ST. LOUIS – You never know what might happen when playoff hockey rolls around. It brings out intensity, heroic goals, and, sometimes, even unexpected superfans.
Enter Jon Gruden. The longtime NFL coach and fiery football personality has suddenly become one of the most visible celebrity fans of the St. Louis Blues. And he’s made one thing clear: He’s all in.
Gruden spent 15 years as an NFL head coach between the Raiders (both in Oakland and Las Vegas) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl title with Tampa Bay in 2003. Known for his intense sideline energy and bold personality, Gruden has served in various NFL coaching capacities for more than three decades.
Now a few years removed from his last NFL role, Gruden currently stays active in sports as a media personality for Barstool Sports.
But before his newfound Blues fandom, Gruden didn’t have too many personal ties to St. Louis. So how did his unlikely bond with the Blues begin?
Since joining Barstool Sports, Gruden has regularly received big boxes of sports merchandise and memorabilia from collegiate and professional sports teams. He then unboxes them on camera with high-energy commentary, often reminiscing about the team’s history and top players, while expressing pure gratitude for the items inside.
Ahead of the Blues’ pivotal Game 3 first-round matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, then down 0-2 in the series, Gruden unboxed a package from the Blues in a digital video on social media platform X. It included hockey gear, enthusiasm and a new catchphrase that has since stuck with Blues fans: “Be The Nightmare!”
The video quickly made waves, and so did Gruden, who embraced his growing connection with the Blues.
St. Louis rallied for a Game 3 win behind Gruden’s unexpected support. Eight days later, after the Blues won Game 4 at home and dropped Game 5 in Winnipeg, Gruden paid a visit to St. Louis for Game 6.
It came at a critical moment when the Jets could have clinched the series on home ice. But the Blues stayed resilient, winning Game 6 in dominant fashion by a score of 5-2, backed by a four-goal outburst in the second period.
After the big Blues win, Gruden didn’t hold back on his thoughts.
“Well, we’re a nightmare,” Gruden told FOX 2 shortly after Game 6. “I would not want to play the Blues. I would not want to play them in Game 7. I’m just really excited. This was my first Blues game. To win three out of [the last] four against that [Jets] hockey team is a great, great job by everybody. I can’t wait for Game 7. That’s all I’ll say.”
It was quite a busy Friday, but Gruden seemed to savor every moment.
Several hours before the game, Gruden met with Blues merchandise partner STL Authentics and sported a new Blues-themed T-shirt that featured his popular-growing expression “Be The Freakin’ Nightmare!”
Then, he made a trip over the Union Station, meeting one of his favorite all-time Blues players, former Blues Hart Trophy (1999-2000 NHL MVP) winner Chris Pronger. After that, he addressed a large crowd of Blues fans on stage alongside Joey Vitale and Chris Kerber. “We’re down 3 games to 2. We got to love the misery because it gives us a chance to come out of the darkness and do something no one has done before,” said Gruden excitedly, earning raucous cheers from the crowd.
Gruden then took in warm-ups near front ice and gave captain Brayden Schenn a fist-bump as he completed warmups, wearing Schenn’s No. 10 on a personalized Gruden Blues jersey.
Then, ever so quickly, Gruden made his way to an honorary guest stage and was introduced as the hype person ahead of Game 6, rallying the crowd just minutes before puck drop. Gruden followed a very similar ritual to newly-retired former Blues hero Pat Maroon in Game 4, waving a rally towel, ripping off his jersey to reveal his signature T-shirt and even kicking over a beer while celebrating, sending the Enterprise Center into a frenzy.
The Blues rallied for a 5-2 win and Gruden took in the experience from a suite with Pronger and other guests. He celebrated many goals like a diehard fan, documenting many reactions on his X account. “I love the Blues,” Gruden added in one post holding a thumbs up with a energetic smile.
After the game, Gruden took photos with goalie Jordan Binnington and head coach Jim Montgomery. He then headed back to Union Station for one more celebratory drink: “What a night. Thank you @StLouisBlues” he posted via X.
And it appears his action-packed weekend in St. Louis hasn’t stopped there. On Saturday, Gruden shared a video unboxing St. Louis Cardinals merchandise and also made his way to Busch Stadium. He met with Cardinals stars Nolan Arenado and Lars Nootbaar in the locker room, even though Saturday’s scheduled Cardinals game was rained out.
Could Gruden possibly make the trip to Winnipeg for Game 7 to support the Blues? No official word yet. But his unexpected bond with the Blues and his electric Game 6 experience have already earned him a place in Blues playoff lore.
Game 7 of the Blues-Jets first-round series is set for Sunday. The winner moves onto the second round. The loser will see their season come to an end. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. CT Sunday.