St. Louis Blues: The Chief Is Back In Town, So Don’t You Mess Around

The St. Louis Blues are still just hitting the ice in a piecemeal fashion, but that could change soon. The boss man is back.

A handful of St. Louis Blues have already been hitting the rink to get their legs under them and, at least, get the feel of the puck and fire a few shots. Even so, the official return to action still feels like a 50/50 proposition.

However, there are certain moments that make it seem that much more like a reality as opposed to a possibility. The first was Vladimir Tarasenko getting back on the ice.

The latest is the fact that The Chief, Craig Berube, is back in St. Louis. The Blues head coach had been spending much of his pandemic break back at his home in Philadelphia, but is now ready to lead his guys to potential back-to-back championships.

Berube had an opportunity to talk to Fox 2’s sports director Martin Kilcoyne. They talked about a few different things, but mostly about the opportunity to come back and get going.

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One of the more interesting things was Berube talking about the mental side of things. He said that the players should be able to get up to physical speed in this Phase 2 and hit the ground running for the training camp in Phase 3.

Berube said he thinks the mental side is the most important though. He believes the team that is mentally prepared for the sudden grind of a playoff will have the best opportunity to win the Stanley Cup.

One of the interesting things Berube talked about during that interview was the two major anniversaries that passed while he was away. Berube said watching the In Their Own Words replay of Game 7 was the first time he had even seen the game, other than living it.

That’s not totally surprising since many players are the same way. Their feelings are usually it has been won and it’s done, so why go back.

Berube still had fond memories of the parade too. His biggest takeaway was just how many people were lining the streets and then the massive crowd for the rally afterward.

Those are all in the past. Berube is now focused on the future.

The fact he is back in St. Louis puts the Blues that much closer to actually practicing and then having games. It should be a small thing, but it makes hockey feel that much more real.

It is great that players are here and hitting the ice, but that always happens. When the boss gets involved, you know things are getting more serious.

We just have to keep our fingers crossed that everything stays level and good on the health front. Then, when mid-July hits, we will have camp and get things rolling in earnest.