The Stanley Cup.

First awarded in 1893, it’s widely known as the hardest trophy to win in sports. That trophy has eluded the St. Louis Blues for 52 years. But on June 12, the Blues beat the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history. 

The Blues faced a lot of adversity throughout the 2018-2019 National Hockey League (NHL) season. They went from dead last in the NHL to hoisting the Stanley Cup, the top of the hockey world. They faced the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, the Dallas Stars in the second round and the controversial “hand pass” call in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals against the San Jose Sharks. Then, they faced a star-studded Boston Bruins team to win the Stanley Cup.

When the Blues won the Cup, social media and St. Louis went crazy. 

Sophomore Tom Richards is a huge Blues fan, and his love for the team has been prominent for quite some time.  

“[I reacted] by singing ‘We are the Champions’ with my friends over the phone and video recording the trophy presentation,” Richards said. 

When asked about his predictions for next season, Richards said that he firmly believes the Blues can hoist another Stanley Cup this year.

“We can 100% win the Stanley Cup again. Craig Berube will use the same lineup as last year, and they said last year we couldn’t win the Stanley Cup, and we won, so we can do anything,” Richards said.

Math teacher Jessica Foley had the opportunity to watch Game Seven at a watch party for the game that was held at Busch Stadium.

“When we won, I was overcome with excitement and a sense of pride for our city. I cried. There were fireworks, lots of hugs and high fives with strangers and, of course, a couple of rounds of ‘Gloria’ blared over the speakers,” Foley said.

After a loss in Philadelphia, a few Blues players went to a bar in Philadelphia, and they heard “Gloria” played over the speakers at the bar. The Blues started playing the song at their home games, and it was quickly adopted by the team and the fans as the team’s song. Soon after this adoption, the Blues went on an eleven game winning streak, and rookie goalie Jordan Binnington made his debut for the Blues. In his first game, on Jan. 7, Binnington achieved a 25-save shutout, sparking the Blues’ turnaround.

Spanish teacher Sarah Masterson is also a huge Blues fan. The Blues are her favorite sports team.

“As a longtime Blues fan, I had grown tired of my friends from Chicago asking me how people from St. Louis can drink ‘without any cups’. When the Blues won the Stanley Cup this year, I was thankful that that joke could never be used against me again,” Masterson says, “It would have been incredible to witness the Blues take the Cup in [Game] Six while surrounded by 50,000 other fans on Market Street, but watching them win game seven from home was just as sweet, it was a night I will never forget.”

Masterson has her doubts on whether the Blues will be able to win the cup again, but she remains hopeful for success in the Central Division.

“It’s unlikey [that the Blues will repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.] The older guys on the team will begin to phase out, and the younger guys will start aquire more and more playing time. They have a good shot at winning the Central Division. ,” Masterson said.

During the Blues’ playoff run, a lot of students had some form of Blues merchandise with them. Some had Blues jerseys and Blues shirts, some had Blues phone cases and some had the Blues logo on their backpacks or a number of their possessions. Support for the Blues from the students of Lafayette was also huge on social media, especially Instagram. When the Blues won the Cup, students put pictures of the Blues on their stories, which were accompanied by a recording of “Gloria.”

On Oct. 2, the St. Louis Blues will open their season here in St. Louis against the Washington Capitals at 8 p.m. The game can be seen on the National Broadcasting Company Sports Network.

Sophomore Gracie Maurer shared her predictions on the upcoming season.

“Yes I do [feel the Blues can repeat as Stanley Cup Champions]. [Jaden] Schwartz is going to help the team, but the team is really the same, even though the Blues traded Joel Edmundson to the Carolina Hurricanes, and Patrick Maroon signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning,” Maurer said.

Freshman Aiden Italiano predicts Justin Faulk, the Blues’ new defender, will influence the team’s performance.

“We have a chance at winning the Stanley Cup again,” Italiano said, “Justin Faulk can really help the defense.”