Taking down San Jose was just the beginning…
Talk to any St. Louis Blues fan and they will give you a hundred reasons to be excited about the squad. Whether they are dictated from well reasoned premises or the rantings of a hockey novice jumping on board, arguments from a team’s fan base always have a hint of favoritism.
The local media may hop on the Blues train at appropriate times when they are not busy dissecting free agents of baseball. However, they can only be counted on when the story is hot.
But nation wide, how often is St. Louis spoken of when it comes to hockey? For almost a decade, Blues fans heard “rebuilding”,” draft picks“, “development“, ”right direction”, from the game’s top commentators.
Nowadays, whether it comes from your crazy hockey neighbor or the panels of the main sports networks, the St. Louis Blues are exactly what every excited fan is telling you they are and they are not the only people saying it.
Starting with the league’s media, NHL.com is fairly confident in another Central lock with a possible conference win. However, they seem hesitant in anticipating a finals victory for St. Louis.
The Hockey News is feeling it too. “Meet the Western Conference’s new juggernaut,” they proclaim in picking this small market club as conference champs.
Yahoo’s Puck Daddy team like what they see as well calling for the Blues to be at the top or right near it. Three of them also guess the Blues will reach the finals.
ESPN has a very favorable outlook for the 2013 Blues with nine of twelve personalities picking St. Louis to win the Central Division. Eight of twelve have them coming out of the West with three of those picking a Stanley Cup for the Blues.
TSN surmises a first place finish for the Blues in this shortened season, but not much beyond that.
Steve Kendall of The Hockey Writers, like many others, foresees an all blue finals, with the New York Rangers topping the Note in the finals.
While CBS Sports may not have much faith in the Blues come playoff time, their three experts all pick the team to win the Central Division. Not as favorable as other reviews but winning the toughest division in the West is no cakewalk.
The folks over at SB Nation have varying opinions, with an overall opinion the Blues will win the Central. Where they go from there seems to be a point of dispute however there are a few conference picks and one final pick.
This national attention may come as a surprise for the casual fan. For those fans that are sour about the lockout or other fans that are new to the game, consider believing the next person who advances ideas of championships. The St. Louis Blues really are as good as people are saying.