The St. Louis Blues are this merry band of skaters who dominate but aren't indomitable, who win with experience, but often after experiencing whirlwinds.
They have the second-most wins in hockey and are second in wins after trailing, tallied on morehockeystats.com. They are an imperfect perfect hockey club, currently first in the Western Conference, defenders of Lord Stanley's Cup. They're just really likable. Charming, even. They'd make for a great political candidate. They'd win over those undecideds with their real-ness and grit, their wealth of confidence but lack of cockiness.
The beloved Blues are doing so well these days, you could make a case they're even more popular than the BattleHawks.
But here's an actual comparison and question _ are the Blues becoming the NHL's new Blackhawks?
Yes, yes _ the Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups during their run this century, the Blues have won their one. Yet without a superstar _ their most-talented guy is injured, and they don't have one player in the top-20 in goals or points _ the Blues have become the darlings of this league. They won the Stanley Cup in the most storybook way possible ... and this season, they have the most points in the conference. They hosted the Winter Classic in 2017, and they were tabbed to play in the marquee event in 2021 (they don't put the Blue Jackets in these games). And the Blues and St. Louis just hosted an All-Star weekend for the ages.
"We do our due diligence when selecting host sites for our tentpole events _ it is no coincidence that we have entrusted so many of them to the Blues," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told the Post-Dispatch via message on Sunday. "That is a tribute to Tom Stillman's outstanding stewardship of the franchise, the organization he and Chris Zimmerman have built and the team on the ice that they have constructed with Doug Armstrong. ...
"That St. Louis is a hockey town has long been clear _ and was demonstrated again and again by the passion Blues fans have displayed each time the League has visited. However, the club's recent run of success would not have been possible without the kind of leadership Tom has provided _ and his commitment to upgrade Enterprise Center and serve the city of St. Louis."
As for the "new Blackhawks," we mean the latest, cool winning team in the league. It's not to say that the Blackhawks are a template. That would be difficult for any team to replicate, considering the Blackhawks won with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, two transcendent stars of the league. Then again, that's how the Blackhawks are stuck in the pickle their currently in _ by overpaying for those two, and some others, too, the team is imbalanced. Chicago sits in last place of the Central Division. Last year, they were second-to-last. And, two years ago, last.
That's the cool thing about these Blues _ they appear equipped to win for years. They don't just have a handful of blossoming (and affordable) prospects, they have a whole goalie gloveful. They have their key top players, the captain notwithstanding, under contract for the coming years. And, no, defenseman Justin Faulk hasn't wowed St. Louis the way his surname namesake did for the Rams, but here's thinking he'll play better in his second season; he was thrust into things this year. This isn't to say that Justin Faulk is better than Alex Pietrangelo. This is simply to say that Armstrong made a shrewd deal to nab Faulk, in case St. Louis loses the free agent "Petro."
And while the Blues don't have a Kane or Toews, they do have some rather popular players. Consider that Vladimir Tarasenko is second in the NHL in jersey sales in 2019-20, trailing only Sidney Crosby, ahead of Alex Ovechkin. And the Blues had four All-Stars _ Pietrangelo, David Perron, Ryan O'Reilly and goalie Jordan Binnington, who is one of the best stories in sports, albeit Bieber shenanigans on social media.
Of course, what makes the Blues are the Blues _ the team-ness of the team. The unafraid, hard-nosed hockey they play. And for fans who haven't followed closely since last year's playoffs _ they're actually good now on the power play! The boys are currently on a seven-game win streak ... for the third time this season. They've never done that three times, in all their years.
"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, we're not the second coming and we're not the be-all-and-end-all, but we're making progress and becoming a stronger and stronger organization," Stillman told the Post-Dispatch on Sunday by phone. "We're seeing some rewards that come from that. ...
"Everybody always talks about character, and that's a big part of it, but sometimes I think we too quickly run past the fact that they are very talented and skilled players, to begin with. Then you combine with that a lot of hard work and probably, more important than anything, that they play as a team, for the team and for each other. Especially through the experiences of the second half of last season and all through the playoffs, they really learned how to win _ and a lot of different ways, even when they're not playing their best. It's a team that really sticks together and cares about each other."
It'll take at least a second Cup to become a force of an era. But with All-Star and their All-Stars, the Winter Classic and the summer parade, the Blues have become the team of the present.
