Is it 2019 again? Should we get ready to here “Gloria” again? What is happening with the St. Louis Blues right now?
Even if you don’t follow hockey, you’ve probably heard something about how the Blues season has been going. They were the hottest team in the NHL after the 4 Nations Face Off. They had the best record to end the season, going out with a 19-4-3 record after the 4 nations break. With the way they were playing and winning, the Blues were able to sneak into the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference for a playoff spot.
At the beginning of the season, the Blues head coach was Drew Bannister, who was hired on Dec. 12, 2023 as the interim head coach after firing Craig Berube. Bannister was then named head coach on May 8, 2024. To start of the 24-25 season, the Blues record under Bannister was 9-12-1, with 19 points. On Nov. 24, 2024, Bannister was fired and relieved of his coaching duties. On the same day, the Blues announced they hired Jim Montgomery, effective immediately, who had been fired from being head coach of the Boston Bruins five days prior.
After hiring Montgomery, the Blues went on to win their next two games, 5-2 against the New York Rangers, and 3-0 against the New Jersey Devils. In their third game under Montgomery, the Blues lost 3-2 in overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers.
In his first game under Montgomery, rookie Zach Bolduc got two goals, not having any this season prior to the game.
On Dec. 14, 2024, Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong announced that the Blues acquired defenceman Cam Fowler from the Anaheim Ducks. Fowler got drafted 12th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his whole NHL career with the Ducks, up until getting traded to the Blues. In his 17 games with the Ducks this season, he had 4 points total. In his third game with the Blues against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Fowler got his first point as a Blue with an assist on a goal by Pavel Buchnevich. In his sixth game with the Blues, He got his first goal as a Blues against the Nashville Predators.
On Dec. 31, 2024, the Blues played in the NHL Winter Classic in Chicago, at Wrigley Field, against the Chicago Blackhawks. This was also Fowler’s 1,000th NHL game. Just 1 minute 40 seconds into the game, Fowler opened the scoring for the Blues. Jordan Kyrou then scored for the Blues. Taylor Hall was able to get the Blackhawks on the board with 4:34 left in the first period. In the second period, the Blues dominated, scoring three goals. With goals by Justin Faulk, Dylan Holloway, and Fowler, the second period ended 5-1, Blues. Tyler Bertuzzi was able to get the Blackhawks the first goal of the third period, but their last of the game. To close the scoring, Alexandre Texier scored the final goal of the game, getting the Blues a 6-2 win.
After the Winter Classic, the Blues went back-and-forth, winning some and losing some games until the two week break for the Four Nations Face Off. After the break, the Blues were on fire. They had 26 games left in the season and around a 5% chance of making the playoffs prior to the break. In those 26 games, they only lost 7, three in overtime, four in regulation. They won 19 games, also going on a 12-game win streak. This streak just passed there previous win streak, which was 11, set in the 18-19 season, when they went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Blues also ended the regular season with a 12-0 record at home.
With winning their final regular season game, the Blues were able to clinch the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, setting them up to play against the Winnipeg Jets in the first round.
“The season started off pretty rocky, but we came out and did amazing, especially when we beat franchise history getting 12 games in a row,” Addie Ehrhard (9) said.
Although there were similarities throughout the entire season with the 18-19 season, like the coaching change, towards the end of the season, and after the break is where more similarities come in.
In 18-19, the Blues were 31st in the league (second to last) going into the second half of the season, and they were able to get into the third spot in the Central Division.
One night, while some players were out, someone was continuously shouting “Play ‘Gloria’”, and the next night, Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington got his first NHL start and shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Blues played “Gloria” in the locker room after that game. Some players liked the song so much the recommended it after every victory. After they started playing “Gloria”, the Blues started winning more games. They shared the song with their fans and it became a “good luck charm” for the team and something fun for the fans to sing along and listen to.
This season, after the Four Nations Break, a Jobu doll, from the movie “Major League”, mysteriously appeared in the Blues locker room. The players claim to not know where he came from. They claim that Jobu has been giving game speeches, he is a big part of where they are right now, and that he is a leader in the room. The team won’t give anything else away about Jobu, but everyone knows he is a big part of the team right now. He is even featured on the playoff merchandise.
Just like in 18-19, the Blues are playing the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of playoffs, the series currently tied 2-2. The next game is on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. in Winnipeg, followed by Friday at home, the time to be announced.
“I was initially very hopeful that the Blues would make the playoffs this year after missing it for the past two years,” Katy Grant (9) said. “The middle of the season I lost some of that hope but not all. After 4 Nations when we went on our 12-game winning streak, I knew we would be able to make the playoffs.”
Whoever wins this series will play either the Colorado Avalanche or the Dallas Stars. In 18-19, the Blues faced the Stars in the second round.
So, who do you think will take this series? Who will take the Stars, Avalanche series? Do you think the Blues could go all the way?
