榴莲视频

WTF.

The acronym sums up the circumstances in Game 7, but it also sums up how the Blues got there to begin with聽鈥� Walker, Toropchenko, Faksa. The 鈥淲TF Line鈥� epitomized the identity of the 2024-25 Blues and pumped the blue blood into the team鈥檚 beating heart, though as seen on Nathan Walker鈥檚 face in Game 7, it lost a bit of blood along the way. And statistically, they absurdly overachieved in the series against Winnipeg.

Alexy Toropchenko, this torpedo on skates, is back next year, as is Walker. The team must lock in Radek Faksa, who should be affordable and worth every dollar.

The fourth line captured the hearts of fans and bullied the Jets. Their identity became the Blues鈥� identity: stingy, unafraid and confident, all while overachieving on both ends of the ice (until, you know, the final two minutes and overtime of the Game 7 loss). They checked with force and forechecked with authority. They play so well as a unit, it鈥檚 like they鈥檙e being controlled by some force (captain Brayden Schenn described their play, in a complimentary way, as 鈥渞obotic鈥�).

Faksa finished with five points in the series (a goal and four assists) and at plus-seven. He scored a vital Game 7 goal as the line activated its offense in transition.

Toropchenko tallied two goals and two assists and was plus-seven, too.

And Walker, incredibly, tied for a team-high three goals (and tallied one assist), while finishing the series plus-five.

Only one other forward, Jimmy Snuggerud at plus-two, finished higher than plus-one.

And the boys hit and hit and hit. While hockey has become such a speed-oriented game, a heavy game can win games. And the heaviness comes mostly from perhaps the Blues鈥� lightest player.

They say Walker is from another continent, but I say he鈥檚 from another planet. There鈥檚 just nothing like him聽鈥� a fearless 5-foot-9 wrecking ball who feeds off trash talk from towering opponents. He鈥檚 Joe Pesci in a Scorsese film. This season, as the veteran turned 31, he set a Blues franchise record with 281 hits in a season (and he missed nine games!). And he naturally led all Blues with 40 hits in the seven-game series with Winnipeg, including nine in the marathon final game.

鈥淭here are so many unsung heroes, and we know how Nathan Walker's been,鈥� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. 鈥淚 think he's a fan-favorite because he embodies what it means to be a Blue.鈥�

And here鈥檚 thinking that Walker is currently blue and black.

Jake Neighbours finished second on St. Louis with 33 postseason hits, but Toropchenko earned the bronze of bruise with 27.

Oskar Sundqvist played on the famous fourth line in 2019, along with Alexander Steen and Ivan Barbashev, and the old pro finished fourth with 26 hits in this series. Faksa was fifth.

And of Radek鈥檚 21, one left a lasting impression. He crashed into superstar Mark Scheifele, who was unable to play in Games 6 and 7. Rocked by Faksa.

鈥淚n a series, there is the game within the game,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a load to handle. It doesn鈥檛 matter. They鈥檝e scored goals against every D pairing, so they鈥檙e hard to handle down low. Over and over, it gets hard聽鈥� and they鈥檙e creating that identity that we look for that allows us to get to net-fronts, to win races and get screened goals.鈥�

Montgomery, of course, started games with the 鈥淲TF Line,鈥� in efforts to set the tone or, as the coach said, 鈥渃reate chaos.鈥� And the fellows accomplished their mission each shift, yet not with a lot of time to utilize. Fewer overall shifts. Maximized impact.

So yeah, it was incredible what this line accomplished 鈥� consider that Walker had as many goals as Jordan Kyrou. And that Schenn had three points聽鈥� fewer than all three members of the fourth line. But this line was also so important during the improbable 12-game winning streak that catapulted St. Louis into the postseason conversation ... and then the actual postseason.

Look. Hockey teams need stars.

Must have stars.

But when you can put together an identity-defining line of affordable fourth-liners, then you鈥檙e ahead of the building curve. And so it sure seems like the Blues are.

There are quite a few things I鈥檒l miss this offseason. There was, after all, a lot to like about the 2024-25 St. Louis Blues. But besides the post-break play of the imaginative Robert Thomas, I think I鈥檒l miss watching Walker play the most.

Earlier this year, Darren Pang summed him up best. I talked to Pang because the former goalie and Blues broadcaster always called Walker and Walker-esque players as 鈥渓ittle guys with gumption.鈥�

Regarding Walker, Pang said: 鈥淵ou have a player that may not be the biggest guy, may not be the fastest guy, may not be the strongest guy, but he鈥檚 always in the middle of things. He鈥檒l out-will somebody in a one-on-one battle 鈥� or prove people wrong. ...

鈥淭he first time I saw Walker at ice level in St Louis, he had the puck and was about to get crushed by a defenseman 鈥� and yet, he got the puck in the right spot (with a pass). He knew he was going to get drilled. That鈥檚 what I think about when I think about gumption. And, you know, I often use 鈥榣ittle guy with gumption鈥� just because of my admiration for little guys that have bigger hearts than maybe some big guys. When I think of gumption, Nathan Walker is a perfect player that comes to mind.鈥�

Really, it was a fourth line with gumption.

And a whole team growing up fast, thanks in part to its great gumption.聽