from Dan O'Neill of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

There are more than 4,000 kids playing amateur hockey in the area. There are some 140 teams, 25 of which play at the AAA or Central States level.

St. Louis now competes with Anywhere, USA, when it comes to developing hockey players. Programs are available at every rink in town, blue-collar people put in the hours and effort to make the game accessible, and kids make the sacrifice and commitment to pursue a dream.

Because the dream is real.

“I know the (Blues) alumni get a lot of credit,” said Al MacInnis, Blues senior adviser and Hall of Fame defenseman. “But there’s a lot of people and a lot of pieces involved for kids to move on to the next level, whether it’s playing junior hockey or it’s playing in college or pro hockey or in Europe.

“It starts with the youth hockey at the clubs; you need the participation level, the numbers.

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