Ryan O’Reilly wins Conn Smythe Trophy after incredible postseason run with Blues

Last season he was going through the motions and admittedly lost his love for the sport with the Buffalo Sabres. This year, things are completely different.

Following the St. Louis Blues’ 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins to capture the Stanley Cup in Game 7, veteran forward Ryan O’Reilly was rewarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the 2019 Playoffs.

It was tough to put in words how he felt, but O’Reilly has overcome a lot (including legal issues) to get to this point in his career and he couldn’t be happier.

“It’s tough to describe…Most of these guys on here I pretended I was as a kid, and now to be on there with them, it’s an incredible feeling.” said O’Reilly.

The 28-year old, who was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on July 1, 2018, had made the post-season just the third time in his 10th NHL season, and advanced past the first round for the first time in his career in 2019.

Through 26 games, O’Reilly compiled eight goals, 15 assists and a plus-2 rating. He was at his best in the Stanley Cup Final, scoring five goals in the last four games to lead the Blues to their first-ever Cup.