Early in April, I wrote about the National Championship Game, Villanova's incredible win over UNC, as a game that encapsulated why I love sports so much, and why I even more love a game when I don't have a true rooting interest between one of the two teams. Well, less than a month later, there was a game that met that criteria, and boy was it great as well. The stakes weren't necessarily as high, but the game was fantastic.
************************************************************************
Last night in St. Louis, we saw in one 60-minute game, everything that is both great about playoff hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks dynasty, and the, as always, triumph of victory. The St. Louis Blues, much like the team I wrote about on Saturday, the San Jose Sharks, have long been playoff underachievers, talented teams that fell apart in the playoffs and lost to lesser teams. Well, that was summarily re-written, in the most dramatic, intense way possible.
There is nothing better than a Stanley Cup Playoff game. Truly, there is nothing better than a Game 7, especially in a series that needed a Game 7. That was a great series from the beginning, with two long-time rivals with a shared history, fanbases with a shared passion, two great atmospheres in Chicago and St. Louis. It would have felt wrong if that series ended before Game 7, and thankfully it didn't as we got to see that incredible game last night.
For both that game, and the series overall quality, we needed both teams to bring it. The Blues, healthy, complete, deep, and motivated, brought it from the start. This series needed a tired, injured, shallow Blackhawks team to do once again what they've done so many times: step up in the playoffs. And boy did they. The Blackhawks, a team that is a modern dynasty in a sport truly built to stop this from happening, had no reason to push the Blues this much in this series. They had to rebuild on the fly, again, losing key contributors from past seasons. Their blue-line is still essentially just three deep. There are holes in that team, but they papered them up with their normal brilliance.
The Blackhawks go beyond Kane and Toews, especially with #19 having a truly off series, but the secondary guys stepped up. They got Andrew Ladd back in teh fold who was great. The Russian duo of Panarin and Anisimov were both great. Marian Hossa is an ageless wonder. The Hawks stepped up, never blinking down 3-1 in the series, not 3-1 in Game 6 - scoring five unanswered. They didn't blink down 2-0 in Game 7, in a true madhouse that was the Scottrade Center. Instead, they dominated play for a 15-20 minute span and tied the game back up.
But that's where we have to credit the Blues. The St. Louis Blues have heard for a couple years now just how awful they are in the playoffs. The modern Blues started in the 2011-12 season, coming into the playoffs with a team that gave up a league-low 165 goals, with 109 pts and the #2 seed. That was the only time they would make it out of the 1st round, before they were quickly swept aside by the Kings monster.
Three more years brought three more 100 point seasons and three more first round exits, all in 6 games, all to lower seeds. The worst was last year to an undermanned Wild team that had no business hanging with the Blues, but they did because we all thought hte Blues didn't have what it takes in the playoffs, that they got tight at the wrong times, that they couldn't hang in the Spring when the tournament started. There were a few times when it looked like they could do that. First, when they lost Game 2 after a potentially game-winning goal was wiped off on an offsides review, which made them go to Chicago tied 1-1. Second, when they blew Game 6, disappearing after that 3-1 lead. Finally, when losing the 2-0 lead in Game 7 and being skated off the ice.
The last bit was the real test. That is a game, a series, a moment, where the Blues fold. Instead, they didn't and turned the game into something special. The Blues did what they do best, roll four lines and hit the hell out of the Blackhawks. They ran at all Chicago defensemen, forcing them into the mistakes that ended up costing Chicago. Their lines all worked well, with the unheralded third group - Fabbri, Backes, Brouwer - providing the game winner. They skated well, consistently breaking out the zone well. They even took a page out of the Blackhawks playbook and hit wave after wave of deep breakout passes from their zone right ot the other blueline. It created a whirling dervish of action - one that I never wanted to stop.
The goals were all individual great plays, from snipes from Parayko and Hossa, a well-worked power play goal from Shaw and finally a great bit of passing that led up to Brouwer's winner. It was sensational, end-to-end, hockey. The Blues abandoned their normal slow tempo and play and threw everything against the Blackhawks machine. In the end it worked, to the delight of a cacophonous crowd, one that waited years to celebrate success, made all the more sweeter coming against their biggest rival. The Blues grew up in that game, and I'm just happy I got to see it, all of it.
************************************************************************
Last night in St. Louis, we saw in one 60-minute game, everything that is both great about playoff hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks dynasty, and the, as always, triumph of victory. The St. Louis Blues, much like the team I wrote about on Saturday, the San Jose Sharks, have long been playoff underachievers, talented teams that fell apart in the playoffs and lost to lesser teams. Well, that was summarily re-written, in the most dramatic, intense way possible.
There is nothing better than a Stanley Cup Playoff game. Truly, there is nothing better than a Game 7, especially in a series that needed a Game 7. That was a great series from the beginning, with two long-time rivals with a shared history, fanbases with a shared passion, two great atmospheres in Chicago and St. Louis. It would have felt wrong if that series ended before Game 7, and thankfully it didn't as we got to see that incredible game last night.
For both that game, and the series overall quality, we needed both teams to bring it. The Blues, healthy, complete, deep, and motivated, brought it from the start. This series needed a tired, injured, shallow Blackhawks team to do once again what they've done so many times: step up in the playoffs. And boy did they. The Blackhawks, a team that is a modern dynasty in a sport truly built to stop this from happening, had no reason to push the Blues this much in this series. They had to rebuild on the fly, again, losing key contributors from past seasons. Their blue-line is still essentially just three deep. There are holes in that team, but they papered them up with their normal brilliance.
The Blackhawks go beyond Kane and Toews, especially with #19 having a truly off series, but the secondary guys stepped up. They got Andrew Ladd back in teh fold who was great. The Russian duo of Panarin and Anisimov were both great. Marian Hossa is an ageless wonder. The Hawks stepped up, never blinking down 3-1 in the series, not 3-1 in Game 6 - scoring five unanswered. They didn't blink down 2-0 in Game 7, in a true madhouse that was the Scottrade Center. Instead, they dominated play for a 15-20 minute span and tied the game back up.
But that's where we have to credit the Blues. The St. Louis Blues have heard for a couple years now just how awful they are in the playoffs. The modern Blues started in the 2011-12 season, coming into the playoffs with a team that gave up a league-low 165 goals, with 109 pts and the #2 seed. That was the only time they would make it out of the 1st round, before they were quickly swept aside by the Kings monster.
Three more years brought three more 100 point seasons and three more first round exits, all in 6 games, all to lower seeds. The worst was last year to an undermanned Wild team that had no business hanging with the Blues, but they did because we all thought hte Blues didn't have what it takes in the playoffs, that they got tight at the wrong times, that they couldn't hang in the Spring when the tournament started. There were a few times when it looked like they could do that. First, when they lost Game 2 after a potentially game-winning goal was wiped off on an offsides review, which made them go to Chicago tied 1-1. Second, when they blew Game 6, disappearing after that 3-1 lead. Finally, when losing the 2-0 lead in Game 7 and being skated off the ice.
The last bit was the real test. That is a game, a series, a moment, where the Blues fold. Instead, they didn't and turned the game into something special. The Blues did what they do best, roll four lines and hit the hell out of the Blackhawks. They ran at all Chicago defensemen, forcing them into the mistakes that ended up costing Chicago. Their lines all worked well, with the unheralded third group - Fabbri, Backes, Brouwer - providing the game winner. They skated well, consistently breaking out the zone well. They even took a page out of the Blackhawks playbook and hit wave after wave of deep breakout passes from their zone right ot the other blueline. It created a whirling dervish of action - one that I never wanted to stop.
The goals were all individual great plays, from snipes from Parayko and Hossa, a well-worked power play goal from Shaw and finally a great bit of passing that led up to Brouwer's winner. It was sensational, end-to-end, hockey. The Blues abandoned their normal slow tempo and play and threw everything against the Blackhawks machine. In the end it worked, to the delight of a cacophonous crowd, one that waited years to celebrate success, made all the more sweeter coming against their biggest rival. The Blues grew up in that game, and I'm just happy I got to see it, all of it.
