[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 99 (Thursday, June 13, 2019)]
[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.

                          ____________________