As the Blues and their fans take a break on this NHL All-Star weekend, it's a good time to pause and reflect on how far the franchise has come.
Remember the depressing season that followed the NHL lockout? It was 2005-2006, and the Blues fell through the ice, finishing at the cold bottom of the NHL with 57 points. Attendance plummeted.
The new regime of chairman Dave Checketts and team President John Davidson must have wondered what they'd gotten into but never complained. Management set a plan and stayed the course.
Checketts and Davidson didn't mislead anyone. They were straight with the customers: the franchise was in disrepair and required a massive rebuild. They would draft and develop young players, and that would be the lifeblood.
This resuscitation would take time and would require immense patience. This was not a project for the weak, the fickle, the frontrunners.
"It's been hard," Davidson said. "It's been tough. It's been a lengthy process. We stuck with it. The great thing is, looking back, the fans believed in us and stayed with us during those trying times."
Before we continue, let's get something straight: the Blues have won nothing yet. They aren't taking bows. Just because they've played outstanding hockey for the unofficial first half of the season, it's no reason to organize a parade at the corner of 14th and Clark.
"We're cognizant that there's a long way to go here," Davidson said. "We're not getting ahead of ourselves."
Still, when the Blues resume play on Friday at Scottrade Center against the Los Angeles Kings, it's fair to say the franchise will be in its strongest position in years.
The arena is jumping. The youth movement is paying off. GM Doug Armstrong has supplemented the young core with astute acquisitions. It's been difficult for opponents to crack the Blues' goaltenders or to win in St. Louis.
The team's components began clicking when Armstrong and Davidson made a bold move early in the season, replacing young coach Davis Payne with a hockey grandmaster, Ken Hitchcock, in early November.
One month into 2012, the Blues are hanging with the NHL elite. An overall record of 29-13-7 gives the Blues the fourth-best winning percentage (.663) in the NHL. Since big daddy Hitchcock took command on Nov. 8, the Blues rank No. 2 to Boston in the NHL in overall winning percentage (.736), and only Detroit has posted a superior record on home ice.
Off the ice, local businessman Tom Stillman and his old-money St. Louis investors are working to finalize their purchase of the team. Checketts played a valuable role in the franchise reawakening by lifting the Blues from their dormant state. But operating capital has been lean, and a successful transfer to Stillman would likely lead to increased stability.
These are exciting times for an underdog Blues franchise that has missed making the playoffs five times in the past six seasons, a franchise that hasn't won a postseason series since defeating Chicago in the first round in 2002.
In the six-season stretch that began in 2005-2006 and ended in 2010-2011, the Blues ranked 28th among the league's 30 teams in wins, and 27th in winning percentage (.494.) In that context, it's satisfying to see the Blues sitting near the top of the NHL leaderboard. The fans' faith is being rewarded.
The challenge, of course, will be to make the momentum last. The Blues must convert this opportunity into something tangible and meaningful. They can't be a tease. They can't let down. They can't collapse and fail to make the playoffs. And if the Blues finish this off and capture a playoff spot, an early elimination would disappoint.
Take nothing for granted; the rugged terrain of the Western Conference is unforgiving. And the second-half schedule will present the most difficult challenge of the season.
The Blues have benefited from a schedule front-loaded with home games. In the Western Conference, only Chicago and Los Angeles (29 each) have played more home games than the Blues (28.)
In the remaining weeks, the schedule could be a factor as the Blues attempt to keep pace with Detroit, Vancouver, San Jose, Chicago and stay ahead of teams such as Nashville, Los Angeles and Minnesota.
Among the top nine teams in the Western Conference, only Chicago will face as many road games (20) as St. Louis. The Blues have 13 home games the rest of the way; by contrast Detroit and Vancouver each have 18. And Minnesota will play 19 at home.
"And that's OK," Davidson said. "We like that. Going on the road builds character."
Armstrong has said the key will be the Blues' ability to take their home form onto the road and get results. The goaltending has held up, home and away. Limiting opponents' shots has been a positive, home and away.
Scoring goals is the issue. The Blues are hardly an offensive force at home, but rank a poor 27th in the NHL in goals per game (2.0) on the road, and they are last in the league in road shooting percentage. Their inconsistent power play ranks 29th on the road with a success rate of 9.6 percent.
There is in-house potential to do better. Chris Stewart, Patrik Berglund and David Perron have the skill to deliver more goals. The return of injured top-six forwards Andy McDonald and Alex Steen should spark the attack.
The Blues generate plenty of scoring chances; under Hitchcock they rank seventh in the NHL in shots on goal. But they have too many misfires. The Blues are like a baseball team that strands too many runners in scoring position, or an NFL team that puts together impressive drives, only to stall 10 yards from the end zone.
The aggressive Armstrong is always on the prowl for help. Publicly he's underplaying the possibility of making a trade to boost the Blues' scoring.
We should remember that Armstrong does his best work in the stealth mode. His three most substantial moves — trading for goaltender Jaroslav Halak, dealing defenseman Erik Johnson to Colorado for Stewart and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and bringing Hitchcock out of retirement — came suddenly, and without notice.
Will Armstrong come through with another surprise? The Blues have come a long way, but may need a push. The Blues have emerged as contenders. Now they must become finishers.
