BenFred: Relentless blues prove dreams can really come true | Ben Frederickson

First, the kiss of O. Reilly. Then the captain beat the rat. Brayden Schenn had the big one. Zach Sanford, the blue who grew up applauding the Bruins, delivered the dagger. And the ever-nervous kid looked at everything, blinking once, winking.

Snow Angels on the blue line. Blues fans begging ushers to stay a little longer. Cold Bud Lights and trendy pickups catching words of curse. Euphoria, on the ice.

Four against one. From the worst, to the first, forever. Your St. Louis Blues are champions.

Their names will be etched in the Stanley Cup, attributed to newborns they will never know, cemented by the sporting tradition of St. Louis. Brown is no longer a color. Kansas City can not touch our leader.

The team that once hit a practice is now stacked after throwing their poles and gloves into the air. Their faces will be framed above the bars and walls of the basement. Their uniform numbers will be inked in the skin. They will never be further than a "Gloria" note, a mention of the small Laila Anderson, a thought of the 2019 calendar year.

Their story will be passed on from generation to generation. They did not teach us hockey. They showed us how to live.

What is Jordan Binnington, a hero who came out of nothing, if not a reminder that others will only define you if you leave them?

"Pretty amazing, man," he says.

What is Ryan O'Reilly, your Conn Smythe Trophy winner, whose subtle attack scored goal 1, if not a testament to hard work?

"Quality, always," said Brian, the father of O & # 39; Reilly, who shared his son played through the cracked ribs.

What is Pat Maroon, the pride of Oakville, if it is not a lesson to remember?

"St. Louis, we panicked, he said.

Weave them together and the tapestry of your Stanley Cup champions will tell an even more powerful story.

"Character," said owner Tom Stillman, with tears in his eyes. "That's how we'll remember them."

The team with the fewest points in the NHL on the morning of January 3 became the first of four major leagues to move up from last place in the standings after more than a quarter of the season, then to qualify for the league championship. And Wednesday night at TD Garden, the Blues did what their predecessors could not do: finish. For the first time since the beginning of their hunt in the 1967-1968 season, the Blues are autonomous, unrivaled in their relentlessness and inspiration.

"It's quite a story to tell," said captain Alex Pietrangelo, who passed the second goal ahead of Brad Marchand, exhausted. "It's (frankly) incredible."

The Blues have taught us that sometimes heroes only wait to hear their names. That a real team can achieve the impossible. May the past hold you back only if you let it go.

Wednesday morning, they woke up cursed, one of the six largest sports franchises to have more than 50 years of existence, with zero championship to prove. No NHL team has suffered as much as theirs, the leader of the games played without a show.

Their curse of the Stanley Cup was deeply entrenched, with three passes in three trips to the Stanley Cup final in the first three years of the organization's existence. He grew up every year, like rings on a tree, during 41 failed appearances in the playoffs.

Now the ring goes on the finger.

For fans who have waited 51 years, eight months and a day after the first game of the regular season of the Blues, rejoice. You have cursed and cried and died while waiting to testify, some wearing blues sweaters up to the grave.

You have stretched your budgets to buy tickets, rooted in bar stools and military bases, and when the Blues have grown, you too. Enterprise Center filled to the ground for game monitoring games of the road. So many people wanted to watch Game 7 together, Busch Stadium opened. "Gloria" was played at a Phish concert in St. Louis and during a Cardinals match in Miami.

"Thanks for staying with us," Stillman said of his message to the fans. "Thank you for thinking that this will happen one day. This is for you."

They heard you They felt you. They hated making you wait. They arranged for you, did not they?

They went 10-3 on the road in the playoffs, becoming the first team to win the Cup despite a record of losers at home (6-7). Unbelievable.

The scar tissue of countless heart strokes and many self-inflicted wounds can begin to heal now. Bobby Orr's jump, the failed sale in Saskatoon, the cruel hand of Judge Edward Houston, the lost years of Laurie, the accident of Bob Gassoff, Chris Pronger's business, can finally be linked in a history book and placed on a shelf. (While we're at it, also place on the shelves the accidental announcements accidentally posted by Post-Dispatch inadvertently.)

Let them collect dust. Better yet, drown them in beer.

A seemingly lost team that stumbled on a 7-9-3 start came in 54-29-6 after general manager Doug Armstrong made the decision to fire his coach Mike Yeo and promote Craig Berube as boss by interim. We doubted of leader. We called "Coach Q" instead. Forgive us, chief. The Bérubé Blues have accumulated more wins in playoffs and playoffs than any other team between their first game and Wednesday's seventh game. He is only the seventh coach to take control of the mid-season and win everything.

"I have a good feeling," Bérubé said Wednesday morning.

Good call, leader, and congratulations for the extension of the upcoming contract.

Spinning, sliding, screaming behind his mask, the Blues goalkeeper pushed Bruin past Bruin, blocking 32 of 33 shots. in the game.

The arrival of Schenn on a pass by Vladimir Tarasenko added an insurance. The burying of a David Perron pass by Sanford, a goal he dreamed of scoring for the Bruins during street hockey games, added. But Binnington does not need more.

He made stops in two stages, swallowed pucks with his belly and closed them with his hand. The Blues scored 44-19-5 from the 25-year-old rookie's first victory at his last victory, the largest in sporting history in St. Louis.

The Blues won the top 16 games of their season in the playoffs, defeated 26 points and refused to lose two consecutive games in their final 15. They broke a 2-2 draw in the playoffs against the Jets in the first round . They overcame a 3-2 deficit against the Stars in the second. They turned a 1-2 disadvantage, and one of the worst missed calls in the history of playoff hockey, in pivot point against the Sharks in the third period. And then, they finished the Bruins in seven, ending the series of four defeats of St. Louis against Boston in games for the title.

"Bitter battles all year," Berube said. "Now you can finally hoist the cup and it's an incredible feeling.. I'm just proud of our players. They played so hard. They played one for each other. "

We will remember their lessons forever. The biggest? Deliver on the promises made.

It was O'Reilly, the Blues' most consistent player from start to finish, who entrusted Blues legend Bob Plager with his long-awaited show.

Market Street, get ready.