jessejames
Registered User
I seldom contribute here, though often read the commentary, so excuse me if I seem maybe a little intimidated.
The Blues winning it all last season was so huge. I was overwhelmed. It's very peculiar that the success of a sports team can make such a positive impact on the general spirit of someone far, far removed from that same club. Living vicariously. It is what it is.
Getting back to the Blues, I am still somewhat surprised by their winning ways. There's no real standout players or so-called superstars, excepting perhaps Pietro. No Orr, Gretzky, Lafleur, Robinson, Clarke, Messier, Plante, Howe, Hull, Savard, Crosby, etc. -- names (almost all from way back when) that I associate with Stanley Cup winners. There's nobody of that caliber. What there is instead is a group of athletes playing in a fashion that is within their abilities and doing so correctly. A Tarasenko gets hurt, a Parayko gets injured, no problem. Other players step in and do what they can to fill the roles.
Another thing -- the Blues have never had as good a defense as they do now. The defensemen and the overall system are stifling to opponents. Yeah, there's the odd breakdown but that is the nature of hockey. And, yes, there was a time of Pronger and Big Al Mac, but then there was not the quality of supporting cast on D.
Of course, I love the goaltending as well. Both of them. Allen, at his best, is every bit as good as Binner, if not better, but we all know too well how he can be at other times.
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The Blues winning it all last season was so huge. I was overwhelmed. It's very peculiar that the success of a sports team can make such a positive impact on the general spirit of someone far, far removed from that same club. Living vicariously. It is what it is.
Getting back to the Blues, I am still somewhat surprised by their winning ways. There's no real standout players or so-called superstars, excepting perhaps Pietro. No Orr, Gretzky, Lafleur, Robinson, Clarke, Messier, Plante, Howe, Hull, Savard, Crosby, etc. -- names (almost all from way back when) that I associate with Stanley Cup winners. There's nobody of that caliber. What there is instead is a group of athletes playing in a fashion that is within their abilities and doing so correctly. A Tarasenko gets hurt, a Parayko gets injured, no problem. Other players step in and do what they can to fill the roles.
Another thing -- the Blues have never had as good a defense as they do now. The defensemen and the overall system are stifling to opponents. Yeah, there's the odd breakdown but that is the nature of hockey. And, yes, there was a time of Pronger and Big Al Mac, but then there was not the quality of supporting cast on D.
Of course, I love the goaltending as well. Both of them. Allen, at his best, is every bit as good as Binner, if not better, but we all know too well how he can be at other times.
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