Growing up in a household that prioritized baseball before basketball, basketball before football and hockey never, my only pre-college experiences with hockey were fleeting glimpses of the travel team matches that took place on the rink next to the one my sister and I used to skate on when we were little. Looking back now, it makes so much sense that I had low expectations when I first stepped foot in the Scottrade Center (now Enterprise Center) last fall to see a St. Louis Blues game.

Within minutes, my low expectations were shattered. Before the players had even ventured onto the rink, the energy in the stadium was enveloping. The pre-game environment was full of hype: Intense photo montages glimmered on screens that surrounded fans from every direction while a rock band played in the concourse. Everywhere you looked, someone was smiling, enjoying an evening of escape.

David Santiago | MCTCampus

St. Louis Blues forward Colton Parayko (55) is congratulated by Pat Maroon (7) and Zach Sanford (12) after scoring a goal during the third period against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., on Tuesday, Feb. 5. The Blues won, 3-2.

Though the Blues fell behind the Anaheim Ducks quickly, the energy did not dissipate. In an experience foreign to my inner baseball fan, a large majority of the fans remained engaged throughout the game, cheering loudly during the Blues’ iconic Power Play Dance (search it up, really!) and shouting resounding boos whenever the Blues ended up in the penalty box. Unlike baseball games, there was always action on the ice: A shot would glance off the goalie’s skate before skittering away or a fight would pop up out of the middle of nowhere.

When the Blues temporarily regained their lead midway through the second period, it felt as if the fans were all riding atop a wave that would never crash. Yet even when it did crash, as the Ducks stormed back in the final minutes to steal a victory, the Blues fans held on till the last second. As the buzzer sounded, the fans let out a collective groan that you could tell was not unfamiliar. Still, they keep coming back for more hockey. I was entranced.

With all this talk of a “Super” Bowl, NBA trade rumors now reaching their peak and the start of baseball season just around the corner (pitchers and catchers report next week!), it’s easy to forget about hockey. We pass it off as “that Canadian thing” or remember it only as “that sport I always wanted to play growing up but my parents wouldn’t allow it.”

Despite all the sorrows about losing the Rams to Los Angeles and dreams unfulfilled of the Atlanta Hawks returning home to the land of the Arch, we still have two professional sports teams. That’s more than many other cities (including some, like San Diego or Austin, significantly bigger than our own) can say. We should be grateful. We should take pride in our Blues.

They’re not even that bad this season. Well, they had been, but not anymore. After occupying the Western Conference cellar for most of the fall (vying for last place with the similarly-bad Chicago Blackhawks), the Blues have finally stepped up their game in the new year. They’re 9-5 in 2019 and have made it up to ninth in the West, just one point behind the Vancouver Canucks for the second wild card spot. A couple clutch winning streaks down the stretch, and this team will have cemented its position in the playoffs.

The Blues’ performance of late has suggested that the playoffs are not unthinkable. Any team vying for one of the final playoff spots needs to beat up on the bad teams. After struggling to do so during the first half of the season, the Blues have finally found their groove, taking advantage of a weak schedule this past week to win three straight games and four of their last five. The next three will be tougher, as they face off tonight against NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning before two against the Western Conference-rival Nashville Predators this weekend. If the Blues can maintain their early 2019 momentum this month, they’ll put themselves in a position for success down the stretch.

For all of their recent victories, however, the Blues are still a remarkably inconsistent hockey team. That sort of thing rarely changes overnight. The team’s power play has been miserable since the fall and injuries have plagued the Blues all year long. But this team has fight. The fact that the Blues are even in the playoff conversation after their horrific fall, which included being shut out three times in a single week and a humbling 6-1 loss to the Canucks, is a testament to the team’s battling spirit.

Don’t get me wrong: I am not writing to pretend that the St. Louis Blues are about to magically stumble their way into the Stanley Cup Finals. Realistically, we’re probably looking at a first round playoff exit, maybe second round at best. That is not reason for us to forget about or ignore the Blues, though. They’re amazingly fun to watch and, soon enough, they might just be a force to be reckoned with.