This really isn't happening again, is it?

Fresh off the heels of the Rams Super Bowl victory, Gateway City sports fans have now focused their attention to their NHL entry, the St. Louis Blues. It has been a glorious season so far for our hockey heroes. At this writing the team has an overall record of 42-16-6, good for 90 points: the most in the league.

In addition, the Blues have recently tied an NHL record for the most consecutive road wins with ten. The team currently has allowed their opponents the fewest number of goals this season. The Blues also can boast of having eleven players with a double digit to the good record in the plus/minus department. Of those eleven players, six have ratings of plus 20 or better, with Captain Chris Pronger leading with way with a plus 42 rating.

Not only that, after sixty-four games, Pavol Dimitra leads the Blues in goals scored with a relative small number in 26 and 66 total points.

Plus the Blues have continued their winning ways throughout the season with Al Mac Innis, Chris Pronger, Pierre Turgeon and others in and out of the lineup.

It is a good time to be a Blues fan and a Gateway City sports fan. More and more bandwagon fans and media types are hitching on the ride at 14th and Clark. The words Blues and Stanley Cup are starting to be put together in the same sentence.

It really could not be happening again, could it?

The 1999-2000 Blues are a blue-collar, hard working hockey team. There really is not a "centerpiece" or "focal point" with this bunch. In the past, the Brett Hull's, Brendan Shanahan's and Curtis Joseph's of the world were willing and anxious to become the spokespersons and darlings of the fans and media alike. This current group does not have such a "spokesperson". Mac Innis, Pronger, Turgeon, Dimitra, and Roman Turek are all nice interviews, but none possess that dynamic personality that the television producers love. These guys simply work hard and would prefer to leave through the back door.

This is a very good thing.

There are no major egos on this team that need to be massaged. The chemistry of the Blues is very good. Turek is solid in goal, after a slow start. The plus/minus numbers as well as the scoring spread indicate that the Blues are balanced. These guys have yet to relinquish a third period lead this season.

As the Blues successes continue, the players should be applauded. In the first four months of the season, the hockey team was neglected as the local fans and media rode the Rams' love train. Yet, the Blues not only focused on hockey during the fall months, but they also supported and publicly encouraged the local NFL team.

There is plenty of praise to bestow on the performance of the Blues in the first three quarters of this season. Certainly there are many to congratulate. Yet, there is no doubt who is the team's most valuable player this season.

He is the fellow wearing the coat and tie behind the bench.

Coach Joel Quenneville is absolutely, positively the Blues MVP this season. In this space, I have referred to Coach Q as the best of our town's professional coaches. It was not until I put the numbers together to see just how good and valuable this guy really is.

In his three plus year tenure, Quenneville currently has an overall regular season record of 142-92-34. Pushing the numbers in a calculator reveals that these totals translate into a .607 winning percentage.

More importantly, Quenneville has instilled confidence in his players. Hockey the Coach Q way produces many victories. It may not be thrilling, but it is very effective.

Quenneville's style is low-key but firm. The Blues know what is expected of them. There is only one chief on this team and everyone knows it and understands it.

The callers on squawk radio have begun their annual March ritual of screaming that the Blues need to make a deal for either another defenseman or another scorer. This is the time of the year when Larry Pleau has a big red bulls-eye on his back.

Although Pleau will explore options to fine tune this team down the stretch, I am convinced the Coach Q will have the final say on whether a trade is made or not. After all he is one that will involve any newcomer into the Blues system. Quenneville has recommended against trades and free agent signings in the past because they would not be a good fit in the system. So far, this method has worked very well.

It is also good to know though, that if Coach Q and Pleau find that certain but expensive player, approval is only a phone call away to Columbia, Missouri. This certainly is easier than trying to get approval by way of a quorum at the local country club under the previous management group.

The Blues have the makings of an organIzation that is solid on and off the ice. But, time and again sports have shown us that the plot is not over until the final curtain is dropped. When you are talking about the National Hockey League, this is a long performance.

At this writing, the Blues have seventeen games remaining in the regular season. Eight of the opponents currently have winning records. It would be foolish to get excited right now because the National Hockey League's second marathon will require playoff wins. The team which will capture the Stanley Cup will end up playing at least 110 hockey games. So, there is still a long, long way to go.

But every NHL team would want to be in the St. Louis Blues position. And, as we learned from football, home field or ice advantage does play a major factor in the second season.

Detroit was the last city to own the NFL and NHL Champions in the same year. That occurred during the Eisenhower administration in 1952,

Whether or not the Blues will allow the Gateway City to turn this trick remains to be seen. But to the most loyal and faithful fans in this town, the hockey fans, sit back and enjoy this ride. As your football colleagues will tell you, it may be a long time before this could happen again.

This really isn't happening again, is it?