The St. Louis Blues secured a spot in the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night, finishing off the San Jose Sharks with a 5-1 win in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. They have been there before but not since 1970.
Both before and after that previous high-water mark, the Blues have led one of the more curious existences in pro sports history. They have been an unwanted expansion team and then an immediate bright spot. They have been a highly successful franchise, if you’re counting playoff berths, but an almost guaranteed failure once they reach the postseason (until now, anyway).