ST. LOUIS, MO – A year ago with the wind howling at Notre Dame Stadium and the festive Winter Classic being enjoyed by the second largest crowd in outdoor game history, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman held a media session during the 1st intermission to announce some very special events planned for the 2019-20 season.
Among the four announcements were three special games planned. They were the Heritage Classic, the first outdoor game to be held at a Canadian neutral site in Regina, Saskatchewan, Then the next was the Winter Classic to be held in Dallas at Cotton Bowl Stadium. For later in Winter, the outdoor game, to be held at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, dressed up the bevy of excitement.
It was the announcement that the 2020 All-Star Game was awarded to St. Louis that provided some measure of solace to a hockey-passionate city struggling to look for something worth getting excited about. But a look back at the 2017 Winter Classic between the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues may have been a preview that a high-profile event would soon be coming to the Gateway City.
That event, hosted at Busch Stadium, home of Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals, was the spark that put things into motion. Scheduled for January 2nd due to the NHL Centennial Classic held in Toronto that year on New Year’s Day, the Blues hosted an Alumni Game on New Year’s Eve Day followed by the Winter Classic two days later.
Despite an overcast and wet atmosphere, the Alumni game was a sell-out, stunning NHL brass in which they never expected the crowd to swell to that size. Only a few of the outdoor games have had alumni games and it seems their popularity is difficult to gauge in advance. Incidentally, I witnessed the 2016 Alumni Game at the Stadium Series in Minneapolis where many former North Stars players participated. It was a greater success than the regular game.
In advance of the regular season game on January 2nd, the Blues and Blackhawks were faced with weather conditions which threatened the regular start time of the match. Early morning on game day, it was determined no change in start time would be made and fans flocked to the stadium. 46,556 fans watched the home team defeat Chicago 4-1. The three days of events, including the off-day FanFest left an impression on the league.
So, despite the Blues record on January 1st (15-18-4 when the 2020 All-Star Game was awarded), Blues fans had some reason for optimism in what would be a worthwhile event and an opportunity to showcase their city.
Flash forward to nearly a year later where since that announcement, the Blues went 30-10-5 finishing in third place in the Central Division, a point away from 2nd place and two points from the top spot.
The Blues met Winnipeg in the first round dispatching the Jets in 6 games. They then faced upstart Dallas, who defeated division-winner Nashville, and won in 7 games. It took a road win in game six to survive before a double-overtime goal on home ice from hometown power forward Pat Maroon game them the round in seven games.
St. Louis then outmatched San Jose by overcoming a missed hand pass call which lead to an overtime loss in the third game before wearing down and conquering the Sharks in 6 games series before capturing their first Stanley Cup in Boston by winning three games on the road including the clincher. The Blues had last been to the Final in 1970, never winning a game in the final round despite appearing in their first three seasons.
And the current season is showing the Blues can pick-up right where they left off from last year’s magical campaign. Despite significant injuries, some of them long-term, to their top players, St. Louis sits not just first in the Central Division, but first in the Western Conference and thhird among the league’s 31 teams.
Now the All-Star Game is upon us, an event the Gateway City last hosted in 1988 when Mario Lemieux scored six points and captured MVP honors. The Blues also hosted the mid-season showcase in 1970. Both events were held at the Old Arena.
As it is for any host city, it is an opportunity to promote the community as one filled with passionate hockey fans who are fervent in their excitement for their team. Even in the lowest of franchise periods, Blues fans have also been eager to show the hockey world just how wonderful a market St. Louis is for the greatest sport on earth.
The NHL All-Star Game weekend begins Thursday, January 23rd and continues through Sunday, January 26th.
NHL FanFair, the fan interactive theme park, takes place all four days at a revamped St. Louis Union Station. The historic former train station recently opened a massive new aquarium and giant ferris wheel. Union Station is located just two blocks west of Enterprise Center where the on-ice events will take place.
These begin Friday night when the Skills Competition takes place. Saturday night, the actual All-Star Game will take place. A 7 PM Central Time start is scheduled for both events.
Dennis Morrell has a lengthy background in the great game as a hockey writer, photographer, goalie coach, player and currently active USA Hockey-certified referee with over 1,000 games in his striped jersey. His passion for the game began in the early 70s with his first glance at skaters in Clayton’s Shaw Park. He can be reached at dennis.morrell@prohockeynews.com and you can follow him on Twitter at DMMORRELL.
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