Finally!!!

[T-Mo]

I have been a St. Louis Blues fans since day one. I lived through the Red Berenson years, the Garry Unger years, the Bernie Federko/Brian Sutter era, saw Brett Hull score 86 goals, see the team win the President's Trophy, seen Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis defense years. I seen the team at it's worst when Emile Francis took over in the late 70s and saw Ralson Purina buy the team and rename the St. Louis Arena to the Checkerdome. I had to endure the Mike Keenan fiasco, and see The Great One come only to dissed the team for New York Rangers.

After all that, to see the team teased the city and it's fans with great teams only to lose in the first or second round of the playoffs. Then, for the first time in the team's existence, from 1967 to now, to see the Blues actually win the Stanley Cup. It was almost as magical and unseemly as the Cubs winning the World Series.

Finally!!!!!

[ajhbike]

It was a good series....the Bruins were also great. If I recall, the flying Bobby Orr prevented them from their last Cup win. I actually saw that game!

[T-Mo]

It was a good series....the Bruins were also great. If I recall, the flying Bobby Orr prevented them from their last Cup win. I actually saw that game!

Yep, that was the last time they were in the Stanley Cup finals. But, I see those first 3 years as a bit tainted. The Blues came into the league in 1967 with 5 other teams. The "Original Six" basically let their players who were career minor leaguers and over the hill veterans go in the draft, so the 6 expansion teams didn't have very good players. The NHL made the 6 expansion teams into the western conference, while the original 6 were the eastern conference. The winner of the west played the winner of the east, and since the west was made up of the 6 expansion teams consisting of lesser players, the east had a decided advantage in the cup finals. The Blues made the first 3 cup finals, but were simply outclassed by both the Montreal Canadians and then the Boston Bruins. They were swept in all three finals. It really wasn't a fair matchup in the early years then.

[ajhbike]

True and Glen Hall was an awesome net minder.

I grew up in Maine and I was a huge Bruins and Canadians fan. Pocket Rocket, Yvonne Cournover, Jean Beleveau, Esposito, The Chief, Pie McKensy, Orr, Jacques Laperrier.....Brings back great memories from back then. In our town, every neighborhood had a rink and we would live and breath hockey....we had a 60 foot rink in the back yard that we would play on and then go to high school practice.

.

[T-Mo]

Wayne Cashmen, Fred Stanfield, Gerry Cheevers, Ted Green, Ed Johnston....Ken Dryden, Gump Worsley, Jacques Lemaire, J.C. Tremblay, Serge Savard...I remember those teams myself. Orr was the best player I've seen played - far more skilled than Gretsky; Orr controlled the game, even when the other team was on the power play. He could play keep-away with the puck when killing penalties.