Blues fans ring in first Stanley Cup championship at St. Louis parties

ST. LOUIS -- April and Travis Windmann's love of the St. Louis Blues goes back many years. The two even got engaged at a game on Dec. 23, 2006, when the Blues hosted the Buffalo Sabres.

Being at the Enterprise Center watch party to see the Blues defeat the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday ranked a tad higher.
"I mean, I still like him, but yeah," April said of her husband with a laugh. "It was amazing. It was electric. Just being with the crowd, being with everybody and having such a great time, it was really awesome."
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The Blues, who won the Stanley Cup for the first time since joining the NHL in 1967, had two watch parties in St. Louis for Game 7. More than 18,000 were at Enterprise Center, and more than 20,000 more were at Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, about a 15-minute walk from the arena.

Fans at Enterprise Center were standing through the last three minutes of the game. As the final seconds of Game 7 ticked away, they roared, streamers fell from the ceiling, and "Gloria," the team's adopted anthem, blared.
Joseph Weber of Winfield, Missouri, 55 miles northwest of St. Louis, was at Enterprise Center with his wife Stephanie and son Harry, who will turn 2 in September.
"I want to cry," Weber said. "I got into hockey with my brother, and he was the first one to call me [after Game 7]. We both about teared up. So to have my son here is awesome."
Former NHL defenseman Jordan Leopold, who played for the Blues from 2013-15, brought his family from Minnesota to join the watch party at Enterprise.
"This city's been waiting to erupt for a long time, 50 years plus," said Leopold, who, as a rookie, was teammates with Blues coach Craig Berube with the Calgary Flames in 2002-03. "I loved playing here [in St. Louis], and it's a testament to the people and the town, and sometimes patience pays off."
At Busch, fans gathered behind home plate and down the first- and third-base lines to ensure great views of the center field scoreboard. The adjacent scoreboard showed the Cardinals game against the Florida Marlins. Bars and restaurants at Ballpark Village, an entertainment district next to Busch Stadium, were also filled with fans.

Casey Gryder of St. Louis was with his 6-year-old daughter, Ruby, outside Busch Stadium, where they got tickets after being unable to get into the Enterprise party. Casey wore former defenseman Chris Pronger's Blues jersey while Ruby wore Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko.
"I figure this is one of the first big sporting moments she's likely to remember," Gryder said. "[Missouri] is the Show-Me State. People are saying, 'Show me the Cup.'"
Jenna Leitner of Edwardsville, Illinois, about 22 miles northeast of St. Louis, was at Busch with her family; they were able to get seats behind the Cardinals dugout.
"I was down here [at Ballpark Village] on Sunday, and there was a lot of things going on," Leitner said. "After that, I feel like they had to open up another venue, because it was so crazy."
A Stanley Cup made it that much crazier.
"It's great for the city; it's something everyone around the area can be excited about," Leitner said of the Cup. "I mean, we've had the Cardinals win a million times and we've had fun with that. But now it's the Blues' turn."