The Spirit of St Louis

Ahh the St Louis Blues....

Make no mistake, I am first and foremost an Ottawa Senators fan..but that's in the East. After seeing St Louis' sports highlights during last season, especially during the playoffs, they are now my favorite team in the West. 

They are the only team from the expansion yet to win a Stanley Cup. And this may be their year. 

Before I go further, I should add that at work I entered a hockey pool (separate, next post). I chose the Blues as my team (basically, 'what if Ottawa doesn't go all the way?' I'd love them bu they aren't really a 'playoff team'. And besides, they are in the East, Blues in the West so I don't feel guilty following another team too) and Brian Elliott as my goalie. 

Now, back to my post.

About *2-3* days after my post, I saw this little dandy:

"NHL 14 picks Blues to win Stanley Cup"

EA games ran a simulator that had the Blues beat the Penguins in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, winning the Cup. Here is a rundown by EA games [this is the end of the note by me, click the jump to see the stats EA came up with].

 

  The puck is almost ready to drop on the latest NHL season and the EA SPORTS NHL team is keeping tradition alive with another season simulation. With new league alignment, new rosters, and new rookies all factoring into the equation, we’ve unleashed NHL 14 to battle it all out and decide which franchise will rise to the top when the dust finally settles next year.
Eastern Conference:
Not only was the Eastern Conference’s landscape changed with new divisions, but the addition of the Detroit Red Wings injects even more top-tier talent for teams to face off against.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins – 106 pts
2. Boston Bruins – 104 pts
3. Detroit Red Wings – 102 pts
4. New York Rangers – 101 pts
5. Washington Capitals – 100 pts
6. Montreal Canadiens – 91 pts
7. Toronto Maple Leafs – 89 pts – Wild Card
8. New York Islanders – 89 pts – Wild Card
9. Ottawa Senators – 86 pts
10. Philadelphia Flyers – 84 pts
11. New Jersey Devils – 84 pts
12. Columbus Blue Jackets – 84 pts
13. Tampa Bay Lightning – 83 pts
14. Buffalo Sabres – 77 pts
15. Carolina Hurricanes – 74 pts
16. Florida Panthers – 73 pts

Metropolitan Division:
The Metropolitan Division saw star-power propel the top three teams into the playoffs, with the Penguins winning the division title. The ever-improving Islanders stepped in to snag the Wild Card spot.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins – 106 pts
2. New York Rangers – 101 pts
3. Washington Capitals 100 pts
4. New York Islanders – 89 pts – Wild Card
5. Philadelphia Flyers – 84 pts
6. New Jersey Devils – 84 pts
7. Columbus Blue Jackets – 84 pts
8. Carolina Hurricanes – 74 pts

Atlantic Division:
The Atlantic Division’s playoff spots were filled completely by Original Six teams, with the Bruins hanging their first-ever Atlantic Division title banner from the rafters. The Leafs snatched up the Wild Card for their second postseason berth in as many years.

1. Boston Bruins – 104 pts
2. Detroit Red Wings – 102 pts
3. Montreal Canadiens – 91 pts
4. Toronto Maple Leafs – 89 pts – Wild Card
5. Ottawa Senators – 86 pts
6. Tampa Bay Lightning – 83 pts
7. Buffalo Sabres – 77 pts
8. Florida Panthers – 73 pts

 

Western Conference:
Stacked with talent and boasting the previous two Stanley Cup Championship teams in the mix, the Western Conference welcomed the Winnipeg Jets as it tried to keep the Cup in the West for a third-straight year.

1. Chicago Blackhawks – 108 pts
2. L.A. Kings – 100 pts
3. St. Louis Blues – 99 pts
4. Vancouver Canucks – 93 pts
5. San Jose Sharks – 90 pts
6. Minnesota Wild – 90 pts
7. Dallas Stars – 89 pts  – Wild Card
8. Edmonton Oilers – 89 pts – Wild Card
9. Anaheim Ducks – 85 pts
10. Phoenix Coyotes – 84 pts
11. Nashville Predators – 83 pts
12. Winnipeg Jets – 77 pts
13. Colorado Avalanche – 76 pts
14. Calgary Flames – 75 pts

Pacific Division:
In the Pacific Division, three playoffregulars cracked the NHL’s second season with the L.A. Kings laying claim to the new division’s inaugural title. The Edmonton Oilers finally made good on their wealth of prospects, picking up a Wild Cardberth.

1. L.A. Kings – 100 pts
2. Vancouver Canucks – 93 pts
3. San Jose Sharks – 90 pts
4. Edmonton Oilers – 89 pts – Wild Card
5. Anaheim Ducks – 85 pts 
6. Phoenix Coyotes – 84 pts
7. Calgary Flames – 75 pts

Central Division:
Capturing the President’s Trophy for a second consecutive year, the Blackhawks aimed to do the same with the Cup while the Stars also punched their ticket into the postseason with a Wild Card finish.

1. Chicago Blackhawks – 108 pts
2. St. Louis Blues – 99 pts
3. Minnesota Wild – 90 pts
4. Dallas Stars – 89 pts – Wild Card
5. Nashville Predators – 83 pts
6. Winnipeg Jets – 77 pts
7. Colorado Avalanche – 76 pts

Stanley Cup Finals: St. Louis Blues vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
With the regular season in the bag, the St. Louis Blues stepped up to battle their way into the Stanley Cup Finals. After facing off against some of the league’s most talented skaters on the Pens bench, it was the Blues who ultimately proved they had the deeper team game when push came to shove. Coming together to down the Penguins in Game 6 of the Finals, St. Louis hoisted its first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Stanley Cup Winners: St. Louis Blues

Awards:

• Stanley Cup: St. Louis Blues
• Presidents’ Trophy: Chicago Blackhawks (CHI)
• Conn Smythe Trophy: Alex Pietrangelo (STL)
• Hart Memorial Trophy: Sidney Crosby  (PIT)
• Art Ross Trophy: Sidney Crosby (PIT)
• James Norris Memorial Trophy: Duncan Keith (CHI)
• Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy: Steven Stamkos  (TBL)
• Vezina Trophy: Tuukka Rask (BOS)
• Frank J. Selke Trophy: Jonathan Toews (CHI)
• Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk (DET)
• Calder Memorial Trophy: Jonathan Drouin (TBL)
• Ted Lindsay: Sidney Crosby(PIT)
  

  Scoring Leaders
  	GP	Goals	Assists	Points	plus/minus	PIM
  Sidney Crosby	82	41	68	109	19	54
  Steven Stamkos	82	64	38	102	22	34
  Alex Ovechkin	79	53	48	101	30	40
  John Tavares	82	37	54	91	24	22
  Nicklas Backstrom	80	22	69	91	8	22
  Evgeni Malkin	77	27	61	88	20	15
  Martin St. Louis	69	23	63	86	17	8
  Jordan Eberle	82	25	61	86	-4	22
  Taylor Hall	78	36	45	81	-9	26
  Henrik Sedin	82	20	60	80	15	24
  Zach Parise	77	31	48	79	8	26
  Jason Spezza	80	23	56	79	-6	30
  Jonathan Toews	75	30	48	78	22	42
  Patrick Kane	82	25	52	77	3	20
  Logan Couture	82	24	53	77	3	32
  Daniel Sedin	79	34	42	76	19	45
  Ryan Getzlaf	81	26	49	75	0	66
  Jamie Benn	82	32	42	74	-3	78
  Joe Thornton	82	21	53	74	6	38
  Phil Kessel	76	41	33	74	-4	36

Goaltending Leaders
	Wins	GAA	Save%	SO
Tuukka Rask	41	2.21	92.9	7
Henrik Lundqvist	41	2.29	93.4	4
Jonathan Quick	40	2.49	92.5	5
Corey Crawford	39	2.45	92.7	4
Roberto Luongo	37	2.29	93	3