Boston & St. Louis meet for 11th time, only two to meet in NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL finals
Boston and St. Louis are both extremely historic sports towns with rambunctious fans to match. Now, with the St. Louis Blues’ 5-1 win over the San Jose Sharks, the two cities will meet in the Stanley Cup Final, marking the 11th time in history the two will meet spanning major sports.
These cities have HISTORY. For the 11th time, these two great American cities will square off for a championship. pic.twitter.com/6cg1MfEyWc
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 22, 2019
The two cities remain as the only pair to meet for a championship match in the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL.
So, what happened in those previous 10 matchups and which sports city ran supreme? Let’s take a trip down memory lane.
NFL: Super Bowl XXXVI, New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams
In 2002, the 11-5 Patriots squared off against the 14-2 Rams in the 36th edition of the Super Bowl. The Rams were at the peak of their late 90s early 2000s dynasty, dubbed the “Greatest Show on Turf.” Meanwhile, the Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick were just about to start their near two-decade dynasty which remains to this day.
At the Superdome in front of 50,301 fans the Patriots bested the Rams 20-17, winning their first Super Bowl title. A young Tom Brady would wind up winning the first of four total Super Bowl MVP awards.
The two teams would later play each other again in 2019 at Super Bowl LIII, however, the St. Louis Rams would now be the Los Angeles Rams.
NBA: St. Louis Hawks vs. Boston Celtics, 1957-58, 1960-61
The St. Louis Hawks and Boston Celtics would meet each other in the NBA finals four times, including twice in consecutive years.
In the first meeting between the two teams, the Celtics won the series in a 125-123 Game 7 win at home.
The next year, the Hawks would bounce back to take the 1958 NBA finals in six games.
The two teams would meet each other again two years later in 1960 with the record tied 1-1. Building off of their 4-0 sweep of the Minneapolis Lakers, the Boston Celtics would beat the Hawks in seven games to take the 1960 title.
The Celtics would win in five games in 1961 for their third title in a row and would steamroll the league to later win a grand total of eight in a row, an NBA record.
The two teams would end with Boston ultimately winning the all-time series 3-1.
St. Louis would later become the Atlanta Hawks.
MLB: Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 1946, 1967, 2004, 2013
Boston and St. Louis would meet on the diamond for a total of four times in the annual fall classic.
The two teams first matched up in 1946 with the Cardinals coming out on top in seven games. No MVP was awarded, but the Cardinals were led by pitcher Harry Brecheen. Brecheen won three games total, including pitching in Game 6 and 7 back-to-back.
St. Louis and the Cardinals would come out on top again in 1967, also in seven games. Cardinals ace Bob Gibson won Games 1, 4 and 7, earning MVP honors.
Not until 2004 would the two teams meet again. Fresh off of a four game comeback against the New York Yankees in the ALCS, the Red Sox swept the Cardinals 4-0 to end a 86-year World Series drought. Manny Ramirez brought home MVP honors in the win.
The pair of ball clubs met for a fourth time in 2013 with the Red Sox coming out on top in six games with slugger David Ortiz taking home MVP honors. The all-time championship series remains at 2-2.
NHL: Boston Bruins vs. St. Louis Blues, 1970, 2019
The Blues and Bruins met in 1970 with the Blues on the receiving end of a 4-0 sweep by the Bruins. The appearance marked the third time in a row that the Blues appeared in the Stanley Cup finals, all losses. Bobby Orr took home the Conn Smythe trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.
All-time: Boston 7, St. Louis 3
Now, the two historic cities will meet for an 11th time starting Monday with the Blues visiting the Bruins for Game 1.
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