Just Wait Till Next Year

Well, it is that time of the year again. With the end of thanksgiving, we are now officially in the holiday season.

With the start of the holiday season, brings with it, the sight of a new year. With that, brings the promises we make to ourselves about the year to come.

For some, it’s about a lifestyle change such as a diet or new workout plan. For others, it’s a fresh start and a hope that following year will provide different results.

I tend to be in the fresh start group.

No. No. It is not anything serious like school or family.

But instead, it is the lies that I will be telling myself about the Blues.

With the new year on the horizon, I will need to find a new form of optimism about my loveable losers.

What do I mean you might ask?

Well, as sports fan, we tend to look forward to what is down the road. Whether it be a prospect or a possible free agent signing, we like to know what the future will look like.

Now, as hard as I am on Blues, I at least try to be optimistic.

but it is easier said than done.

See, when you are a fan of a team like the Los Angeles Lakers, you have a lot to be optimistic about. You have Lebron James, lots of cap space and a realistic ability to sign a highly talented player.

But when you cheer for the Blues, who are located in the city people never mention, it’s hard to be optimistic.

It is hard to be optimistic about a team that has offered me nothing but disappointments and shortcomings in the time I have rooted for team.

Despite all of that, I manage to find ways to be optimistic about the loveable of losers of the NHL.

I find new ways to tell myself that the year to come will be different.

Why you might ask?

Well see, this all started back in 2011.

I was in 8th grade and I was coming off the high of a World Series championship from my beloved Cardinals.

I figured, hell, why not give hockey a shot?

I mean, I was living in Minnesota where kids learn how to skate before learning to walk. It seemed like an interesting sport, and I knew a little about the game.

I was told from peers that the Blues were looking pretty promising this year. With that in mind, it gave me the perfect opportunity to start following professional hockey.

As the season progressed, things were going great. They were winning and amongst one of the best teams in the NHL. As the team was led by David Backes, I was enjoying following the team and was looking forward to the playoffs.

Upon entering the playoffs, the Blues finished the season 49-22-11, winning the central and were among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

In the Conference quarterfinals, the Blues would handle the San Jose Sharks with no issues winning the series in just five games.

At the time, I felt like I had stumbled into something great. I mean. why wouldn’t I have been optimistic? The cardinals had just won the World Series and it felt like the team was really riding the high of the city.

As we headed into the next round, we were up against a fairly good Los Angeles Kings team. I liked our chances and wasn’t expecting us to get swept or anything.

Well, we did up getting swept. The Kings went on to win the Stanley Cup and I was left there trying to wonder what was next.

I mean sure I was bummed, but it was fun season. I figured that the Blues could really benefit from this.

I told myself, we will take this playoff experience and make good of it. Next year, things will be different.

As one would expect, the following year did come, and the Blues indeed were competitive. They made the playoffs and, in the playoffs, got the rematch that I was hoping for.

In the Conference Quarterfinals, the Blues took a convincing 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Kings. I felt like we were on top of the world and this was it. This was the year we bring a Stanley Cup back to St. Louis.

However, I was wrong, and it wasn’t the year. Despite everything that happened in the first two games, the Blues would go on to lose 4 straight and lose the series 4-2.

Despite choking away a 2-0 lead, I mean they still made the Conference quarterfinals. The Kings were a dynasty at the time and my gut was telling me that these things don’t last forever.

I told myself that it wasn’t that the Blues were bad, it was that the Kings were so good.

I mean, Next year, they will probably fall off and then, things will be different.

As I progressed through High School, I began to become less optimistic and started to expect the heartbreak to occur.

But, that did not stop me from getting sucked in emotionally every year.

Of course, there were years that it was worse than others. Like in 2014 when we were the best team in the West and lost in the first round to the Minnesota Wild. Yea, that wasn’t great and was made much worse considering all my friends are Wild fans.

But we did in 2016 make the Conference Finals. We beat the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round and that certainly was fun.

I mean granted we did not win the cup, but we got close and were young right? Next year, next year, things will be even better.

Sigh..

Circling back around to the present, the Blues are one of the worst teams in the NHL. They just fired Mike Yeo, and by all accounts have nothing going for them.

Well, I mean they do have Vladimir Tarasenko and if we could just get a good coach.

Yea, that’s right.

Just wait till next year, the Blues will be different I promise..