NEW YORK – A relatively-rare St. Louis Blues playoff miss has many committed fans finding another hockey team (or a player) to cheer on during the big dance this year. That’s true even for the most devoted of Blues fans, like Jon Hamm.
Mad Men star and St. Louis native Jon Hamm makes it a priority to attend Blues games when his busy schedule allows for it, and he’s been known to have a lucky charm on broadcasts. Wanting to add a little more hockey to his life, Hamm had to think outside the box with a sans-Blues playoffs.
However, more than of the NHL’s 16 playoff teams roster at least one former St. Louis Blues player. So naturally, the next best option for Hamm was to support one of St. Louis’ former stars.
Hamm attended Game 3 of the Eastern Conference matchup between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers. Highlights show, he got really passionate about plays involving Vladimir Tarasenko, who joined the Rangers in February after 11 seasons with the Blues.
Putting his acting skills in real-life, Hamm got a little animated on one overtime icing call. It’s fair criticism, given the Rangers eventually dropped the game to the Devils in overtime. Tarasenko was held off the scoresheet in Game 3, but had several scoring chances and previously lit the lamp in the first two games.
Along with his fandom for Tarasenko, Hamm has been known for his huge support of Ivan Barbsahev throughout the years. Barbashev played seven seasons for the Blues before joining the Vegas Golden Knights at the trade deadline in February. He and former St. Louis captain Alex Pietrnagelo are one win away from advancing to the second round.
Teams with former Blues remaining in the NHL playoffs include:
Carolina Hurricanes: MacKenzie MacEachern
Colorado Avalanche: Lars Eller
Edmonton Oilers: Kim Kostin
Los Angeles Kings: Pheonix Copley
Minnesota Wild: Ryan Reaves
New York Rangers: Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola
Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz, Vince Dunn
Tampa Bay Lightning: Pat Maroon, Brian Elliott
Toronto Maple Leafs: Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari
Vegas Golden Knights: Alex Pietrangelo, Ivan Barbashev
With this in mind, there’s a 62% chance that at least one former Blue will take home another Stanley Cup championship this season.