ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Blues opened the 2022-2023 season at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Fans celebrated for hours Downtown before the first puck drop.
The St Louis Blues and Union Station partnered to host the 2022 Opening Night Rally.
The event started at 3 p.m. and included a line-up of live music and appearances by Blues broadcasters.
A Blues inflatable, street hockey instruction stations and face-painting were open to attendees. Their mascot Louie made his round to interact and get photos with fans.
Fans 5 On Your Side heard from were optimistic about a fresh season.
Donald Pugh was dressed from head to toe.
"I'm hoping for a good season. It'll be nice for the city. it'll be nice for the fans. We waited a long time to get the first Stanley Cup which was great but it's about the city, the community coming Downtown and feeling safe. You know. I like my city. I love my city,” Pugh said.
The Fiore Family came in from Florrisant to get a taste of the excitement.
"We love the Blues. We watch every game. We try to go to as many games as we can," Connie Fiore said.
Thousands of fans piled into the Enterprise Center for Saturday’s opener and several more will for the rest of the season. But, events like this one allows everyone to be a part of the Blues experience.
"We want to provide a full-service experience for the fans. Let them experience the Blues games if they are not able to,” said Brandon Knox, Senior Manager of Fan Development.
“We don't have tickets for the game. So this is how we can support them being down here,” Fiore added.
If fans were not able to catch the big game at Enterprise Center, they were able to watch from the big screen at Union Station.