
1993 clinching game vs. Chicago
If you are old enough to remember this game, there is no doubt you remember where you were. I know I did.
Though I was a big Blues fan as a kid, it wasn’t until slightly later than some that I followed hockey religiously. For this reason, I was not actually at home watching the game.
I was actually at a friend’s house and we were hanging out and playing. Despite being only a novice fan, I had already grown a deep-seeded hatred of the Chicago Blackhawks.
I became a Pittsburgh Penguins fan in the early 1990’s because I liked Mario Lemieux and because they beat Chicago in the 1991 Stanley Cup Final. Each year it felt like it was always those blasted Blackhawks that stood in the Blues way.
Not being quite a die-hard yet, I took the opportunity to do something else, not really even remembering there was a game on. Back then, even in the playoffs, it was not always a certainty that the game would even be televised.
However, this one was and we just happened to walk through his livingroom at the perfect moment. As we came through,
just happened to score the overtime goal that would send
into a fit.
Whether it is right or wrong, that was the memory so many Blues fans locked in their happy vault to keep them sane through the bad times or disheartening times. I still vividly remember thinking how funny it was that Belfour was going nuts.
Even at the age of 11, I had some concept that he was going to be fined or in some trouble with the league. I don’t remember if anything came of it, but it did not matter. What mattered was the Blues swept the Blackhawks and Belfour got what many considered his comeuppance.
Unfortunately, that joy was short lived. The Blues ran into the red-hot Felix Potvin and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the next round. That year and 1996 cemented a hatred for the Leafs that did not dissipate for quite some time.
Nevertheless, it’s a memory we all have – minus the friend’s house I suppose.
Beyond just this game, 1993 was a formative year for myself as a hockey fan. Of course, this game had a huge impact on that. Also, I truly started watching all the games after that.
Getting a Super Nintendo complete with NHLPA Hockey ’93 cemented the deal. I remember unboxing the system as the Montreal Canadiens and my favorite goalie, Patrick Roy, were beating the Los Angeles Kings.
I was into the Blues and hockey prior to this year. 1993 was the nail in the coffin for me and a hockey obsession though.