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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ST. LOUIS BLUES STANLEY CUP VICTORY
______
HON. ANN WAGNER
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Mrs. WAGNER. Madam Speaker, I am proud to join with my colleague
Representative Lacy Clay, in congratulating the St. Louis Blues on
their 2019 Stanley Cup Victory.
In 1967, the National Hockey League expanded its roster from the
``Original Six'' franchises to include an additional six organizations,
bringing the first professional hockey team to my hometown: the St.
Louis Blues.
In each of the team's first three seasons, the Blues made it to the
Stanley Cup Final. And in each of those first three championship
series, the Blues were swept, twice by the Montreal Canadiens and then
by the Boston Bruins.
Since that time, St. Louis has been called home by some of the
greatest players in the history of the National Hockey League. First
came Bernie Federko, who led the team to eight straight playoffs. Brett
Hull then joined the team during the 1987-1988 season and scored more
goals than any other player in franchise history. At the turn of the
century, Al Macinnis and Chris Pronger ushered in a new era of
defensive prowess for the Blues, bringing the team's consecutive
playoff streak to twenty-five seasons, the third longest in the history
of the National Hockey League at the time. Still, hockey's greatest
trophy--the Stanley Cup--remained elusive.
Despite over half a century of disappointing finishes, love and
passion for the Blues continued to take root and flourish in St. Louis.
Typically described as a ``baseball town,'' St. Louis embraced their
Blues wholeheartedly and patiently waited for the one year, the one
team, and the one playoff run that would finally bring the Cup to the
Gateway City.
On January 3, 2019, the St. Louis Blues were dead last in the
National Hockey League rankings. But with the help of a rookie
goaltender, Jordan Binnington, and new interim head coach, Craig
Berube, the team embarked on a franchise-record eleven game win streak.
Over the next four months, the Blues jumped from last place to second
place in the Western Conference. The Stanley Cup was once again in the
city's crosshairs.
To begin the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the team ventured north and
defeated the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, then marched south and
beat the Dallas Stars, next turned west to win the Western Conference
Championship over the San Jose Sharks, and finally set their sights
east to take on the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final.
While the Blues mounted their unprecedented run toward the playoffs,
a new sense of excitement took over the city. What was once an unknown
team ritual--playing the 1982 song ``Gloria'' by Laura Branigan after
each win--evolved into tens of thousands of St. Louisans blasting the
record in their homes, cars, and workplaces to celebrate a Blues
victory, marking each step closer to the Stanley Cup.
The Blues relished in this admiration and were quick to give back to
the city that supported them through thick and thin. When a video went
viral of an eleven-year-old superfan, Laila Anderson, who was suffering
from a rare blood disease, the team rallied around her. They invited
her to every Blues home playoff game, dubbing her the team's ``good
luck charm.'' She then accompanied the Blues to Game 7 of the 2019
Stanley Cup Final in Boston.
Yesterday, on June 12, 2019, the Blues accomplished what many St.
Louisans feared they would never see in their lifetime: the Stanley Cup
being hoisted above the heads of hockey players emblazoned with the
Blue Note across their chest. The victory marked the end of the longest
Stanley Cup drought in National Hockey League history, and was ushered
in by thousands of Blues fans packed into the home of the Blues, the
Enterprise Center, the home of the Cardinals, Busch Stadium, and
countless homes and sports bars across the nation.
If one were to ask any St. Louisan, this accomplishment meant far
more than winning just a hockey game. It brought together the entire
city under one mission, one team, one song, and one Note. It is our
honor to congratulate the St. Louis Blues on this historic victory.
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