BOSTON – The “championship drought” continues for the city of Boston.

Despite hosting Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Bruins were handily defeated, 4-1, by the St. Louis Blues, who earned their first championship in the 51-year history of the franchise.

Not far from the shadow of billboards joking – at least, they seemed to be joking, anyway – about how the city has had to wait over four months since the New England Patriots win in Super Bowl 53, which followed the Boston Red Sox’ triumph in the 2018 World Series, TD Garden was at a fever pitch on Wednesday night.

Published reports suggested that the beloved former Sox slugger David Ortiz, who is still recovering from a gunshot wound suffered in the Dominican Republic, was to have recorded a video message that was to “pump up” the crowd.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was also rumored to be one of the team’s “banner captains,” essentially the individual who helps the ceremonial passing of the team’s flag around the lower bowl prior to every game.

Neither of those things happened.

A win was too much to ask for as well.

“It’s an empty feeling,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It’s a long year. Someone had to win, someone had to lose, and we came out on the wrong side of it. It’s not the way you picture it.”

Where the Blues got their goals from, however, is exactly how they’d likely draw it up.

If eventual Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O’Reilly’s first period goal with just 3:13 remaining in the opening stanza turned the decibel level in the building down quite bit, Alex Pietrangelo’s with just eight seconds remaining silenced them nearly entirely.

“Obviously, it played out that way, it gives them more life,” Cassidy said. “I think we were going to keep playing; we’re a resilient group, we have been all year, we’ve played through a lot of stuff. You get in the room and figure the hockey gods really aren’t on your side, but they did what they had to do to put the puck in the net at the end of the day in the first period, and we didn’t…we knew it was an uphill battle, but the game wasn’t over.”

The Bruins outshot the Blues, 12-4, through the first 20 minutes, but rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington stood on his head to make several big stops on some A-grade chances, which seemed to set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Both teams were held off the scoreboard in the second period, but the Blues extended their lead to 4-0 in the third on goals by Brayden Schenn and Zach Sanford. A late tally by Matt Grzelcyk broke up Binnington’s shutout attempt, but it was far too little, too late.

“There wasn’t much to say,” Cassidy said. “There’s nothing I can really say in this moment other than that I was proud of them and they should walk out of here with their heads up. There’s no long speech, there just isn’t. I’ll have an opportunity to catch up with the players in the next little while, but right now, they don’t want to hear anything from me.”

There will be lots to say, however, coming out of St. Louis in the next few days, and not just “Gloria” on endless repeat at every corner of the city. A fanbase that waited 48 years just for another chance at a championship – and likely never thought they’d get it this year given that the Blues were dead last in the standings as late as January 3 -- is excited to get their first glimpse of the Stanley Cup, nearly as excited as the players are to give it to them.

“I’ve only lived there for a year, but I saw the pride, the passion, the way people are there,” Blues forward Tyler Bozak said.  “They’re just generous, kind people.  Midwestern people.  They’ve really taken me and my family in and made it feel like home.  They stuck by us when we had a tough start, and really believed in us, so we’re excited to get back there.”