蜜芽传媒

It began twisting up in Winnipeg on Thursday night, and by Saturday, it hit 蜜芽传媒 with such force, ultimately hats flew off heads.

At precisely 8:13 p.m., Angela Porcelli had an eye-level view of the eye of the storm, when she dared go right into it.

鈥淗ats are falling everywhere and you鈥檙e just scrambling to pick them up 鈥� but then they just keep coming,鈥� said Porcelli, a member of the Blue Crew, which skated out to retrieve the debris from the Enterprise Center ice following Jaden Schwartz鈥檚 hat trick. 鈥淵ou just feel so proud. 鈥� It was euphoric.鈥�

Just the uttering of 鈥淕ame 6鈥� in 蜜芽传媒 raises a few goosebumps, a freezing chill as you remember David Freese. And for a certain older generation, 鈥淕ame 6鈥� is also reminder of the 鈥淭he Monday Night Miracle,鈥� the 1986 goal scored by the late Blue Doug Wickenheiser, in the conference finals.

And now there鈥檚 a new Game 6 hero in 蜜芽传媒 lore. No. 17 wearing the Bluenote scored three goals in Saturday鈥檚 series-clinching game. 蜜芽传媒 3, Winnipeg 2. Shoot, it鈥檚 Schwartz 3, Winnipeg 2.

So far this postseason, Schwartz has been a microcosm of the Blues themselves during the regular season. See, in the early games, he wasn鈥檛 recognizable, unable to produce consistently. And then, when it mattered most, a storm of success.

鈥淕ood players go through hard times sometimes, and unfortunately, he went through a hard time this year,鈥� said Patrick Maroon, the 蜜芽传媒 native and 蜜芽传媒 Blue. 鈥淚f you saw his game, he brought it. His energy, the way he plays the game, he plays it hard every single night and he鈥檚 getting rewarded right now. It鈥檚 good to see and I鈥檓 happy for him. He鈥檚 a big part of this team 鈥� and he鈥檚 going to be a huge part down the stretch.鈥�

When Schwartz scored his Game 5 game-winner in Winnipeg 鈥� with just 15 seconds left 鈥� Blues fan Ash Gibbs rose. He鈥檚 the now-notable fan in the second row, wearing Blues blue, photographed in a sea of white-clad fans as he raised his arms right above the celebrating Blues. The photo went viral.

鈥淚 was the only guy cheering, anywhere near me, and I鈥檓 like 鈥� who cares, this is frickin鈥� awesome!鈥� Gibbs said by phone from Fort Frances, Ontario. 鈥淥ne fan threw a drink at me! I didn鈥檛 really care. 鈥� (Afterward), one person said it looked like I had my arms open to Alex Pietrangelo鈥檚 arms, and I was trying to join in the circle.鈥�

On Saturday at Enterprise Center, there were 18,524 of him 鈥� fans with their arms raised, mouths agape, heads spinning (and some of said heads with 鈥渉at head鈥�).

Schwartz鈥檚 first goal came 23 seconds into Game 6, and if any number goes with Game 6, it鈥檚 No. 23 鈥� the uniform number of Freese, and a number forever associated with Michael Jordan, who made his most-famous shot to win his final title in 鈥� a Game 6.

Schwartz鈥檚 second goal was a wrist shot on the power play; and his third, which came in the third, was even prettier.

He put on a clever move to avoid a sliding Dustin Byfuglien, the bully of Manitoba, and then Schwartz waited an extra second in front of the goal. Schwartz does this sometimes. He has the presence and strength to hold onto the puck for an extra second or so 鈥� and then he creates a pass or shot that didn鈥檛 seem possible. In this case, he was able to hesitate and fool the goalie for a goal.

鈥淲hat a boss,鈥� Blues goalie Jordan Binnington said of Schwartz. 鈥淗e鈥檚 playing great 鈥� and the beard looks pretty good on him, too.鈥�

As for the hats, Porcelli and the Blue Crew pushed them off the ice in garbage bins. Then they dumped the hats in a concrete-covered area under the stands, where they keep the machine fans call the Zamboni (a little trivia: The Blues use an Olympia ice-resurfacing machine). Dumped on the ground, the hats made a mini mountain. There were hundreds of them. Seemingly every Blues hat ever made. There were even some Blues stocking caps. A Cardinals Saturday hat with the bird on the bat. A blue Bud Light hat and a black Pabst Blue Ribbon hat. And a gray 蜜芽传媒 Blues hat featuring the Gateway Arch, the skyline and Schwartz鈥檚 No. 17.

How cool is this?

Someone in town is such a big enough Schwartz fan that he or she bought his hat 鈥� and then had the opportunity to throw the hat on the ice after witnessing Schwartz score a hat trick 鈥� and in the playoff-series winning game.

Must鈥檝e been euphoric.