After one of the most surprising playoffs in recent memory, the St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins in seven games to claim the first Stanley Cup in the history of the Blues' franchise. You read that right — the Blues haven't won a Stanley Cup in the 52 years that they've been part of the NHL. How did they move from the last place in January to become the Stanley Cup champions in June?
From Last to First
At the beginning of January, the Blues sat in 31st place, at the literal bottom of the rankings. No one even imagined they'd end their season at the top. Part of this success can likely be credited to their interim coach, Craig Berube, who pushed his team to the top in spite of the fact that general manager Doug Armstrong was actively looking for his replacement.
We wouldn't be surprised if Berube uses this win to negotiate himself away from the interim title that's been following him since the beginning of the season.
An Untouchable Goalie
In December, the Blues parted ways with Chad Johnson, a free agent and backup goalie, and brought in Jordan Binnington. He was fourth in the goaltending chart, but when they gave him his first start in a January game against the Philadelphia Flyers, he made 25 saves and helped the Blues reach a 3-0 shutout.
In the final, do-or-die game of the season, Binnington was compared to the teleporting X-Man Nightcrawler while he was in the net. He blocked 32 of 33 shots and nearly secured a shutout victory until Matt Grzelcyk scored one with two minutes left that didn't matter.
Four Goals
The Blues managed to secure 2 goals during the first period of the game, even though the Bruins outplayed them for the majority of the period. Neither team managed to score during the second period, and then Brayden Schenn got a third goal with 8:35 left in the third period. When that one went it, it the fans knew it was over. Zach Sanford scored the fourth goal with 4:37 left on the clock to officially seal the deal.
The Blues must have had something to prove after their spectacular failure in Game 6 on their own home turf. After what was called one of the worst losses in franchise history, they had to make up for it — and they did, with flying colors, bringing home 4 goals and the Stanley Cup for the first time in the franchise's 52-year history.
History in the Making
This win marks the first time in the Blues' history that they've brought home the Stanley Cup to St. Louis. Between the monumental super-human efforts of Binnington in the net and the goals that carried them to victory, the Blues deserve to celebrate their moment. They managed to come back from being the lowest-ranked team in the NHL and claimed the top spot. We hope the Blues and their fans are still celebrating this monumental win, because it's definitely one for the history books.
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