From 2019 to the present, the St. Louis Blues have been criticized unfairly as a top NHL championship team.
Look no further than X, formerly known as Twitter, and you will find Stanley Cup criticisms, some as severe as noting that the St. Louis Blues were among the least talented Stanley Cup champions.
How good were the 2019 Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues?
Led by Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Alex Pietrangelo, the Blues had great depth.
They were a mixture of a veteran team and up-and-coming players, with an average age of 28.
The 2019 St. Louis Blues didn’t clinch their division but fought through tough playoff battles.
In their first-round play, the St. Louis Blues defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 in the best-of-seven series. The Blues entered the series as a bit of an underdog.
Jordan Binnington dominated the first round, ranking as the top performer 3 out of the seven games.
In the second round, the St. Louis Blues had a tough battle going into the seventh game, defeating the Dallas Stars in a second overtime victory.
Like their first-round success, the Blues beat the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Finals, 4-2, again entering the series as the visiting team.
The Stanley Cup Finals didn't disappoint. As expected, it went to seven games. The Blues defeated the Boston Bruins at TD Garden in a dramatic game seven victory, 4 to 1.
Why do the St. Louis Blues still get criticized?
The St. Louis Blues surprised the hockey world by winning two-game sevens to claim the Stanley Cup.
Skeptics argue that Jordan Binnington’s unhuman-like performance led the team. Binnington played exceptionally well and will remain in the history books for his 2018-19 postseason play.
The entire team came together and showed up, ready to compete.
They were underdogs in three, if not all, of their matchups. And they came out victorious.
Sure, the 2018-19 season was a storybook scene. An interim coach named Craig Berube led a team to a championship, and a simple yet classy song, “Gloria,” energized an entire team and city to rally for a Cup title.
Fairy tale endings are real in sports, and the St. Louis Blues should be recognized as one of the greatest Cup teams ever.
In contrast to the NFL, teams compete in a best-of-seven match-up for each series win. The NHL postseason eliminates luck and showcases the strong while exposing the weak.
What the St. Louis Blues accomplished with their 2019 Cup deserves praise and stands as one of the best championship runs in NHL history.