Blues Earning Respect Nationwide

Fans of the St. Louis Blues know of the team’s success. They know just how good this team has been since Ken Hitchcock took over and they know that for the first time in quite a while the Blues prepare to enter the playoffs as a favorite. The word has gotten out around the country – the Blues are a team to reckon with.

Earlier this season I wrote an article about how the Blues weren’t receiving the attention and respect they deserve at the local and national level. Slowly but surely that is all changing.

At the local level the Blues are getting deserved coverage from Bernie Miklasz, the main sports voice at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A recent article from Miklasz gave credit to the Blues for what they have accomplished this season and warned about the road that remains ahead. Still, his article illustrates what a majority of fans feel – pride. The Blues have accomplished a lot this season all without taking home any hardware. They have turned into an elite squad in the NHL all the while maintaining one of the lowest payrolls in the league.

Nationally the coverage of the Blues has picked up by a tremendous margin. The Los Angeles Times ran a great article on the Blues being the first team to lock up a spot in the playoffs. It’s extremely interesting seeing what writers in other states that cover other teams think of the Blues. For the most part it has all been extremely positive.

The Blues also have seen some love in the NHL’s newest ad campaign, “Because it’s the Cup“. This campaign replaces the old “History will be made” series and is targeting the more casual fans.  Part of this campaign involves a series of banner ads like the one seen above. While there are several variations of the ad, it’s nice to see David Backes and his unrelenting stare being used in a national campaign by the league.

If the Blues keep things up we are bound to see local and national coverage continue to intensify.