2008 St. Louis Blues

Even as we say “Congratulations” to the Vancouver Canucks, who beat the Blues 4 games to 0 to advance to the Conference Semifinals in the 2009 NHL Playoffs, we want to say a big “Thank you” to the St. Louis Blues for the terrific season they had!

To the untrained eye, it may seem like the St. Louis Blues’ last place finish in the Central Division for the 2007-08 season means their chances for success in the 2008-09 season are slim, but that’s just not the case. Rookies Erik Johnson and David Perron are just hitting their strides, and other youngsters like T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, Alex Pietrangelo and Jonas Junland are showing a lot of promise. Of course, you can’t have a winning team without a solid pack of veterans on the roster, and the Blues’ have them in spades with Brad Boyes, Paul Kariya, Keith Tkachuk, and Andy McDonald as well as captain Eric Brewer and All-Star Manny Legace. So let the naysayers claim that the 2008-09 season will be one of rebuilding for the Blues and get your tickets to Scottrade Center to watch the team prove them wrong!

The St. Louis Blues -- playing in downtown St. Louis, Missouri's Scottrade Center (formerly called the Savvis Center) -- are one of the most successful teams in the sporting world, having set a professional sports record by reaching the playoffs for the 24th consecutive year in 2002-2003. Organized in 1966, the Blues were an immediate success that season. Led by Hall of Fame coaching legend Scotty Bowman, the Blues reached the Stanley Cup Finals three consecutive times in their first three years. Nevertheless, the Blues are still shooting for their first NHL Championship.

Thanks to their successful run over the last quarter of a century the Blues have built some classic rivalries with the greatest teams in hockey. The Scottrade Center rocks, especially when rivals such as the Detroit Red Wings or Chicago Blackhawks come to town.

St. Louis is one of the country's foremost sports cities, playing home to the St. Louis Cardinals (Busch Stadium), always one of the teams to beat when baseball season starts in March; the NFL's Rams (Edward Jones Dome) are already neck-deep in their trek to the Super Bowl when the first puck is dropped for the Blues in October; St. Louis also has a devoted NCAA basketball following thanks to the St. Louis Billikens (who also play at the Scottrade Center) and the annual Missouri-Illinois basketball game. Coast To Coast has great tickets for all these sporting events as well as for exciting live concerts and theater!