Inside the Igloo: A Happy Ending to a Thrilling Post-Season

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I, like many sports fans across the US, rejoiced upon the final seconds ticking down in Game 7 leading to a Blues victory. The sweet satisfaction of seeing Boston fans, and notable players *cough* Marchand *cough*, hunched over in defeat and sorrow put the cherry on top. At various points in the series it had seemed that my prediction would be foretold, and that the Bruins were going to fight their way to Cup #7. However, much to my pleasure, my prediction was wrong and certain stars shined in game 7. The first ten minutes of the game was all Boston; a total bombardment in the Blues' defensive-end, but Jordan Binnington stood up to the task. After surviving the shelling, the Blues never looked back. They began to suffocate the neutral zone and the quality chances the Bruins were seeing early on in the game, disappeared...

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Binnington played his best game of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs when it mattered most: Game 7 of the Finals. He made a variety of athletic and clutch saves that had Blues fans sighing in relief. He also, to my sadness, toppled Murray's shared record with: Cam Ward, Ron Hextall, Patrick Roy, and Ken Dryden for the most single postseason wins by a rookie netminder, at 15. Binnington started in 16 games and broke the record. One other Blues player also shined in the series, Conn Smythe winner Ryan O'Reilly. He tied a record held by the one and only Wayne Gretzky for scoring goals in 4 consecutive finals games. Talk about elite company! O'Reilly had been making a case for the Conn Smythe the entire playoff run. Even if he wasn't showing up on the scoresheet, his backchecking and 2-way play were crucial for the Blues' success. I won't bog down this post with a bunch of stats as the NHL site has that covered, however looking at O'Reilly stats across the board, it would've been very hard to come up with any other player for the Conn Smythe on the Blues. Binnington was great, yes, however his stat line going into Game 7 was actually...pretty average. Of course, that's not what is important and he came to play when it mattered, bailing out his team all night to get the greatest trophy in all of sports.

After the incredible story of going from worst to first in a matter of months - something the fans and franchise will never forget - finally the Blues' 53 year wait for a championship is over. Leaving just one team for the active record of longest playoff drought: the Toronto Maple Leafs.

- Shawn, TGYK