You don’t have to look far to understand why St. Louis fans harbor anger or jealousy toward Chicago.
The Blues are 3-8 in playoff series against the Blackhawks, including the 2014 conference quarterfinals. Our skyline is prettier. Better pizza and all that jazz.
On the ice, Duncan Keith ticked off all hockey fan bases with his recent stick-swinging outburst and subsequent suspension (which he deserved, no doubt). Blues fans booed him every time he touched the puck Friday. And they had a lot of chances, as he played almost 31 minutes and had two points.
None of that is going away anytime soon, but how about the other way around? Why, when Chicago has so much going for it, do Hawks fans hate St. Louis so much? Other than the obvious current circumstances, of course.
We’ve got a few guesses why this might (extreme emphasis on might, in some cases) be lingering.
Ken Hitchcock
As entertaining as the Blues coach’s sound bites can be, he can come off as a bully occasionally. Even if he’s employing a popular strategy for attempting to nullify the Hawks’ speed and skill.
“We’re going to have to go up way bigger [in terms of hits],” Hitchcock said after his team won Game 1. “We had [41] hits, we’re going to have to get it into the 70s.”
Not that it’s worked out so far, considering the Blues have failed to advance as far as the conference finals despite finishing first or second in the division in all four of his years in St. Louis.
Weather
As much as there is to love about Chicago, throwing on 80 layers of clothing for your commute to work suuu-ucks. According to the National Weather Service, the total snowfall has topped 50 inches six times in the past nine winters. Meanwhile, 300 or so miles to the southwest, that hasn’t happened since the early 20th century.
Football
The St. Louis Rams, who have called more cities home than Coach Q has curse words, capped the 1999 season with a Super Bowl title. Good for them, and it’s way more recent than the Bears’ lone title. A cynic could look at the Rams bolting to Los Angeles as a positive. No team in town means no chance of disappointment, right?
Toasted ravioli
If you are ever in St. Louis and do not try this specialty, you will hate yourself for approximately three weeks or until your next slice of deep-dish pizza, whichever comes first.
THEY SAID IT
Don’t take our word for it. RedEye asked fans at Sunday’s game: What do you dislike most about the Blues and why?
“I feel like they have some kind of underdog spirit, that I’m not too happy about. THey’re definitely in the Chicago shadow and they don’t know how to deal with it.” –Danny Strauch
“The fans probably. I’ve been to St. Louis a couple times and the fans are probably the worst in the NHL.” –Randy Wilkening
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“Probably their whiny nature and they think hitting is the answer to the game. And they’re not a speed and control team anymore; it’s like they want to knock you silly like they’re playing in the ’80s or something.” –Mike Buczek, Indiana
RedEye’s Lena Blietz contributed.