St. Louis Blues home games have not felt much like home to start the 2021 season. Despite the team allowing 300 people into the building, it has felt empty.
The Blues did the right thing by allowing some people in, in accordance with local guidelines. Even better, the 300 fans were first responders and their families who were given complimentary tickets.
Even so, 300 people is a drop in the bucket. It has not kept Enterprise Center from feeling like a cavern.
The television announcers have joked with players in post game interviews that they could probably hear them even without the microphones. That’s an exaggeration, but not by much.
When the Blues return home on February 2 to face the Arizona Coyotes, the games will have a little more of a home ice feel. The Blues have more than quadrupled their attendance allowance and will now allow 1,400 fans into the building.
That number will still include the front-line workers and their families, so expect the actual number of paid guests to be 1,100 or fewer. Nevertheless, players are excited about the news.
Of course, this is still a minor change. While the percentage increase is substantial from where it was, the reality is that the building will still not even be 10% full.
More from Bleedin' Blue
- St. Louis Blues Prospects Shine And Fizzle In Prospects Showcase
- St. Louis Blues Giving Nick Ritchie A Look Is No Lose Situation
- St. Louis Blues Torey Krug Already Injured Before 2023-24 Season
- St. Louis Blues Need Kasperi Kapanen To Be On Best Behavior
- Former St. Louis Blues Forward Going Into Hall Of Fame
Beggars can’t be choosers here and any fans are better than absolutely none where you could hear a pin drop. Still, it’s a little hard to understand the randomness of the numbers the government officials hand out.
At least it is progress in the right direction. If nothing else, this might harken back to the days of junior hockey for some of these guys, where there were almost as many parents in the stands as fans.
Hopefully this will give a little extra jump to the Blues. While they are a professional team, there is still something different about the energy you can feed off of when there is a live crowd.
Even as a broadcaster, I can tell you there is a far different feel to calling a game with nobody watching in the venue. It has to be the same difference playing, if not even greater.
Ticket priority will be given based on how long you’ve been a season ticket holder and what plan you had, i.e. if you’ve been a ticket holder on the glass for six years, you’ll be more likely to get a ticket than someone who had seats in the back row of the building for three years. I suppose seniority is slightly more fair than a lottery system.
For more information on safety guidelines and procedures, visit the official team website here.