Find Your Laila. Know Your WHY!

I’ll admit, I was thinking:

“Oh man, the Blues are going to fly this young girl and her Mom all the way to Boston...and she’s gonna be crushed when the Bruins win.”

Joke’s on me.

The St. Louis Blues won their first-ever Stanley Cup trophy on my beloved Boston Bruins home ice...and 11-year-old Laila Anderson was there to see it.

She is a Superfan.

Check out the story HERE.

She has medical issues that so many would allow to rob them of their joy in life.

She is also one of their loudest supporters.

And last night, she got to kiss the Stanley Cup trophy, on the ice, in the Boston Garden.

As one of the Blues players told her after the game: “You’re our good luck charm!”

On paper, this one was such a longshot.

At mid-season, the Blues were in disarray and has dismal results to show for it.

Big thanks to an old radio co-worker Joe Collie for these facts:

** The Blues were LAST PLACE on January 3rd.
** They have an interim head coach.
** They have a rookie goaltender.
** They went 24-5-1 in their last 30 games
** The rookie set the record for postseason wins by a rookie goalie

And they won the Stanley Cup, for the first time in their history (they were founded in 1967).

Winning your first championship is the goal of any organization.

Knowing WHY you want it is a key part of the equation every time.

Your WHY will keep you fighting, even when the rest of the world reads the standings are writes you off.

These guys had something to prove...and they proved it.

They didn’t quit, despite a crap-storm of chaotic circumstances which could have easily derailed them.

They came together as a team and outplayed most of their competition in the second half of the season, then slugged their way through the playoffs.

“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”

Thank you, Yogi Berra.

And they had their hero in a little girl who, despite medical setbacks, screamed her support the whole way through.

On Monday, the St. Louis Blues organization reached out to Laila’s Mom and arranged for them to be there, in Boston for Game 7.

They wanted their little hero to be there with them when they went into battle.

We all need our heroes.

We need our causes.

We need our reasons WHY.

We fight harder when we have these people, and reasons, stapled to our hearts...especially when we’re up against the ropes.

Who are your heroes?

Who inspires you and keeps you going when you’re slogging through your daily battles, trying to win whatever game you may be playing?

When you know...please let them know.

Tell them how much you appreciate them, and what it means to you that they are in your corner.

Celebrate with them when you win.

Thank them for their support.

And, like the St. Louis Blues did for Laila...

Let them kiss the trophy too.

They’ve earned it.

Steve Gamlin