Blues fever "has spread throughout the St. Louis area" as the team is playing in its first Western Conference Finals since '01, and the team's success is the "perfect cure for whatever pain lingers from the Rams' departure," according to Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, whose team took a 1-0 lead last night in their series against the Sharks, said, "It’s bigger than just the hockey team. This is a lot bigger than just us. ... We’re playing for a lot of people. And I think everybody recognizes that. The players recognize it. The staff recognizes it. It’s like you’re playing for a city." Ortiz noted the Blues have "taken advantage of the extra room in the local sports scene to captivate their loyal fans," as well as hockey "neophytes." Blues Owner Tom Stillman: "It just kind of shows that power and value of sports in bringing people together, bringing a city and an area together." Ortiz noted Blues RW Vladimir Tarasenko's jersey is the "third-best selling NHL jersey this month," according to Fanatics data. St. Louis was the "top-selling city for NHL merchandise between May 5-12, and the Blues are the second highest-selling NHL team this month." In the 24 hours after the Blues beat the Stars in Game 7 of their previous Stanley Cup Playoff series, "their merchandise sales jumped" by 200% "from Wednesday to Thursday" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/15).
HOME & NATIVE LAND? THE HOCKEY NEWS' Justin Dickie reported the Blues on Friday posted a two-minute video in which the team "offered many compelling reasons for Canadians to jump on their bandwagon for the rest of their playoff run." In the "partly joking, but also mostly serious montage, the Blues’ video overlays narrative text on Canadian imagery, some of which includes a Canadian flag, empty Canadian arenas, moose, a Canada goose, beer and poutine." The team points out the "many ways in which the Blues themselves are distinctly Canadian," including the facts that Hitchcock and GM Doug Armstrong are Canadian (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 5/14). The Blues have the "most Canadian players on their roster of the remaining playoff teams with 18." The video is set to the tune of Canadian band Tragically Hip's hit, "Looking For A Place To Happen" (CBC.ca, 5/13).
