Sanford goes from mourning to glory

ST. LOUIS— This Stanley Cup final started with St. Louis Blues forward Zach Sanford watching games rather than playing in them. It started with his friends texting the Salem, Mass., native that as much as they were rooting for him, they might be rooting for their hometown Boston Bruins more.

It started with his mother sitting in the stands reminding herself to cheer for when St. Louis did something good rather than Boston, and with Sanford thinking of his father, as he often does, and what he would say about all this.

His promotion into the Blues’ top-six forward corps has correlated with back-to-back wins that has St. Louis on the cusp of a Stanley Cup.

“It’s been a hell of a year, that’s for sure,” Sanford said with a chuckle.

His season has been about as dramatic as the Blues’ journey. His father died suddenly of a heart attack during training camp, when Sanford was fighting to make the NHL roster. Then in December, Sanford got into a fight with teammate Robert Bortuzzo during practice. The team downplayed the incident, but Sanford was soon sent to the Blues’ AHL affiliate.

Sanford was a healthy scratch for most of the Blues’ playoff run, but an injury to Robert Thomas and Oskar Sundqvist’s one-game suspension opened a lineup spot. His chemistry with Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron on the second line has helped tilt the series in the Blues’ favour, with Sanford earning three assists in as many games.

Sanford’s father who was a cook in several restaurants before opening a furniture repair business. Mike Sanford helped coach Zach, from street hockey sessions to his youth hockey team. The dream of one day hoisting a Stanley Cup was one they shared.

“I know he’s watching,” Sanford said. “He’s definitely pretty psyched.”