Singing the Blues

Another year of hockey in the books and another year without the Stanley Cup in St. Louis.  49 years and counting.  While it was thrilling to watch the Blues advance to the Western Conference Final (and especially thrilling to watch them knock off the hated Blackhawks in the first round in person), it’s always a little disappointing when yet another season ends without winning the Cup.  Blues fans are a tremendously loyal group.  This is a franchise that has basically never won a thing of consequence in its existence and yet still consistently draws large crowds.  The Blues fan base may not be as large as the fan base for the Cardinals or other hockey teams in other cities, but it is as steadfastly loyal as any fan base anywhere.

Part of me really thought that maybe this was finally going to be the Blues’ year.  They had overcome so much - countless injuries to key players during the regular season to finish with the 3^rd best record in the league; winning back-to-back Game 7s; defeating the defending Stanley Cup champions.  Everything they had endured seemed to point toward a big payoff.  Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.  The team got over the first round hump, but couldn’t get to the Cup finals for the first time since 1970.  In my mind, the most frustrating thing isn’t the fact that they fumbled away home ice advantage or that they weren’t able to finally win the Cup (or at least win the conference title).  The most frustrating thing has been – over the past 20 years - watching the fans of other teams get to watch their teams win a Cup without having to wait very long.

In 1996, the Colorado Avalanche won a Cup in their first year in Denver, after relocating from Quebec.  They won another Cup (eliminating the Blues along the way) in 2001.  So, hockey fans in Denver got to watch two Cup winners the first six seasons they had a team.  The 1996 Avalanche defeated another new team in the Cup finals – the Florida Panthers, who had advanced to the Cup finals in only their third year of existence.

In 1999, the Dallas Stars won a Cup in their sixth season in Dallas, after relocating from Minnesota.  They followed that up with another trip to the Cup Finals the following year.  So, hockey fans in Dallas (and there weren’t many before that) got to witness a Cup championship and two conference championships in the first seven seasons they had a team.

In 2004, the Tampa Bay Lightning won a Cup in their 12^th season.  They were also a Cup finalist last year.

Most annoyingly, in 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes won a Cup in their ninth season in Raleigh, after relocating from Hartford.  They had previously made a trip to the Cup finals in 2002, their fifth season in North Carolina.  So, hockey fans in Raleigh (and, judging from their annual attendance figures, there aren’t very many of them) got to witness a Cup championship and two conference championships in the first nine seasons they had a team.  Keep in mind, this is a team that, throughout its 40 or so years of existence as the Whalers/Hurricanes has largely been lousy.  But, even so, they were able to win a Cup and make it to the Cup Finals another time.

In 2007, the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks won a Cup in their 13^th season.  They had previously been a Cup finalist in 2003, their 10^th season.  So, hockey fans in Orange County got to witness a Cup championship and two conference championships in the first 13 seasons they had a team.

Meanwhile, the wait for hockey fans in the Gateway City goes on.  The Blues have been in the NHL longer than any other team without having won a Cup.  The Blues have more playoff appearances without having won a Cup (40) of any team in NHL history.  The list of players and coaches who got their start or had their best seasons in St. Louis but only won a Cup after going elsewhere is so long, you could practically open up an exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto about it: Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Chris Pronger, Doug Weight, Doug Gilmour, Rod Brind’Amour, Scotty Bowman, Al Arbour, Jacques Demers, and Joel Quenneville, to name a few handfuls.

Maybe someday – somehow, some way - the Blues can finally win the Stanley Cup and Blues fans can enjoy the long awaited parade down Market Street.  Until then, we will just have to lament missed opportunities and what might have been.

After all, what do you expect when your team is named the Blues?