We've asked a few folks to come in and give the St. Louis Blues some inspiration as the season winds down. And as a special treat, we'll let you inside the dressing room to hear the words for yourself. Before tonight's game against the Phoenix Coyotes, we've asked a high school football coach to speak. Please welcome from Permian High School in Odessa, Texas, coach Gary Gaines.
Does he still have a vial of Angelina's blood around his neck? Yeah, I doubt it.
Well it's real simple: You got three more games and that's it.
Now most of you have been playin' this game all your lives. And you got three more games, possibly until October. That's like a lifetime.
Now, ya'll may not have known me for awhile, but if you had, you would've been hearin' me talk about being perfect. Well I want you to understand somethin'. To me, being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It's not about winning. It's about you and your relationship to yourself and your family and your friends.
Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn't let them down, because you told them the truth. And that truth is that you did everything that you could. There wasn't one more thing that you could've done.
Can you live in that moment, as best you can, with clear eyes and love in your heart? With joy in your heart?
If you can do that gentlemen, then you're perfect.
I want you to take a moment. And I want you to look each other in the eyes. I want you to put each other in your hearts forever, because forever's about to happen here in just a few minutes.
I want you to close your eyes, and I want you to think about Erik Johnson, who is your brother. And he would die to be out there on that ice with you tonight. And I want you to put that in your hearts.
Boys, my heart is full. My heart's full.