Conn Smythe Winner Ryan O'Reilly Played Through Cracked Rib
Perhaps it's cliche to say that the St. Louis Blues gave everything they had to capture their first-ever Stanley Cup trophy on Wednesday. But at least one member of the club came rather close to doing so.
Blues center Ryan O'Reilly, named Conn Smythe winner as the playoff MVP, told reporters after St. Louis's Game 7 victory that he had been playing through a cracked rib since the second round of the postseason, when he sustained the injury in the middle of the Blues' series against the Dallas Stars.
"There was a couple tough games," O'Reilly said, per the Associated Press. "But once you kind of get going and the adrenaline takes over, I didn't notice it."
O'Reilly scored the Blues' opening goal in their 4–1 Game 7 win on Wednesday and added an assist during the contest to bring his postseason points total to 23. It set a Blues franchise record for most points in a single postseason.
O'Reilly, 28, was in his first season with the Blues. The 10-year veteran spent the first six seasons of his career with the Colorado Avalanche before joining the Buffalo Sabres for three years. He was traded to the Blues last offseason.