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!