BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 27: Jordan Binnington #50 of the St. Louis Blues reacts during a stoppage of play against the Boston Bruins during the third period in Game One of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on May 27, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
It took 14 tries and over half of a century, but the St. Louis Blues have finally won a game in a Stanley Cup Final. St. Louis topped Boston in Game 2 of the 2019 series 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday, May 29.
Part of the reason why the Blues hadn’t won a Stanley Cup Final game until Wednesday was a gap between appearances of almost half a century. St. Louis hadn’t qualified for the Stanley Cup Final since the 1969-70 season, the last of a series in which in the Blues appeared in the final for three consecutive seasons.
Blues Stanley Cup Final History
As much of a feat as reaching the Stanley Cup Final three seasons in a row was, it could be considered an equally remarkable feat to get swept in all three of those series. Even more worthy of note, all 14 Stanley Cup Final games the Blues have been involved in have been against only two different opponents. Game 1 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final represented the 13th consecutive loss for St. Louis in Stanley Cup Final games. The final scores for all the Stanley Cup Final games involving the Blues played so far are:
1967-68 Series
Game 1 Montreal Canadiens 3, St. Louis Blues 2 OT
Game 2 Montreal Canadiens 1, St. Louis Blues 0
Game 3 Montreal Canadiens 4, St. Louis Blues 3 OT
Game 4 Montreal Canadiens 3, St. Louis Blues 2
Minding the net for St. Louis this season was Hall of Famer Glenn Hall, who posted a record of 8-10 during the postseason with a .916 save percentage. Hall of Fame left wing Dickie Moore led the Blues in scoring with 14 points during the playoff run.
1968-69 Series
Game 1 Montreal Canadiens 3, St. Louis Blues 1
Game 2 Montreal Canadiens 3, St. Louis Blues 1
Game 3 Montreal Canadiens 4, St. Louis Blues 0
Game 4 Montreal Canadiens 2, St. Louis Blues 1
Hall of Fame keeper Jacques Plante supplanted Hall for this playoff run, going 8-2 with a .950 save percentage. Right wing Gary Sabourin had 11 points during the postseason to set the pace for St. Louis.
1969-70 Series
Game 1 Boston Bruins 6, St. Louis Blues 1
Game 2 Boston Bruins 6, St. Louis Blues 2
Game 3 Boston Bruins 4, St. Louis Blues 1
Game 4 Boston Bruins 4, St. Louis Blues 3 OT
Hall and Plante shared the time in the net this season, with the two notching a combined 8-4 record. Hall posted a .907 save percentage while Plante bested him at .936. Left wing Ab McDonald’s 15 points led all St. Louis skaters during the playoffs.
2018-19 Series
Game 1 Boston 4, St. Louis 2
Game 2 St. Louis 3, Boston 2 OT
Carl Gunnarson’s overtime goal on Wednesday made Blues franchise history and even if Boston ultimately wins this series, the streak of Stanley Cup Final losses has ended.
While St. Louis hasn’t been one of the better teams in the playoffs, especially the Stanley Cup Final, they have had plenty of opportunities. The franchise has 42 postseason appearances in 51 seasons and a total of 386 playoff games. In those 386 games, the Blues have gone 177-209 for a winning percentage of .459.
Blues fans should now feel free to be more optimistic about their favorite team’s chances to claim the cup for the first time this season, as the ice has been broken on the franchise recording its first-ever win in a Stanley Cup Final.