If your looking at tonight's Stanley Cup opener featuring Boston and St. Louis, there's not much to like with either team. With the Bruins, it's pretty simple--they're a hated rival even if they don't believe there's a rivalry. They have villains in Brad Marchand and an aged Zdeno Chara and although one might find something to like about Boston, like Aerosmith and the fact that Jack Eichel is from there, when it comes to hockey, Jim Schoenfeld would smack a Sabres fan around for even thinking about rooting for the Bruins.
On the other side we have the St. Louis Blues who came into the league in 1967 and appeared in three consecutive Cup Finals their first three seasons in the league. We're they that good? Well yes and no. They were good enough to win the West which featured all six 1967 expansion teams. However, the East had the Original Six and the Blues were swept all three times they made it to the Finals (twice by Montreal, once by the Bruins.)
Their appearance in the Finals now leaves the Toronto Maple Leafs with the longest Finals drought, which is good, right? At the moment the Blues are still tied with the Leafs for second longest Stanley Cup drought as well at 51 years, only two behind the NY Rangers record 53 years between Cups.
Yet when it comes to drought's the Sabres tied with their fellow 1970 expansion Vancouver Canucks for third-longest Cup drought. Fans are getting edgy, and are set to root against the Blues because they would get a Cup before the Sabres and, well, they don't like that idea. Seems as if it adds to the doldrums of being a city without a championship banner in the four major North American sports.
It's a notion that's understood here, but is something that I don't subscribe to.
As for O'Reillly, what could be worse than watching the a player destined to become "Captain Canada II" skate around with the holy grail hoisted high above his head.
The O'Reilly trade was an egg in the face for the franchise, at least right now, but that's water under the bridge. Although it's something Sabres fans will debate ad infinitum, it's not something really worth debating. He didn't want to be in Buffalo, and there are rumblings that ownership might not have wanted him here. O'Reilly landed in the perfect spot. He doesn't wear a letter and isn't responsible for top-line duties anymore. They've got a coach the coaches a defensive system that features a little more brawn than speed (although the Blues look very fast out there,) and O'Reilly can excel in a situation like that, especially when their goaltending has been exceptional.
No need to further harp on that point.
The biggest reason for this blogger to root against the Blue is their use of the song Gloria by Laura Branigan. Early on when I was seeing Gloria mentioned in association with the Blues, I thought it was the G.L.O.R.I.A. by Them, which would be outstanding. I remember Branigan's Gloria at the time it came out and brushed it off as just another cotton-candy piece of fluff but as time went on I'd heard it so many times on the radio that it became hated. And it's still where I stand.
As the story goes, the Blues' Robert Bortuzzo and a couple of teammates heard the song during a commercial break for an NFL game. Bortuzzo had heard it before and he looked at Alexander Steen and said, "This is our jam," and decided they'd play it after every win.
The rest is history.
Hey even though it's kind of obnoxious to me, it works for them and it's no reason to dislike the Blues overall. I may never look at the bluenote the same again, but it got them this far so who am I to judge.
That said, my pick is the Bruins in 6.
^^^^^^^^^^
Speaking of songs, let me clear my throat here for a second, Buffalo's goal song needs to go.
Yeah, I get it, using Let Me Clear My Throat by DJ Kool never effected the game in any way, shape or form, it's contemporary, and it was supposedly the fans choice, but I'd rather hear Gloria than that.
Buffalo, plain and simple, is a Classic Rock town. Always has been, always will be. It's a blue collar town that's anything but cutting edge and about the only thing that ties the song and the city together might be the use of 'K' in the word cool. It's awkward watching the fans at KeyBank Center try and get their mojo on to raise the roof after a goal. In fact most look anything but "kool."
I understand the desire to be hip, but this ain't Philadelphia and when they look for another song, which should be yesterday, perhaps they should take the essence of Buffalo to heart and tap into some classic rock. We know not everybody is gonna nail it like Chicago did with Chelsea Dagger where Fratelli's capture that old-school feel and make it new again, but if you can't find that, perhaps an old-school celebratory song would do.
In that, may I present (ain't nothin' but a) House Party, by the J. Geils Band as the Sabres new goal song.
You can @ me all you want for being "old" but whatever. Nothing can bring on a party like scoring and after all, isn't that what it's all about?
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