In January, it would have looked like one of the most insane bets in the hockey world.
On Wednesday, Scott Berry looked like a genius.
During a Las Vegas business trip at the start of the year, Berry slapped down $400 on the table at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. The bet was simple: If the St. Louis Blues -- the last place team in the NHL -- win the Stanley Cup, Berry’s $400 would turn into $100,000.
More than likely, however, given the Blues’ predicament, Berry’s $400 would instead turn into a bad decision.
Berry told NBC Sports’ Jeremy Roenick prior to Game 7 that the way he justified it was the thought of what he would have lost if he had been able to enjoy some time on the Strip.
Scott Berry bet $400 on the @stlouisblues to win the #StanleyCup back in January.
— NBC Sports Bet (@NBCSportsBet) June 13, 2019
That ticket is now worth $100,400. 👀 pic.twitter.com/1ePEvUUGDv
At the Paris, where he was staying, they had odds of 250-to-1. Berry checked the Bellagio, only to find that they were offering 150-to-1. So he turned around, went back to the Paris and game them his money.
“Because I love this team, I’m a die-hard, life-long fan,” Berry told Roenick.
Some might say love is blind, but when St. Louis won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history vs. the Boston Bruins, mounting perhaps the greatest turnaround in NHL history on Wednesday, Berry’s love was reciprocated.
And it was tested.
Berry said he received several offers to hedge his bet.
The biggest offer, he told Roenick, came during the first intermission of Game 6 against the San Jose Sharks when he got an offer from PropBet for $40,000.
“I had to decide before the start of the second period,” said Berry, who was in Enterprise Center that night. “It took me about 20 seconds and I’m like, ‘I believe too much in this team.’ Let it ride.”
And he did, and he’s $100,000 richer because of it.
MORE BLUES STANLEY CUP COVERAGE:
• Ryan O’Reilly wins Conn Smythe Trophy
• Jay Bouwmeester finally gets his Stanley Cup
• Blues fan Laila Anderson gets moment with Stanley Cup
• Berube helped Blues find identity after early-season struggle
• Blues latest team erased from Stanley Cup drought list
• Blues finally deliver a Stanley Cup to St. Louis
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck