As a fan, it's tough to acknowledge and accept a "rebuilding era" for one of your local sports teams. Fortunately, we haven't had to endure many of these eras in St. Louis lately, making the reality of a "rebuilding year" that much more pungent.
The Cardinals have been to the playoffs 6 of the last 8 years.
The Rams were terrible when they arrived in '95, but quickly emerged as a top tier franchise.
The Blues made the playoffs for 25 straight seasons before missing consecutively in 2005 and 2006.
However, here in 2008 - we're in the midst of major reconstructions for all three of our city's athletic franchises. On a smaller scale, we were all introduced to the rebuilding process of the Blues in 2005. The Cardinals and the Rams have a lot of decisions to make to put a competitive product back on the field, and to keep fans in the seats.
At the time, a rebuilding process stinks. Blues fans learned it first hand as marquee names such as Chris Pronger headed for the hills and their team headed for the league basement. But, if the Blues taught us anything about rebuilding...it's that there are brighter days in the near future, and sometimes it doesn't take long.
While the Blues have marginally tapered off in the Western Conference standings over the past 2 weeks, the future is bright for the Blues.
The Blues acquired Brad Boyes (25 years old) for defensiveman Dennis Wideman in the offseason, and with 21 goals thus far, Boyes currently has scored 22% of the Blues 97 goals.
Hockey prospects Web site Hockeysfuture.com this week rated the Blues' prospects first among all NHL teams. The site counted players like Erik Johnson, David Perron, Patrik Berglund, T.J. Oshie and goalie Marek Schwarz.
Former #1 draft pick, Erik Johnson (19 years old), and left wing, David Perron (19 years old), are being considered for the Calder Trophy - awarded yearly to the league's top rookie.
A rebuilding process is tough to stomach - especially when you're used to success from the home team. But, as the Blues have shown, by being smart, patient, fiscally responsible, and committed to returning to league prominence..rebuilding an organization doesn't take that long.
However, here in 2008 - we're in the midst of major reconstructions for all three of our city's athletic franchises. On a smaller scale, we were all introduced to the rebuilding process of the Blues in 2005. The Cardinals and the Rams have a lot of decisions to make to put a competitive product back on the field, and to keep fans in the seats.
