Coming in at +3000 odds before the start of the 2018-19 NHL season, the St. Louis Blues were not supposed to be Stanley Cup Champions. There was no logical reason but destiny to call them the champions of the entire hockey world.
But, nearly eight years later, there is a lapse in appreciation for what kind of playoff run they had to get to that point. The struggles and failures that led to them being the best team in the league.
Here is a remembrance for the Stanley Cup run that seems to be forgotten about.
Play Gloria
The city of St. Louis rallied behind a song made in the 1980s by Laura Branigan called "Gloria". It was the song that would be played after every home win by the Blues for the 2018-19 cup run.
It helped the Blues get past the Winnipeg Jets in six games of the first round, beat the Dallas Stars in seven games in round two, defeated the San Jose Sharks in six games to advance to the Cup Final, and then that memorable series against the Boston Bruins that went the distance.
Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko were the playoff heroes, but there was one player who single-handedly helped this team make it to the last game of the year. And he showed up when the Blues fandom needed him most. Goaltender Jordan Binnington did not win the Conn Smythe, but after all of these years, there is a good case to say he should have. When he slammed the door on the Bruins in game seven with that masterful 33-save performance, millions watched a rookie goaltender emerge into a superstar.
What it meant to the City
It meant everything to the city of St. Louis. A franchise with so many legendary players liek Brett Hull, Adam Oates, Al McInnis and many, many more with nothing to show for it. It was time to bring the Stanley Cup home.
The Blues were an unprobable team, but a team that was simply meant to make it to the end of the road. What a Stanley Cup run it was.