The St. Louis Blues have qualified for the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Playoff marathon for twenty one straight seasons. For Gateway City sports fans, the Blues advancing to NHL post season play has become a true ritual of spring.

Yet, in nineteen of twenty of those previous post season tournaments, our local ice heroes were sent to the golf course after either the first or second round.

These events have grown to become another ritual of spring around the Gateway City.

But, this is a new season and a new millennium. There is major optimism in this region as the team awaits its second season. Even the most cynical hockey observer must admit that the St. Louis Blues have a legitimate opportunity to capture the NHL's top prize.

The Blues will enter the playoffs with the best overall record in the National Hockey League. Throughout the regular season, the Note has allowed a microscopic average of less than two goals per game. St. Louis has been as successful away from the Kiel Center than at home. One could make a very strong argument that Blues have the league's top goaltender, most valuable player and league's top coach.

These are all very good things. These are all very well deserved kudos. This season was a testimonial to Joel Qunneville, Larry Pleau, and Mark Sauer who resurrected the team in December 1996 from the Mike Keenan/Jack Quinn administration.

The bad news is that, as the NHL playoffs approach, the regular season really doesn't mean a hill of beans. In other words, it means zero, nada, zip, ought, the null set, etc. Perhaps one of my WGNU callers said it best: "Wake me up in the Third Round".

The structure of the National Hockey League Annual Stanley Cup marathon is simple. Teams play eighty-two games to whittle the tournament field to sixteen teams. Give the best eight teams a carrot of one more home game per playoff round

Yes, whether you have a strong season or a mediocre one, EVEN YOU can make the National Hockey League playoffs. You can find a pot of gold for your franchise. You can play teams many points ahead of you in the standings, and start 0-0 in the playoffs.

The first team to capture sixteen victories wins.

Beauty or fallacy, this is the National Hockey League. This is the same league that issued the edict that some games will have two referees and some games will only have one. This is the same league that starts most of its penalties with the word obstruction.

Hence this is the structure the Blues and their rivals need to contend. St. Louis will take on the San Jose Sharks in round one. Silicon Valley's hockey team finished the regular season two games under .500 and unable to defeat the Note during the regular season.

The Blues are rightful heavy favorites to win round one. Yet, there is worry of a shark bite. You still have to play the games on the ice. Joel Quenneville needs to re-establish the focus of his players. Hopefully, the final two losses to Chicago sent a wake-up call to the team. Boys, you still have to play the games and still have to outscore the other guys!

Hence our local ice heroes enter the playoffs as one of the favorites. We are charting unfamiliar waters here. Still they enter the post season with more than one question mark.

Roman Turek will be the main man in the Blues nets throughout these playoffs. During the regular season, Turek has been a fortress for the team; playing in 67 of the team's 82 games while posting a 1.95 goals against average and a .91.2% Save Percentage.

Yet, #1 is still unproven in the playoffs. Last spring he was Ed Belfour's back up. Turek will soon find out that the games in mid-April, May, and hopefully June are much different than those in the regular season. Turek will be touted as this season's Chris Osgood or Belfour: Starting Goaltenders who have yet brought home the Stanley Cup.

In all likelihood Pavol Demitra will miss at least round one of the playoffs due to headaches resulting from concussions. This could be a huge blow to the Blues as #38 was the team's top scorer with 75 Points and a plus 34 rating.

Yet, the Blues can not afford to worry about what if. The team needs to develop the mindset that Demitra will NOT be available for ANY playoff games. Should #38 become cleared to participate in later rounds, his return would then be a bonus for the team.

Assuming the Blues can eliminate San Jose in round one, there is a strong possibility that they will match up with their old friends the Detroit Red Wings. You remember the Boys from Motown: they eliminated our local ice heroes in three of the past four seasons.

A long-time, well-respected, St. Louis media person told me two very astute observations this weekend. First, the road to the Stanley Cup runs through Detroit. Secondly, he will not consider the Blues a serious Stanley Cup threat until the Blues send the Wings to their summer vacation.

Scotty Bowman's troops are older and slower than the Home Team. Yet, the Wings are playoff tested and playoff smart. No one handles the mental aspect of the playoffs better than Bowman does. It would only be right that if the Blues advance deep in the playoffs, a major hurdle would be a series victory over the Red Wings.

So enough already with the talking, predicting and fretting. Let's drop the puck. Wednesday night could be the first of twenty-eight games for the Blues.

Expectations have never been higher for the St. Louis Blues during this spring of 2000. As we approach these playoff rounds I am particularly happy for the loyal Blues' fans that have followed this franchise through good days and bad. They have endured ownership and coaching changes throughout the years. These folks followed the team down Highway 40 from Oakland Avenue to 14th and Clark. Perhaps to a fault, the hockey followers are this town's most loyal group of supporters.

To you folks, affectionately known as the "Get a Lifers", enjoy these playoffs. You have waited a long time for this. You better start making financial arrangements because there is a chance that you may have a playoff ticket cash outlay for late May and perhaps June.

Unlike nineteen of the past twenty springs.