave of attack into the zone, net letting the Bruins breathe for a moment. All that pressure led to a delayed call against Boston.

Blues fans know all too well that having a power play might have been a useless gesture, but they just kept coming. Instead of letting up and taking their power play chance, the Blues kept cycling and dishing and shooting.

Finally, they got their reward. Gunnarsson took the return pass and one-timed it from distance past a helpless Rask.

The funny thing about that shot was there was less of a screen on this one than there was on the shot during regulation. As the hockey gods would have it, the overtime rip stayed down below the bar, while the regulation one hit iron.

From fan standpoint, this was an enormous moment. The Blues had never won a game in a Stanley Cup Final and after losing Game 1 in this series the way they did, there were doubts it would happen this time around.

Media and opposing fans were talking sweep, tossing aside all the great things the Blues had done to this point and making St. Louis feel like second class again. Going into this game, all fans wanted was a win.

Speaking for myself, it had gotten to the point where one win would have been enough. Losing the Stanley Cup would have been devastating, but if the Blues could win just one game, it would have been a personal victory within the heart, even if not within the mind.

When that goal went in, myself and so many more were overcome with emotion. For many, it was pure joy, but for myself, it was just as emotional as winning the Cup itself.

It was not as important in the grand scheme as winning in Game 7, but it had to start somewhere. If nothing else, the jubilation of ending a game in overtime was more than so many could take at the time.

Once that win was earned, we could all focus on winning the whole dang thing. Up to that point, the fans and the franchise needed to win at least one and Gunnarsson’s shot gave us that one.

1. Lifting the Cup

Maybe things would have been different if the game was not in hand as the seconds ticked away. Perhaps it would have still been the same.

Regardless, the moment that none of us will ever forget is when Alex Pietrangelo hoisted the Stanley Cup over his head. The framing of Pietrangelo with the fireworks behind him was simply perfect and encapsulated a moment in time for an entire city and an entire fan base.

Regardless of what you thought or think about Pietrangelo as a play or as a captain, it was the moment everyone that has ever cheered for the Note had waited their entire lives for. We had all seen so many great players come up empty and so many promising teams fail along the way. We just wanted to see that moment and all the moments afterward.

It might not get the play or have the national significance of Mark Messier‘s reaction to winning in New York. It was that significant for the Blues and their fans.

The Blues have so many reserved guys, to see the emotion of celebration to that extent was something that may never fade as we age.

Outsiders and wet blankets focused on the order in which each player got handed the Cup or how many F-bombs were dropped. The Blues need apologize to no one.

You cannot script pure emotion. You should not silence pure reaction and say they should have had more class or handled things differently.

St. Louis might not be the behemoth of New York or Chicago, but the players felt the burden of 50-plus years nevertheless. You need look no further than their failure in Game 6 to win on home ice. The pressure was felt and the players admitted it after all was said and done.

Whether they were brand new to the team or grizzled Blues veterans, every player on that team had been doubted and scrutinized. They had been told they weren’t fast enough, weren’t good enough, not talented enough or simply a curse for whatever team they played for.

They shoved that right down the throats of every single doubter and fans were the beneficiary by getting to watch it all. They deserved a celebration where they could let it all out and they did.

Whether you waited each moment for your favorite player to lift the hockey chalice or only needed to see that initial handoff from commissioner to captain, it was as satisfying as we all hoped it would be. Even the nonsense of NBC cutting away to commercial so they could adjust their on-ice microphones was forgivable because of the occasion.

The team had finally done it. In one brief moment, we thought of all the pain we had ever sustained due to this team and those that had endured it longer than us or, perhaps, were not with us any more. In that same instant, it was all washed away

No two people could have had the exact same reaction and yet an entire city was just happy. No matter your background or if you jumped on the bandwagon or had gone through all 52 seasons, you were just happy.

Tears were shed, hugs were shared and no fan base was ever closer to their players despite half a country separating them. Whether you saw it at home or in Boston or at a watch party, it was a moment frozen in time.

The Stanley Cup was finally ours and no haters or doubters or naysayers can or will ever take that away.