Why The Florida Panthers & St. Louis Blues Are Somewhat Alike
when it comes to a team that kind of reminds me of the St Louis Blues I think of the Florida Panthers and I’m going to tell you why coming up here un locked on Blues you’re locked on Blues your daily podcast on the St Louis Blues part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hello hello and welcome back to lockon Blues I am your host of lockon Blues Haley Taylor Simon talking to all things about our St Louis Blues here a part of the lockdown podcast Network your team every day today on lock down Blues I will be talking to you about how we’re most like the Florida Panthers when it comes to the two teams in the S Cup Final one being Edmonton and one being the Panthers I’m going to talk about what the blues should do in the later rounds of the draft 2.0 so different names that I didn’t mention previously that I want to mention to you today and this week does anything else need to be said about it we all know what this week is so let’s get into a busy episode of lockdown Blues today before I dive any deeper today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more right now new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet that’s $150 bucks with any winning $5 bet visit fanduel.com lockon to get started so right now we are watching the Stanley Cup finals um Lord Stanley himself once was with us almost five years ago and you have two teams you have the Emington Oilers and you have the Florida Panthers now the reason why I wanted to bring up the Florida Panthers is not necessarily because of this season but because of last season so for those that don’t remember the Panthers have been a relatively good team for a couple Seasons now um two seasons back they were honestly like one of the best teams in the NHL and they ended up choking and not really going anywhere in the playoffs uh we know all that too well and then last year obviously they made to the finals and they lost and this year they made it and last year they weren’t so as good as they were the previous year if that makes sense and this year obviously they were a good team they made to the finals but last year they were The Underdogs um I remember when they beat the Bruins um in the first round nobody thought the Panthers were going to beat Boston two things that us and Florida have in common beating the Bruins but nobody thought that they were going to do it and and when they did it was like this magical kind of Cinderella run that they had relatively speaking because they did a lose in the finals however it really reminded me of us right it reminded me of how nobody ever thought the St Louis Blues were going to get past the first round they weren’t going to get past the second round the third round not a chance and then the finals nobody thought we were going to make it but guess what we did when I think about re resilience I think about a team that is an underdog I’m a huge Underdog person and I think that’s why I resonated so much with how we won the cup we won it being underdogs and all of those years I mean you can look back at our history here in St Louis you know we were the president’s Trophy winner we made it to the finals in the first three seasons of joining the league like we were a very good and dominant team we only missed the playoffs when we were when we had 50 year anniversary we only miss playoffs like nine times like historically speaking the blues are a pretty good team compared to all the other NHL teams the problem is is that we couldn’t really get anywhere in the playoffs so when I think about a team that I’m watching that was labeled you know the underdog even in this round despite the fact that the fla Panthers have Home Advantage they’re still underdogs because everyone’s like Conor McDavid it’s always the big names right and that’s how it was for us too you know you had all the names on the Boston Bruins you had you know poso Marian Z you you had Ras you had all these big names that they would throw around and by they I mean the media the people everybody and this is the thing about St Louis and why out of the two teams I resonate most with the Panthers people people always underestimate the team that you know maybe doesn’t have as big as names maybe you know they’re not like the biggest market right um people tend to do that I get it people are used to teams with really big markets and I’m not saying that we don’t have a big Market but if you compare it to Boston they have a bigger Market I think um because they have the whole New England area but that’s the thing and we won and they didn’t and at the end of the day we have a pretty cool story to tell so when I look at the Florida Panthers I mean think about us when we were in the finals especially who was our star Jordan Bennington who was their star Sergey boski it’s the goalies and I said this from day one it’s always the goalies if you have a top five I’ll be generous if you have a top seven goalie in the NHL you pretty much have a good team and yes there’s cases where you do have a goalie that’s one of the most elite goalies in the league and you don’t make it to the playoffs like this year but usually if you have a good goalie you’re a pretty solid team and I’m not saying um Skinner isn’t a good goalie for the ension Oilers I’m just saying that bosi is unbelievable you also have a couple of our former players on the Panthers so that helps but most most importantly and I think about these two teams and why I resonate the most with this one it’s because of two things and nobody believed in them number one that was a huge thing and number two despite the fact that they have names on the team that maybe aren’t the biggest names in hockey they still show up and I know that we don’t have a guy that’s like a Matthew kach Chuck in a way and that’s probably one of the biggest names on their team um but you know I think about a guy like a Robert Thomas right and it’s hard to put into words sometimes and how to articulate this properly but a Robert Thomas is the type of player that is resilient and I get that sense that if you took a couple of the guys from the Panthers like maybe like a Sam Reinhardt as you can compare Thomas to you can see the comparison you can on the blues obviously nobody has a guy like Conor McDavid right um I mean on the Oilers comparing to the blues you don’t have you don’t have the big names but that is okay it is okay not to have big names and to be a good team but I think you know Paul Maurice obviously the coach um to those Panthers um he is a good coach right and he knows how to you know switch up the line when needed and that is something that’s really important and something that doesn’t get done a lot I think that at the end of the day though I love comparing teams to our team right and you know Bruce Cassie coached the Bruins um obviously when we beat them and Al with golden kns and they won a cup so okay good coaches find success and that is exactly why right now I have to trust I really do that Doug Armstrong made the right decision and I’m not saying that the blue should try to get like a guy like Paul Maurice or they should try to get a guy like a Bruce Cassidy that’s kind of ironic right Tory Krug and then you would have Bruce Cassie okay I’m joking but you have to trust that this decision for coaching too is also the right decision I think that at the end of the day um you know there’s going to be people that are going to like it don’t like it but I really do believe that Drew Bannister is a good coach I do do I think that he was the best possible candidate I think so I really do because if it wasn’t the best possible candidate and I’m going to be very blunt with you why would Doug hire him he knows the state the same L Blues are in he knows that this is a point in blu’s history that we don’t want to relive where we just won the cup and then they can’t make it to the playoffs or we made it to the playoffs and lost in the first round like the year after we won the cup you don’t want that so I think that it is smart honestly speaking that right now the focus is progression the focus is the draft the focus is free agency you got to shift that Focus away from the wh ifs of the past because it’s not going to change anything it’s not going to change the fact that we didn’t make the playoffs it’s not going to change the fact that we had an horrible off season last year that none of that’s going to change the fact but what the Panthers did and this is interesting and I know the cap space went up by the way um they were able to add on really good talent and kind of Wiggle around that cap space room so the blues need to get creative and be as aggressive that is the term aggressive aggressive all you need to do is just be a little bit more aggressive and good things will hopefully happen want tell about my friends over eBay Motors passenger I and patience the formula for winning championships is also what keeps your Rider die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you’re into speed power or style eBay Motors has you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you’ll always find exactly what you’re looking for and with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay Motors you’re burning rubber not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it’s easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins keeper ride or die alive at eBay motors eligible items only exclusions apply eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers St Louis it is almost draft time and here’s the thing you know when it comes to the draft I get super super super excited because there are so many potential possibilities right we all know oh hail the blues only have you know on first round I I get it I get it but at the end of the day um it is what it is and I want to tell you about some guys the blues could get in the second round and third round and so on because I also believe while the first R is important it’s also important that maybe a second round draft pick pans out and it is possible okay we have a guy on the team by the way that you know Tyler Tucker he got dra in the seventh round so literally anything is possible so this is lius Erikson strong name Erikson um so Erikson is a lefthanded center okay he is the captain of Sweden’s u8 team and is an offensive Catalyst okay so he’s creative in the center and he makes his lines look really good great anticipation as well and really good on the check um stick handling skills are good as well and he’s good by the way defensively not as strong defensively but he’s good with the backhanded a lot with the little backhand scoops and the thing about him too is he is Great Value because of his two-way play and personally this is a guy uh that I think the blues should go after now you might be saying Haley you know they have centers right and I get that but at the same time like you’re not going to have the same guys you have on the team right now forever and I mean obviously whenever you have a guy that’s a captain right of his team it just goes to show that this is a player you know he finished with a bronze medal um he’s good right and I think that’s makes it important too um he can be a little bit up and down in terms of his play he can stay behind the Blue Line a little bit longer than but at the end of the day that’s just who he is he’s a two-way player and I think that’s what the value is um and another thing too by the way is that he’s good with supporting his linemates and digging out the puck and that should remind you of my boy Robert Thomas because that’s what RT does with his lines he really does make sure that his Lin mates are supported so I think with lonus um the fact that this is something that Scouts have noticed you know it goes to show that there is a lot of positives right you know hi hockey I Q skating ability strong playmaking abilities okay now things that he can improve on is the consistency and that’s been one thing that a lot of these you know um reporters have noticed right and I even watching some of the tapes he and again is very young still has time to develop but there is sometimes a very you know big shift in inconsistency not big as in drastic but just noticeable enough and the inconsistency it just comes from honestly experience I think that the more experience you have and more you know intense kind of games um you’re going to improve on that but it is you know it is improvable um and here’s the thing too when it comes to you know hockey these days you really do need the two-way players and I know that sounds silly but it does make a huge difference if you have a you know a guy that’s a center that’s great defensively I mean we always talk about you know two-way defenseman how about a two-way Center I mean that’s really valuable so I like lus a lot and he is a name that I want you St Louis to consider for um potentially our one of our second round draph piics we do have two um which is fine now there is another guy that I like a lot too Teddy St Stiga um and here’s the thing right he’s a left wing I think honestly you know there is potential in him and here’s the problem right he’s a little bit smaller but you know that is okay and I say it like in a sense of you know at the end of the day you know some of these players are not going to be as big as we think he’s 510 right um I’m saying it like he is one of the smallest people he’s not he’s only 510 so in skates he’s still about that six foot which isn’t you know bad but again Boston College um which obviously makes a lot of good hockey players right and I also think that with Teddy uh he would fit in really well maybe in the third line I’m always looking too for where players could fit in and in this past season he had 61 games that he um appeared in 36 goals 43 assists 79 points points overall so I like that a lot and here’s the thing too um I look at him right he shoots left which is huge and you know right now you have Massachusetts kid that is playing pretty good hockey so you should definitely consider uh teddy as well all right now I’m gonna talk to you about something that’s been heavy on my mind right after I tell you about FanDuel it’s winner take all time in the NBA and NHL and fanduel’s giving you a shot to bring home a big win of your own right now new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet that’s 150 bucks to bet on spreads money lines player props and more visit fel.com slocked on and make every playoff shot count fandel America’s number one sports book and listen this is what you need to do you need a bet money line money line on the Florida Panthers to win the Stanley Cup I said it once and I will say it again this was my third well no my fourth time I made a prediction on who will win the cup and I was wrong I said it was me the Dallas Stars and I was wrong but I’m telling you right now that I am so consistent I really am and I think that this is going to happen so let’s be positive you never know and I think at the end of the day um it’s gonna happen so do that okay hi St Louis hi um so it’s the 10th which means we all know what’s happening in two days and this week uh wow it is definitely an emotional week and uh it’s kind of kind of get a little crazy so yesterday would have been game six by the way June 9th where the Bruins beat us at home 51 and I just want you to take a moment close your eyes and just I want you to take a moment with me we came back being up in the series 32 we thought we were going to win at home we did we had a great win in Boston a dominant win in Boston and all the momentum was with us St Louis we went home we saw all the fans at Enterprise wearing the blue not and The Vibes were good heading into the game um you know we really did think that we were going to win and we were excited and and we couldn’t wait and we lost remember that feeling remember how it felt take every single moment that you felt and let yourself remember the anticipation the first period you would BR marshand the power play goal against us but there was still hope because the second period was scoreless you went into the final frame ready to fight back but then the Bruins scored an early goal and nail it’s two nothing they score again three nothing then Ryan O’Reilly halfway through the third period is able to get a goal it’s 3-1 hope is alive well not for long because the Bruins scored well one more even strength and then an empty net so the Hope was dead The Hope was gone but then something magical happened St Louis 5 years ago today June 10th 2019 how did you feel did you feel like hey we can do this did you feel I don’t know it’s gonna go back to Boston and I don’t feel good about this I’ll tell you how I felt on June uh 10th 2019 can we just play hockey because I think I’m going to literally pass out from being so anxious I was so anxious and nervous and I I just tasted it right tasted winning the stany cup I tasted how close we were St Louis I want you to remember that feeling because for such a long time in our history at the time was five decades we were always the team that was so close and we could never finish the job and that’s what made me nervous I said Hil it’s history repeating itself again are we really going to do this again because I knew in the back of my head if we don’t win the cup now who knows when we’re going to win it again and I know you’re thinking isn’t that every team not really if you have a really strong team where you know your players you know won’t be free agents it it may not feel as bad but I knew what was going to happen to our team and I think about that moment a lot because this week it’s a week of Celebration it’s a week of Joy but it’s also a week of remembering all of it right and that’s what made our win so special it really was it was the unknown it was The Angst and I cannot wait for we went Blues day I can’t wait because I just wanted relive that game and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do is relive that magical moment last year when I joined oh by the way this is my one year of me joining this podcast officially so woohoo um so that’s exciting but I literally can’t express into words how much I love this team how much I love talking to you about this team St Louis and how special this is that we will celebrate the fifth anniversary of we went blu’s day together enjoy the week reminisce and just remember that we will forever be Stanley Cup champions and on that note let’s go Blues
Haley talks about how the Florida Panthers being underdogs makes her think of the Blues during the playoffs…now, despite the Panthers have home advantage for majority of the series’ they still were ALWAYS the underdog.. the Blues were the underdog during their 2019 cup run… it makes you think! Haley talks about some more names the Blues could draft in the 2nd round. Finally, we all know what this week is for us… feel it ALL.
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