Are the St. Louis Blues fans the best fans in hockey?

Three years is a long time to wait for a fan base as dedicated as St. Louis. The Blues long-awaited return to postseason hockey proved to be one for the ages, as the home crowd impressed and may have even impacted the game on the ice.

The 5th line: St. Louis Blues fans

The return of playoff hockey in St. Louis was not taken for granted by Blues fans and their passion for the team. Enterprise Center was rowdy and absolutely rocking with energy in all of the team's home games during the first round.

St. Louis Blues fans brought the energy so much that the team commented on the passion of the fans and the importance of their loud support as reasons for their success in several postseason interviews.

The energy fans brought to the stadium each night helped them on their franchise record 12-game win streak, and boiled over to an eruption for the playoff atmosphere. In game 6, the noise level recorded in Enterprise Center was equivalent to that of a motorcycle or subway train:

This energy from the Blues faithful was not only a fun and rowdy environment that was enjoyable to watch and experience; there is real reason to believe that the noise from fans had an effect on the games and on the series as a whole.

CONNOR... CONNOR... CONNOR...

Superstar and Vezina favorite Connor Hellebuyck is considered by many to be the best goaltender on the planet. He performed several impressive performances against the Blues in the regular season and at home in Winnipeg. However, his games on the road were some of his worst performances ever.

The difference? Something was in the St. Louis air at Enterprise Center: the passion of Blues fans.

Hellebuyck registered a solid mark of an .885 sv% at home in the first round. This is not game-stopping, but facing a relentless and talented Blues offense, Hellebuyck did his part enough at home for the Jets to sneak out the series win.

However, Hellebuyck may have a new house of horrors in Enterprise Center.

Connor Hellebuyck did not finish a game on the road in the first round, being chased from all three starts in St. Louis. This was due to his 16 goals allowed in 3 games, which left his statistics in Enterprise as a paltry .761 sv%, a mark lower than NHL backups are expected to have.

Blues fans were relentless in their efforts to rattle the Jets netminder, repeatedly calling his name in a rhythmic pattern to try and shake the goalie. And, given the home/road splits, it seems there was at least some effect of this strategy.

The Blues faithful proved in the first round that not only does fan support matter for the longevity of the team, but it can have a real, tangible effect on the result of games.

Connor Hellebuyck put up all-time bad numbers in his road starts against the Blues, registering the lowest goals saved above expected of all goalies in the playoffs. And this is coming from the Vezina favorite and Hart finalist who had an all-time regular season as a goaltender.

Blues fans, stand proud. The performance of the Blues "5th line" in the home crowd was nothing short of spectacular. It serves as a tangible reminder of the importance of attendance and support at games, put Enterprise Center on the map as one of the rowdiest home barns in the NHL, and showed that above all else, Blues fans are not to be trifled with and are one of the best fanbases in the league.