The Blues were the NHL's worst team in December ... now they have a shot at the title

Joshua Kloke
Updated


You could make the case that no NHL team wanted to see 2018 end more than the St Louis Blues. As December came to a close, the Blues sat at 15-18-4 and were dead last in the NHL. But you could make a much stronger case that no team has enjoyed 2019 more than the Blues. The team that looked destined for a lottery pick at the upcoming NHL Entry Draft and a sure-fire bet to have their core of players blown up after another season of underperforming rebounded to put up the best record in the NHL in 2019 (30-10-5). And on Monday, the unlikeliest of contenders (since the Vegas Golden Knights last year, at least) make their final push: in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins.

“You dream about it,” said Blues forward Ryan O’Reilly immediately after the Blues beat the San Jose Sharks to send St Louis to the finals. “You [saw)]the roster right from the get go and you knew the potential was there. After having the start we did, it’s amazing how we’ve been able to come back and now compete for a Stanley Cup. I can’t really describe how excited I am.”

But how did the Blues get here? Across the board, a number of unlikely circumstances helped send the Blues to their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1970, when they also faced the Bruins.

Binnington’s boost

If you want to talk improbable, consider the play of 25-year-old rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington. You could be forgiven for never having heard of Binnington: not only did he not even start the season as the Blues No1 goalie, he was on the fringe of the roster.

In 2017, after spending six seasons with five different teams spread across four different leagues, Binnington hit his breaking point: he refused to be demoted to the third-tier ECHL. In an twist of fate, he ended up being loaned to the Bruins’ AHL affiliate.

Binnington believed he was too good for the ECHL, and he was right: he posted an astounding 24-5-1 record and .927 save percentage while propelling the Blues in the second half of this season. Binnington was then named as a Calder Trophy finalist for NHL rookie of the year.

A second chance for Berube

As a head coach, Craig Berube’s NHL postseason experience is limited: two seasons coaching the Philadelphia Flyers and no series wins in that time. So it was with tempered expectations that Berube took over the Blues after Mike Yeo was fired in November.

Berube was a no-nonsense player, totaling 3149 penalty minutes, the seventh-most in NHL history. And Berube still employs that approach. His press conferences are honest and to the point, as are his messages to players.

Consider how Berube didn’t sugar-coat things after Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, when San Jose forward Timo Meier made what looked to be an illegal hand pass that led to the Sharks winning goal in overtime, and a 2-1 series lead.

“It starts with our head coach,” Blues forward Brayen Schenn said following the loss. “[Berube] came in, said, ‘Don’t worry about it, move on, come to the rink the next day with a smile on your face,’ and guys did that. You can look at it two ways: You can come here and mope around and say, ‘We got screwed’ or you can turn the page and move on, and I think that’s what we did.”

Boston’s Bobby Orr flies through the air after scoring the winning goal against the St Louis Blues in the 1970 Stanley Cup
Boston’s Bobby Orr flies through the air after scoring the winning goal against the St Louis Blues in the 1970 Stanley Cup

Boston’s Bobby Orr flies through the air after scoring the winning goal against the St Louis Blues in the 1970 Stanley Cup.Photograph: Ray Lussier/AP

Keeping the roster intact

Deep playoff runs often feature a combination of tested veterans, a hot goaltender and scoring from where you least expect it. For this Blues team, that’s forward Jaden Schwartz. The 26-year-old has scored 20+ goals three times in his career, but this season he regressed, scoring just 11 goals in 69 games. But Schwartz rebounded quickly, surprisingly outscoring his regular season performance with 12 goals in 19 playoff games to lead the Blues in playoff goals.

“He’s obviously been our engine,” Blues forward Tyler Bozak said of Schwartz’s post-season play.

Schwartz is part of a Blues core that was always good, but believed to never have been good enough. The Blues made the playoffs six of the last seven seasons but only made it past the second round of the playoffs once. That’s the type of underperformance that can lead to a team’s core being blown up, as Blues management reportedly flirted with doing. But this run has changed perceptions in St Louis, and around the hockey world.

A desperate fanbase

Blues fans have become accustomed to heartbreak. After the NHL expanded to 12 teams in 1967, the Blues made it to three straight Stanley Cup Finals, but were swept every time. They have seen their team win President’s Trophies but then eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. They’ve seen Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull leave as free agents. Yet, in probably the least surprising element of this post-season run, fans have stayed loyal to the Blues.

“This is everything about being a Blues fan. It’s heartbreak, excitement, terrifying stuff,” said actor and Blues fan Jon Hamm after the Blues’ Game 7 win against the Dallas Stars in the second round of the playoffs. “This is why I’ve loved St Louis Blues hockey since I was a little kid.”