An 11-game win streak for the St. Louis Blues has taken them from the NHL’s basement to Stanley Cup contender. That is how life for the Blues is now but it may also sound familiar. History tends to repeat itself and it seems St. Louis is on the path of repeating their historic Stanley Cup run in 2019. Let’s digest some of the differences and similarities of each run.
The 2018/19 Blues were a team built for a deep playoff run. They missed the playoffs during the 2017/18 season but made it the six seasons prior. On day one of NHL free agency in 2018, Doug Armstrong went all in. Acquiring Ryan O’Reilly from the Buffalo Sabres for a package that included future superstar Tage Thompson, a 1st round pick, plus more.
In contrast, this year’s St. Louis Blues is said to still be in the midst of a “retool.” On paper, this is a team that could compete in games but not in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, if they even made it that far. Even with the additions of Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Mathieu Joseph, Ryan Sutter, and Alexandre Texier, this team was not supposed to be able to get over the hump. Enter Doug’s genius again. Instead of acquiring a future Conn Smyth winner, he acquires former Jack Adam’s winner Jim Montgomery.
As amazing as that 2019 run was, it made sense for that Blues team to be good. It did not make sense for them to be last in the standings. This year’s team was expected to finish middle of the pack. After missing the playoffs the last two seasons, they were projected to miss again this season. Before the 4 Nations Face-Off, this team was right where they were supposed to be. So to the hockey minds around the world, this current run doesn’t make sense. This team is not supposed to be here. So how did it happen?
Many will point to the offer sheets, Jim Montgomery, or Binnington 4 Nations Face Off Gold Medal. None of those will be incorrect. They don’t show the true underlying factor though and that is belief. Both the 2019 run and 2025 runs can be traced back to single moments that the ability to believe was created. 2019 Philadelphia bar outing with Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” and 2025’s appearance of Major League’s Jobu. Silly superstitions that started as fun jokes turned into nearly full-blown religions. The belief in Gloria and Jobu is real and is pushing this current Blues team to a playoff berth that 2 months ago seemed impossible.
