NHL All-Star Game Top 5 Markets on @NBCSN; T1. Buffalo (3.7), T1. Pittsburgh (3.7), 3. Chicago (3.3), T4. St. Louis (2.9), T4. Detroit (2.9)

— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) February 1, 2016

This tweet might say fourth, but I hate that type of ranking. I'm going to call it third because 2 different markets tied for the same ratings. This is impressive. Very impressive. St. Louis Blues only sent one player to the All Star game and even then he saw very little action in the skills competition and was overshadowed during the three on three games.

Why would St. Louis rank this high for an NHL All Star game? Could this be the John Scott effect? If I can generalize for a moment, maybe St. Louis fans like their "every-man" sort of players. They like gritty players who have a side of humble when they are off the ice. Not to mention, who doesn't love the feel good story of the 4th liner John Scott standing tall in the face of NHL bullying tactics.

Or could it just be that St. Louis is a hockey town? Hard to believe, but maybe, just maybe, there are hockey fans in St. Louis beyond just the Blues. Could there be hockey fans in St. Louis who love the game of hockey for the sake of the game of hockey. St. Louis beat L.A., beat New York, and beat Washington DC (who had three players in the game and is the top team in the league at the moment) in ASG ratings. This little mid-market of a town tuned in to watch some really fun hockey Sunday night. How about that.

Now, if only someone at the NHL front office would take notice of this.