St. Louis Blues All-Star Game Will Truly Have Local Flair

The St. Louis Blues will have plenty of their own players on the 2020 All-Star team for the Central Division. However, the city will have plenty of other guys to cheer for too.

The St. Louis Blues are going to be well represented when the NHL’s stars hit the ice for the Skills Competition on January 24 and then the actual All-Star Game on January 25. They will have the most representatives of any team involved with four players.

Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan O’Reilly and Jordan Binnington were all selected right off the bat. Then, due to fantastic fan support during the vote, David Perron got selected as Central Division’s representative for the Last Men In.

Craig Berube will be behind the bench for the Central Division as well. So, St. Louis has plenty of names to cheer for when Tom Calhoun (assuming they will use him for the festivities) announces all the participants.

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However, the games will have even more St. Louis ties than those guys representing the Note. One former Blues member and two guys that grew up in the Blues locker room will also be taking part in St. Louis’ first All-Star Game since 1988.

Thanks to Washington Capitals fans and definitely getting an assist from Blues fans, TJ Oshie will be attending the game. Oshie is one of the few players that retained almost all his fan support when he left, not drawing the usual backlash of good riddance that happens when some are traded away. So, you can expect a large ovation when he is announced and in any events he takes part in.

The same can be said of a pair of local kids. Though they made their names in the game with the US National Junior team or in Canada’s Ontario Hockey League, the Tkachuk brothers cut their teeth in the game right here in St. Louis.

Both Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk played for the St. Louis AAA Blues program. They also literally grew up in the team’s locker room as Keith Tkachuk had them in there with him at every opportune moment, especially as his own career was winding down.

Now, both of them get to return to St. Louis to play without the nerves of having a game in the standings on the line. They can simply soak in the atmosphere and take in the adulation.

Matthew was named to the game from the word go, as one of the main selections for the Pacific Division representing the Calgary Flames. Brady just got word he’d be taking part a few days ago.

Unfortunately for fans of the game overall, Aushton Matthews won’t be able to take part in the All-Star weekend. Due to a wrist injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs star will attend the weekend’s activities but not take part. That opened up a slot and the younger Tkachuk, with his 15 goals and 27 points, will fill it.

Matthew has already been gushing over this opportunity in his hometown.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I have a feeling the rest of my career the All-Star Game won’t be in St. Louis again. I have to take full advantage of this weekend,” Tkachuk said on NHL.com. “The amount of family and friends I’m going to have in town is going to be insane. The amount of family and friends … it’s going to be awesome and I’m sure it’ll be a good party every night. I’m looking forward to it.”

So, hockey fans in St. Louis are going to have a lot to cheer for. There will be seven players with ties to the city in one way or the other.

The only way this event could have been any more St. Louis is if Clayton Keller got voted in and if Ben Bishop had been selected as the other goaltender for the Central. Instead, Connor Hellebuyck was picked as the second goalie and Leon Draisaitl was voted in.

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Such is life. Overall, it is shaping up to be a fun weekend and the fact there will be a true St. Louis flair to the events is even more special.

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