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Greg WyshynskiESPN
ST. LOUIS — In a letter published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday, St. Louis Blues owner Tom Stillman thanked his fans after “the elation of breaking through and bringing St. Louis its first-ever Stanley Cup.”
One problem: The Blues haven’t actually won the Stanley Cup yet. The letter, as well as a few congratulatory advertisements, appeared in the digital edition of the newspaper hours before the team was scheduled to play Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins, leading the series 3-2.
The ad pages were visible in the subscribers-only E-edition of the paper and were removed. But not before more than a few readers noted them, and they hit social media.
“Winning the Stanley Cup was a dream come true for so many of you. All of us will remember where we were, what we did and how we felt when the Blues brought the Cup home,” wrote Stillman.
Later in the letter, the Blues literally did what no hockey fan wants their team to do before winning: They planned the parade.
“We are so very proud of our players, our organization and our fans. And now, together, we can finally say ‘We won the Cup for St. Louis,'” wrote Stillman. “We look forward to celebrating with you as we parade the Cup down Market Street.”
Also published was an ad from Enterprise, the title sponsor of the team’s arena, congratulating the Blues on “winning the Stanley Cup” and publishing a “2019 Stanley Cup champions” logo with the Blues’ symbol on it.
Beth O’Malley, online content coordinator for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, said that “in preparation for the outcome of the Stanley Cup Final, some of our readers got a sneak peek at what our advertisers are hoping to say to the Blues, the fans and St. Louis. We apologize for the sneak peek and hope to share their messages with everyone very soon!”
While some Blues fans may appreciate the “sneak peak,” one wonders how many are wary of this premature victory lap being a potential jinx.