The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a puck into the opposing team's goal. It is a fast-paced physical sport. Ice hockey is most popular in areas that are sufficiently cold for natural reliable seasonal ice cover, such as Canada, the Czech Republic, Latvia, the Nordic countries (especially Finland and team based in St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis (pronounced /seɪnt ˈluːɪs/ or /sænt ˈluː.iː/; French: Saint-Louis or St-Louis, [sɛ̃ lwi] ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. The city itself has an estimated population of 354,361 and is the principal municipality of Greater St. Louis, population 2,879,934, the largest urban area in Missouri and 16th-largest. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League The National Hockey League , often abbreviated to the NHL, is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which six are located in Canada and twenty-four in the United States. Headquartered in New York City, the NHL is widely considered to be the premier (NHL). The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy was a blues composer and musician, often known as the "Father of the Blues" song "St. Louis Blues "St. Louis Blues" is an American popular song composed by William Christopher Handy in the blues style. It remains a fundamental part of jazz musicians' repertoire. It was also one of the first blues songs to succeed as a pop song; it has been performed by numerous musicians of all styles from Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith to Glenn", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis.
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Franchise history
Early history (1967–70)
Original logo of the St. Louis Blues (1967–84).The Blues were one of the six teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion, along with the Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow gold and white. The North Stars played 2,062 regular season games and made the NHL, Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded on February 9, 1966, when Jack Kent Cooke was awarded an NHL expansion franchise for Los Angeles,, becoming one of the six teams that, Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League and are the current Eastern Conference Champions. Part of the 1967 NHL Expansion, the Flyers were the first non-Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup,, Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original expansion from six to twelve teams. The Penguins have and California Seals.
St. Louis was the last of the expansion teams to officially gain entry into the league, chosen over Baltimore Baltimore , the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the U.S. state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding at the insistence of the Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won three Stanley Cup Championships and fourteen division titles since their founding in 1926. The Blackhawks are one of the Original Six NHL teams, along. At the time, the Blackhawks were (and still are) owned by the influential Wirtz family of Chicago Chicago ( /ʃɨˈkɑːɡoʊ/ or /ʃɨˈkɔːɡoʊ/) is the largest city in both Illinois and the Midwest, and the third most populous city in the United States, with over 2.8 million living within the city limits. Its metropolitan area, commonly named "Chicagoland", is the 26th most populous in the world, home to an estimated 9.7 million, which also owned the then-decrepit St. Louis Arena. The Wirtzes sought to unload the Arena, which had not been well-maintained since the 1940s, and thus pressed the NHL to give St. Louis (which had never even submitted a formal expansion bid) a franchise over Baltimore. The team's first owners were insurance tycoon Sid Salomon Jr., his son, Sid Salomon III, and Robert L. Wolfson, who were granted the franchise in 1966. Sid Salomon III convinced his initially wary father to make a bid for the team. Salomon then spent several million dollars on massive renovations for the 38-year-old Arena, which increased the number of seats from 12,000 to 15,000.
The Blues were originally coached by Lynn Patrick who, after a quick resignation, was replaced by Scotty Bowman. Although the league's rules effectively kept star players with the Original Six The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that comprised the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. The name is something of a misnomer, since there were other NHL franchises that ceased operations before 1942, including some that were founded before some of the Original Six teams, the Blues managed to stand out in the inferior Western Division. Capitalizing on a playoff format that required an expansion team to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Blues reached the final round each of their first three seasons, though they were swept first by the Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is officially known as le Club de hockey Canadien in 1968 and 1969 and then by the Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, entering the league as the first United States-based expansion franchise. They are also an Original Six team, along with in 1970.
While the first Blues' teams included aging and faded veterans like Doug Harvey, Don McKenney and Dickie Moore, the veteran goaltending tandem of Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante Joseph Jacques Omer "Jake the Snake" Plante was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career lasting from 1947–1975, he was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey. He played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1953 to 1963; during his tenure, the team won the Stanley Cup six times, including five proved more durable, winning a Vezina Trophy in 1969 behind a sterling defense that featured players like skilled defensive forward Jim Roberts and hardrock brothers Bob and Barclay Plager. Phil Goyette won the Lady Byng Trophy for the Blues in 1970 and New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion castoff Red Berenson became the expansion team's first major star at center. The Arena quickly became one of the loudest buildings in the NHL, a reputation it maintained throughout its tenure as the Blues' home.
During that time, Salomon gained a reputation throughout the league as the ultimate players' owner. He gave his players cars, signed them to deferred contracts, and treated them to vacations in Florida With an area of 65,758 square miles , it is ranked 22nd in size among the 50 U.S. states. Florida has the most coastline in the Contiguous United States encompassing approximately 1,200 miles. The state has four large urban areas, a number of smaller industrial cities, and many small towns. The players, used to being treated like mere commodities, felt the only way they could pay him back was to give their best on the ice every night.[1]
The Blues' struggles (1970–77)
The Blues' successes in the late 1960s, however, did not continue into the 1970s as the playoff format changed and the Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won three Stanley Cup Championships and fourteen division titles since their founding in 1926. The Blackhawks are one of the Original Six NHL teams, along were moved into the still inferior Western Division. The Blues lost Bowman, who went to Montreal The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is officially known as le Club de hockey Canadien following a power-sharing dispute with Sid Salomon III (who was taking an increasing role in team affairs),[1] as well as Hall, Plante, Goyette, and ultimately Berenson, who were lost to retirement or trade. The Berenson trade, however, did bring then-Red Wings star center Garry Unger, who ultimately scored 30 goals in eight consecutive seasons while breaking the NHL's consecutive games played record.
Defensively, however, the Blues were less than stellar and saw Chicago and the Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League and are the current Eastern Conference Champions. Part of the 1967 NHL Expansion, the Flyers were the first non-Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup, overtake the division. After missing the playoffs for the first time in 1973–74, the Blues ended up in the Smythe Division after a realignment. This division, too, was particularly weak, and in 1976–77 the Blues won it while finishing five games below .500, though this would be their last playoff appearance in the decade.
In the meantime, the franchise was on the brink of financial collapse. This was partly due to the pressures of the World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League (NHL) since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926. Although the WHA was not the first league since that time to attempt to challenge the NHL's supremacy,, but mostly the result of financial decisions made when the Salomons first acquired the franchise. Deferred contracts came due just as the Blues' performance began to slip. At one point, the Salomons cut the team's staff down to three employees. One of them was Emile Francis, who served as team president, general manager and coach.
Purina era (1977–83)
The Salomons finally found a buyer in St. Louis-based pet food giant Ralston Purina Nestlé Purina PetCare Company is the pet food division of Swiss-based Nestlé, following a merger in December 12, 2001, between the Nestlé's Friskies PetCare Company and the American Ralston Purina Company. It is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1977, who renamed the Arena "the Checkerdome." Francis and minority owner Wolfson helped put together the deal with Ralston Purina, which ensured that the Blues would stay in St. Louis. Only a year after finishing with only 18 wins (still the worst season in franchise history), the Blues made the playoffs in 1980, the first of 25 consecutive post-season appearances. The team's improvement continued into 1981, when the Berenson-coached team, led by Wayne Babych (54 goals), future Hall of Famer The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup. Originally in Kingston, Ontario, the Hockey Hall of Fame was first Bernie Federko (104 points), Brian Sutter (35 goals), and goaltender Mike Liut (second to Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC LLD (pronounced /ˈɡrɛtski/; born January 26, 1961) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Nicknamed "The Great One", Gretzky was called "the greatest player of all time" in Total Hockey: The Official Encyclopedia of the NHL. He is generally regarded as the best player in the history for the Hart Trophy), finished with 45 wins and 107 points, the second-best record in the league. Their regular-season success, however, did not transfer into the playoffs, as they were eliminated by the New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion in the second round. The Blues followed their generally successful 1980–81 campaign with two consecutive sub-.500 seasons, though they still managed to make playoffs each year.
Purina lost an estimated $1.8 million a year during its ownership of the Blues, but took the losses philosophically, having taken over out of a sense of civic responsibility. In 1983, Purina's longtime chairman, R. Hal Dean, retired. His successor wanted to refocus on the core pet food business, and had no interest in hockey. He only saw a division that was bleeding money, and put the Blues on the market. The Blues did not pick anyone in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft because Purina did not send a representative; the company basically abandoned the team. It finally found a buyer in a group of investors led by WHA The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League (NHL) since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926. Although the WHA was not the first league since that time to attempt to challenge the NHL's supremacy, and Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are an ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League founder Bill Hunter, who then made plans to move the team to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. However, the NHL was unwilling to lose a market as large as St. Louis and vetoed the deal. Purina then padlocked the Checkerdome and turned the team over to the league. The team appeared destined for contraction when, on July 27, 1983, Harry Ornest, a Los Angeles Los Angeles is the second largest city in the United States, the largest city in the state of California and the Western United States, with a population of 3.83 million within its administrative limits on a land area of 498.3 square miles (1,290.6 km2). The urban area of Los Angeles extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population-based businessman, came in at the 11th hour to save the franchise. Ornest immediately renamed the Checkerdome back to the St. Louis Arena.
Road to a new arena (1983–96)
Logo used (1984–98)Ornest ran the Blues on a shoestring budget. However, the players did not mind, because (according to Sutter) they badly wanted to stay in St. Louis. For instance, he asked many players to defer their salaries to help meet operating costs, but they always got paid in the end. During most of his tenure, the Blues had only 26 players under contract – 23 in St. Louis, plus three on their farm team in Montana Montana has several nicknames, none official, including: "The Treasure State" and "Big Sky Country," and slogans that include "Land of the Shining Mountains," and more recently, "The Last Best Place." The state ranks fourth in area, but 44th in population, and therefore has the third lowest population. Most NHL teams during the mid-1980s had over 60 players under contract.[2]
Despite being run on the cheap, the Blues remained competitive even though they never finished more than six games over .500 in Ornest's three years as owner. During this time, Doug Gilmour, drafted by St. Louis in 1982, emerged as a star.
However, while the Blues remained competitive, they were unable to keep many of their young players. More often than not, several of the Blues' young guns ended up as Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the Calgary Tigers (1921–27) and Calgary Cowboys (1975–77), and the sight of Flames executive Al MacNeil was always greeted with dread. In fact, several of the Blues' young stars, such as Rob Ramage and Gilmour, were main cogs in the Flames' 1989 Stanley Cup win. Sutter and Federko were probably the only untouchables.[2]
By 1986, the team reached the Campbell Conference Finals against the Flames. Doug Wickenheiser's overtime goal in Game 6 to cap a furious comeback remains one of the greatest moments in team history (known locally as the "Monday Night Miracle"), but the Blues lost Game 7, 2–1. After that season, Ornest sold the team to a group led by St. Louis businessman Michael Shanahan.
St. Louis kept chugging along through the late 1980s and early 1990s. General manager Ron Caron made astute moves, landing forwards Brett Hull, Adam Oates and Brendan Shanahan, defenseman Al MacInnis, and goaltender Grant Fuhr, among others. While the Blues contended during this time period, they never passed the second round of the playoffs. Still, their on-ice success was enough for a consortium of 19 companies to buy the team. They also provided the capital to build the Kiel Center (now the Scottrade Center), which opened in 1994.
Hull, nicknamed the "Golden Brett" (a reference to his father, NHL legend Bobby Hull, who was nicknamed the "Golden Jet"), became one of the league's top superstars and a scoring sensation, netting 86 goals in 1990–91 en route to earning the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player. Hull's 86 goals set the record for most goals in a single season by a right-winger and placed him third for most tallies in a single season for any position;[citation needed] only Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC LLD (pronounced /ˈɡrɛtski/; born January 26, 1961) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Nicknamed "The Great One", Gretzky was called "the greatest player of all time" in Total Hockey: The Official Encyclopedia of the NHL. He is generally regarded as the best player in the history has scored more (notching 92 in 1981–82 and 87 in 1983–84). Mario Lemieux Mario Lemieux, CQ is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1984 and 2005. Lemieux was a gifted playmaker and fast skater, despite his large size and strength, preferring instead to beat defencemen with a series of fakes and dekes previously held that distinction, having notched 85 goals in 76 games during the 1988–89 season. Also, only Gretzky found the net more than Hull during any given three-year period. Despite posting the second-best regular-season record in the entire league in 1990–91, the Blues lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow gold and white. The North Stars played 2,062 regular season games and made the NHL, a defeat that was symbolic of St. Louis' playoff struggles.
From President's Trophy to struggling times (1997–2006)
Mike Keenan was hired as both general manager and coach prior to the abbreviated 1995 season, with the hope that he could cure the post-season turmoil Blues fans had endured for years. Keenan instituted major changes, including trades that sent away fan favorites Brendan Shanahan and Curtis Joseph, as well as the acquisition of the legendary but aging Gretzky and goalie Grant Fuhr, both from the declining Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded on February 9, 1966, when Jack Kent Cooke was awarded an NHL expansion franchise for Los Angeles,, becoming one of the six teams that (Gretzky left for the New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion as an unrestricted free agent The term came into wide use in North America after sports leagues stopped using a "reserve clause", which provided a repetitive option for the club to renew the contract for one or more years but did not allow the player to terminate following the season). In spite of all he was prophesied to accomplish, Keenan's playoff resume with St. Louis included a first-round exit in 1995 and a second-round exit in 1996, and he was fired on December 19, 1996. Caron was reinstated as interim general manager for the rest of season, and GM Larry Pleau was hired on June 9, 1997. But that did not stop Hull, who had a lengthy feud with Keenan, from leaving for the Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The franchise transferred to Dallas for the 1993–94 NHL in 1998. He went on to win the Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs champion. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously (chiefly by sportswriters) as Lord Stanley's Mug. The Stanley Cup is surrounded by numerous legends and traditions, the oldest of which is the with the Stars the next year, scoring a controversial goal on Buffalo The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League's Dominik Hasek to clinch the Cup for Dallas.
Defensemen Chris Pronger (acquired from the Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a North American professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.. Known as the New England Whalers when they were members of the World Hockey Association from 1972–79, the club played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979–97. In 1997, the Whalers franchise was originally moved to Greensboro, in 1995 for Shanahan), Pavol Demitra, Pierre Turgeon, Al MacInnis, and goalie Roman Turek kept the Blues a contender. In 1999–2000, they notched a franchise-record 114 points during the regular season, earning the Presidents' Trophy for the league's best record. However, they were stunned by the San Jose Sharks in the first round in seven games. In 2001, the Blues advanced to the Western Conference Finals before bowing out in five games to eventual Champions Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1996 and 2001. The franchise was founded in Quebec and were the Quebec Nordiques until moving to. They remained competitive for the next three years, but never got past the second round.
Despite years of mediocrity and the stigma of never being able to "take the next step", the Blues were a playoff presence every year from 1980 to 2004 — the third longest streak in North American North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean; South America lies to the southeast professional sports history. Amid several questionable personnel moves and an unstable ownership situation, the Blues finished the 2005–06 season with their worst record in 27 years. They missed the playoffs for only the fourth time in franchise history. Also, for the first time in club history, the normally excellent support seen by St. Louisans began to fade away, with crowds normally numbering around 12,000, a far cry from the team's normal high (about 18,000 in a 19,500 seat arena).
Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores and a chain of membership required warehouse stores. In 2010 it was the world's largest public corporation by revenue, according to the Forbes Global 2000 for that year. The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962, heir Nancy Walton Laurie and her husband Bill purchased the Blues in 1999. On June 17, 2005, the Lauries announced that they would sell the team. Bill Laurie, a former point guard at Memphis State, had long desired to buy an NBA The National Basketball Association, often abbreviated to the NBA, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America which composes thirty 30 franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada. It is an active member of USA Basketball , which is recognized by the International team, and it was thought that this desire caused him to neglect the Blues. On September 29, 2005, it was announced that the Lauries had signed an agreement to sell the Blues to SCP Worldwide, a consulting and investment group headed by former Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at 8th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station. Opening on February 11, 1968, it is the longest active major sporting facility in the New York president Dave Checketts. On November 14, 2005, the Blues announced that SCP Worldwide had officially withdrawn from negotiations to buy the team. On December 27, 2005, it was announced that the Blues had signed a letter of intent to exclusively negotiate with General Sports and Entertainment, LLC. However, after the period of exclusivity, SCP entered the picture again. On March 24, 2006, the Lauries completed the sale of the Blues and the lease to the Savvis Center to SCP and TowerBrook Capital Partners, L.P.
Under new management, the Blues promptly installed John Davidson as president of hockey operations, moving Pleau to a mostly advisory role. The former Rangers goalie promptly made some big deals, picking up Jay McKee, Bill Guerin and Manny Legace from free agency, and bringing Doug Weight back to St. Louis after a brief (and productive) stopover in Carolina The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center. Weight was again traded in December 2007 to the Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their inception, the Ducks have played their home games at the Honda Center along with a minor league player in exchange for Andy McDonald. Davidson also installed a strong development program under head scout Jarmo Kekalainen, using the team's raft of high draft picks in 2006 and 2007 to select highly-touted prospects such as T. J. Oshie, Erik Johnson and David Perron.
The rebuilding (2006–present)
| This section is in a list format that may be better presented using prose Prose is the most typical form of language. The English word 'prose' is derived from the Latin prōsa, which literally translates as 'straight-forward.' While there are critical debates on the construction of prose, its simplicity and loosely defined structure has led to its adoption for the majority of spoken dialogue, factual discourse as well. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (September 2009) |
Following the disappointing 2005–06 season, which saw the Blues with the worst record in the NHL, the new management focused on rebuilding the franchise. At the beginning of the 2006–07 season, the Blues looked to be competitive in the Central Division. However, injuries plagued the team all season, and the lack of a sniper hampered them as well. Fan support was sluggish during the first half of the campaign, and the end of the calendar year was capped by an 11-game losing streak. On December 11, 2006, the Blues fired coach Mike Kitchen and replaced him with former Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded on February 9, 1966, when Jack Kent Cooke was awarded an NHL expansion franchise for Los Angeles,, becoming one of the six teams that coach Andy Murray. [1]. On January 4, 2007, the Blues had a record of 6–1–3 in their previous 10 games, which was the best in the NHL during that stretch. Despite a healthy 24-point jump from the previous season, the strain of playing in a conference where seven teams finished with more than 100 points kept them out of the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Immediately prior to the 2007 trade deadline, the Blues traded several key players, such as Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk and Dennis Wideman, to gain draft picks. (They later re-signed Tkachuk during the offseason.) Brad Boyes, picked up from the Bruins in exchange for Wideman, became the fastest Blues player to reach 40 goals since Brett Hull, doing so during the 2007–08 season.
During the 2007 offseason, the Blues signed free agent Paul Kariya to a 3-year contract worth $18 million, re-signed defenseman Barret Jackman to a one-year contract, lost their captain Dallas Drake to the Detroit Red Wings, and traded prospect Carl Soderberg to the Boston Bruins in exchange for yet more depth in the goalie crease, Hannu Toivonen.
On October 2, 2007, the Blues finalized the season starting roster, which included rookies David Perron, Steven Wagner and Erik Johnson. On October 10, 2007, the Blues introduced a new mascot: Louie.
On December 14, 2007, the Blues traded Doug Weight, a 38 year old four-time All Star center, to the Anaheim Ducks as part of a package to acquire 30-year old center Andy McDonald.
As of December 22, 2007, the Blues telecast on FSN Midwest was estimated to be reaching 30,000 households per game. This is up 125% compared to the same time the previous season.
On February 8, 2008, it was announced that, after going much of the season without a captain, defenseman Eric Brewer was chosen as the team's 19th captain.[2]
On February 26, 2008, the Blues traded veteran defenseman Bryce Salvador to the New Jersey Devils for enforcer, and St. Louis native, Cam Janssen. He made his debut two days later, wearing #55 against the Phoenix Coyotes.
After spending the first half of the 2008–09 season at or near the bottom of the Western Conference, the Blues began to turn things around behind the solid goaltending of Chris Mason. After an astounding second half run, the Blues made the playoffs on April 10, 2009 by defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1. On April 12, the Blues clinched the 6th seed in the Western conference with a 1-0 win against Colorado.
For the first time in five years, the Blues were in the playoffs. They faced the #3 seeded Vancouver Canucks in the 1st round. Despite the team's tremendous run to end the season, the Blues would ultimately lose the series in a quick 4-game sweep.
The Blues relieved coach Andy Murray of his duties on January 2, 2010 after a below expectation record (17-17-6, 40 points), sitting in 12th place in the Conference. Especially galling were the frequent blown leads after two periods, and with the worst Home record (6-13-3) in the entire NHL. Named as interim head coach is Davis Payne, who becomes the 23rd head coach in the Blues' history. Payne was the head coach of the Blues main farm team, the Peoria (IL) Rivermen of the American Hockey League.[3]
Team information
Arena
The Blues play in the 19,150 (not counting standing room) capacity Scottrade Center, where they have played since 1994. Previously the team played in the St. Louis Arena (known as The Checkerdome from 1977 until 1983), where the old St. Louis Eagles played, and which the original owners had to buy as a condition of the 1967 NHL expansion.
Jerseys
Like all NHL teams, the Blues updated their jerseys for the 2007–08 season with new Rbk Edge jerseys. The Blues simplified their design compared to previous jerseys, with only the blue note logo on the front. There were no third jerseys for the 2007–08 season, however, the Blues announced plans for a navy third jersey featuring a new logo. The new logo includes the Gateway Arch with the Blue Note superimposed over it inside a circle with the words "St. Louis" above and "Blues" below. The third jersey was unveiled on September 21, 2008, and debuted during a Blues' home game against the Anaheim Ducks on November 21, 2008.[4]
Mascot
Louie is the current mascot of the St. Louis Blues. He was introduced on October 10, 2007, and on November 3, 2007, the fans voted on his name on the Blues website.
Radio and television
KMOX radio and KPLR television were the initial broadcast outlets for the Blues upon their founding, with team patron Gus Kyle commentating on the games alongside St Louis broadcasting legend Jack Buck. Buck elected to leave the booth after one season, though, and he was replaced by another famed announcer in Dan Kelly. This setup—Kelly as commentator, with either Kyle, Bob Plager or Noel Picard (whose heavy French-Canadian accent became famous, such as calling owner Sid Salomon III "Sid the Turd" instead of "Third") joining as an analyst, simulcast on KMOX and KPLR—continued for over 20 years, save for a brief period when games were televised on KDNL. However, after Kelly's death in 1989, former substitute announcer Ken Wilson took to the mic, joined by either Joe Micheletti or Bruce Affleck on both radio and television. During this time, more games began to be aired on Prime Sports Midwest, the forerunner to today's Fox Sports Midwest.
The long-term partnership between KMOX and the Blues had its problems, however, namely during spring when the ever-popular St. Louis Cardinals began their seasons. Blues games, many of which were crucial to playoff berths, would often be pre-empted for spring training coverage. Angry at having to play "second fiddle", the Blues elected to leave for KTRS radio in 2000. However, in an ironic twist the Cards purchased a controlling interest in KTRS in 2005, and once again preferred to air pre-season baseball over regular-season hockey. In response, the Blues moved back to KMOX starting in the 2006–07 season. 2008-9 saw the Blues play their last game on KPLR, electing to move all their games to FS Midwest.
Currently, Chris Kerber and Kelly Chase are the radio broadcast team. John Kelly (son of Dan) and Darren Pang handle television coverage, along with Bernie Federko (on-ice analyst) and Jim Hayes and Pat Parris (pre- and post-game shows).
Traditions
The Blues have a tradition of playing an organ rendition of W. C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues" at the start of every period and "When the Saints Go Marching In" after a goal and at the end of the period. The Budweiser Theme "Here Comes The King" is still played during games on the organ also. A foghorn was added during the 1992-93 season at the St. Louis Arena and was carried over to The Kiel Center (currently known as Scottrade Center) in 1994.
A late developing Blues tradition was the 5 goal tacos. Before the 2004–05 NHL lockout, the Blues advertised tacos for 35 cents at any local Taco Bell the day following a game in which the Blues scored five or more goals. Games in which the Blues had scored 4 goals were often accompanied by the "We Want Tacos!" chant in anticipation of a fifth goal (and thus 35 cent tacos the following day). Additionally, a series of five lighted boards along the upper deck of the Scottrade Center kept track of the number of goals. Following the lockout, the promotion was discontinued. The tradition was resurrected in a similar promotion during the 2007–2008 season. However, rather than 35 cent tacos, fans had to present their game tickets to receive 1 free taco from Scottrade Center the day following a Blues 5-goal game. In the 2008–09 season, it was announced that after a 5 goal game, fans in attendance would receive coupons for a free 12oz Blizzard at area St. Louis Dairy Queen restaurants.[5] These coupons were attached to a limited edition player trading card which featured Blues stars, past and present. The promotion continued in 2009-10, but with a new restaurant sponsor (McDonald's) and therefore a new signature product (the Big Mac).
The team also has a long tradition of fan-produced programs, sold outside the arena and providing an often biting, sarcastic, humor filled alternative to team/league produced periodicals. The longest-running fan publication, Game Night Revue, was created by a group of fans in the mold of the Chicago Blackhawks' Blue Line Magazine. It operated for over 10 years, from 1994 to 2005, when its owner decided not to resume the magazine after the 2004–05 NHL lockout (one final oversized "goodbye" issue was distributed the first two home games of the 2005-2006 season). After hockey resumed in 2005, a few months after GNR's final issue, a new publication, St. Louis Game Time, was formed by several former GNR staffers, as well as other fans who wanted to write. Priding itself on prospect coverage and a strong presence on the Internet, SLGT has built a loyal following among fans and even several players.
Season-by-season record
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Blues. For the full season-by-season history, see St. Louis Blues seasons
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2004–05 | Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout | |||||||||
| 2005–06 | 82 | 21 | 46 | 15 | 57 | 197 | 292 | 1355 | 5th, Central | Did not qualify |
| 2006–07 | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 81 | 214 | 254 | 1070 | 3rd, Central | Did not qualify |
| 2007–08 | 82 | 33 | 36 | 13 | 79 | 205 | 237 | 1135 | 5th, Central | Did not qualify |
| 2008–09 | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | 233 | 233 | 1135 | 3rd, Central | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Canucks) |
Notable players
See also: List of St. Louis Blues playersCurrent roster
Updated March 1, 2010.[6]
| # | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Canada | Armstrong, DerekDerek Armstrong | 4.0 C | R | 36 | 2009 | Ottawa, Ontario |
| 42 | United States | Backes, DavidDavid Backes | 4.0 C | R | 25 | 2003 | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| 21 | Sweden | Berglund, PatrikPatrik Berglund | 4.0 C | L | 21 | 2006 | Västerås, Sweden |
| 22 | Canada | Boyes, BradBrad Boyes | 4.0 C | R | 27 | 2007 | Mississauga, Ontario |
| 4 | Canada | Brewer, EricEric Brewer (C) | 2.0 D | L | 30 | 2005 | Vernon, British Columbia |
| 28 | Canada | Colaiacovo, CarloCarlo Colaiacovo | 2.0 D | L | 27 | 2008 | Toronto, Ontario |
| 29 | United States | Conklin, TyTy Conklin | 1.0 G | L | 33 | 2009 | Phoenix, Arizona |
| 26 | United States | Crombeen, B. J.B. J. Crombeen | 7.0 RW | R | 24 | 2008 | Denver, Colorado |
| 5 | Canada | Jackman, BarretBarret Jackman (A) | 2.0 D | L | 28 | 1999 | Trail, British Columbia |
| 55 | United States | Janssen, CamCam Janssen | 7.0 RW | R | 25 | 2008 | St. Louis, Missouri |
| 6 | United States | Johnson, ErikErik Johnson | 2.0 D | R | 21 | 2006 | Bloomington, Minnesota |
| 9 | Canada | Kariya, PaulPaul Kariya (A) | 6.0 LW | L | 35 | 2007 | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 19 | Canada | King, D. J.D. J. King | 6.0 LW | L | 25 | 2002 | Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan |
| 50 | Canada | Mason, ChrisChris Mason | 1.0 G | L | 33 | 2008 | Red Deer, Alberta |
| 18 | Canada | McClement, JayJay McClement | 4.0 C | L | 27 | 2001 | Kingston, Ontario |
| 10 | Canada | McDonald, AndyAndy McDonald | 4.0 C | L | 32 | 2007 | Strathroy, Ontario |
| 74 | United States | Oshie, T. J.T. J. Oshie | 4.0 C | R | 23 | 2005 | Mount Vernon, Washington |
| 57 | Canada | Perron, DavidDavid Perron | 6.0 LW | R | 21 | 2007 | Sherbrooke, Quebec |
| 46 | Czechoslovakia | Polak, RomanRoman Polak | 2.0 D | R | 23 | 2004 | Ostrava, Czechoslovakia |
| 20 | Sweden | Steen, AlexanderAlexander Steen | 4.0 C | L | 26 | 2008 | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| 44 | Canada | Sydor, DarrylDarryl Sydor | 2.0 D | R | 37 | 2009 | Edmonton, Alberta |
| 7 | United States | Tkachuk, KeithKeith Tkachuk (A) | 6.0 LW | L | 37 | 2007 | Melrose, Massachusetts |
| 43 | Canada | Weaver, MikeMike Weaver | 2.0 D | R | 31 | 2007 | Bramalea, Ontario |
| 15 | United States | Winchester, BradBrad Winchester | 6.0 LW | L | 29 | 2008 | Madison, Wisconsin |
Team captains
- Al Arbour, 1967–70
- Red Berenson, 1970–71
- Al Arbour, 1971
- Jim Roberts, 1971–72
- Barclay Plager, 1972–76
- Red Berenson, 1976
- Garry Unger, 1976–77
- Red Berenson, 1977–78
- Barry Gibbs, 1978–79
- Brian Sutter, 1979–88
- Bernie Federko, 1988–89
- Rick Meagher, 1989–90
- Scott Stevens, 1990–91
- Garth Butcher, 1991–92
- Brett Hull, 1992–95
- Shayne Corson, 1995–96
- Wayne Gretzky, 1996
- No captain, 1996–97
- Chris Pronger, 1997–2003
- Al MacInnis, 2003–04 [3]
- No captain, 2004–05 (Lockout)
- Dallas Drake, 2005–07
- No captain, 2007–08
- Eric Brewer, 2008– present
Hall of Famers
- Players
- Bernie Federko, C, 1976–89, inducted 2002
- Grant Fuhr, G, 1995–99, inducted 2003
- Wayne Gretzky, C, 1996, inducted 1999
- Glenn Hall, G, 1967–71, inducted 1975
- Doug Harvey, D, 1967–69, inducted 1973
- Dale Hawerchuk, C, 1995–96, inducted 2001
- Brett Hull, F, 1988-98, inducted 2009
- Guy Lapointe, D, 1981–84, inducted 1993
- Al MacInnis, D, 1994–2004, inducted 2007
- Dickie Moore, LW, 1967–68, inducted 1974
- Joe Mullen, F, 1979–86, inducted 2000
- Jacques Plante, G, 1968–70, inducted 1978
- Peter Stastny, C, 1993-95, inducted 1998
- Scott Stevens, D, 1990–91, inducted 2007
- Broadcasters
- Dan Kelly, play-by-play broadcaster, 1968–1989, inducted 1989
Retired numbers
Officially retired
- 2 Al MacInnis, D, 1994–2004, number retired April 9, 2006.
- 3 Bob Gassoff, D, 1974–77, number retired October 1, 1977.
- 8 Barclay Plager, D, 1967–77, number retired March 24, 1981. [4]
- 11 Brian Sutter, LW, 1976–88, number retired December 30, 1988.
- 16 Brett Hull, RW, 1987–1998, number retired December 5, 2006.
- 24 Bernie Federko, RW, 1976–89, number retired March 16, 1991.
The Blues also recognize the NHL's retirement of 99 in honor of Wayne Gretzky.
Honored numbers
- 5 Bob Plager, D, 1967–78, number not officially retired but honored.
- 14 Doug Wickenheiser, LW, 1984–87, number honored and unofficially retired
- No number Dan Kelly, Broadcaster, 1968–89, recognized with an honorary shamrock that hangs from the rafters at Scottrade Center
First-round draft picks
- 1968: Gary Edwards (6th overall)
- 1969: None
- 1970: None
- 1971: Gene Carr (4th overall)
- 1972: Wayne Merrick (9th overall)
- 1973: John Davidson (5th overall)
- 1974: None
- 1975: None
- 1976: Bernie Federko (7th overall)
- 1977: Scott Campbell (9th overall)
- 1978: Wayne Babych (3rd overall)
- 1979: Perry Turnbull (2nd overall)
- 1980: Rik Wilson (12th overall)
- 1981: Marty Ruff (20th overall)
- 1982: None
- 1983: Did not participate
- 1984: None
- 1985: None
- 1986: Jocelyn Lemieux (10th overall)
- 1987: Keith Osborne (12th overall)
- 1988: Rod Brind'Amour (9th overall)
- 1989: Jason Marshall (9th overall)
- 1990: None
- 1991: None
- 1992: None
- 1993: None
- 1994: None
- 1995: None
- 1996: Marty Reasoner (14th overall)
- 1997: None
- 1998: Christian Backman (24th overall)
- 1999: Barrett Jackman (17th overall)
- 2000: Jeff Taffe (30th overall)
- 2001: None
- 2002: None
- 2003: Shawn Belle (30th overall)
- 2004: Marek Schwarz (17th overall)
- 2005: T. J. Oshie (24th overall)
- 2006: Erik Johnson (1st overall) and Patrik Berglund (25th overall)
- 2007: Lars Eller (13th overall), Ian Cole (18th overall) and David Perron (26th overall)
- 2008: Alex Pietrangelo (4th overall)
- 2009: David Rundblad (17th overall)
Franchise scoring leaders
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Blues player
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | P/G |
| Bernie Federko | C | 927 | 352 | 721 | 1,073 | 1.16 |
| Brett Hull | RW | 744 | 527 | 409 | 936 | 1.26 |
| Brian Sutter | LW | 779 | 303 | 333 | 636 | .82 |
| Garry Unger | C | 662 | 292 | 283 | 575 | .87 |
| Pavol Demitra | LW/C | 494 | 204 | 289 | 493 | 1.00 |
| Al MacInnis | D | 613 | 127 | 325 | 452 | .74 |
| Red Berenson | LW | 519 | 172 | 240 | 412 | .79 |
| Keith Tkachuk * | LW | 476 | 195 | 200 | 395 | .82 |
| Chris Pronger | D | 598 | 84 | 272 | 356 | .60 |
| Pierre Turgeon | C | 327 | 134 | 221 | 355 | 1.09 |
NHL awards and trophies
- 1999–2000
- 1968–69, 1969–70
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
- Blake Dunlop: 1980–81
- Jamie McLennan: 1997–98
- Barret Jackman: 2002–03
- Glenn Hall: 1967–68
- Rick Meagher: 1989–90
- Brett Hull: 1990–91
- Chris Pronger: 1999–2000
- Gordon "Red" Berenson: 1980–81
- Brian Sutter: 1990–91
- Joel Quenneville: 1999–2000
- Al MacInnis: 1998–99
- Chris Pronger: 1999–2000
- Kelly Chase: 1997–98
- Phil Goyette: 1969–70
- Brett Hull: 1989–90
- Pavol Demitra: 1999–2000
- Mike Liut: 1980–81
- Brett Hull: 1990–91
- Larry Pleau: 2001–02
- Paul Cavallini: 1989–90
- Chris Pronger: 1997–98, 1999–00
- Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante: 1968–69
- Roman Turek: 1999–2000
Franchise individual records
- Most goals in a season: Brett Hull, 86 (1990–91)
- Most assists in a season: Adam Oates, 90 (1990–91)
- Most points in a season: Brett Hull, 131 (1990–91)
- Most penalty minutes in a season: Bob Gassoff, 306 (1975–76)
- Most points in a season, defenseman: Jeff Brown, 78 (1992–93)
- Most points in a season, rookie: Jorgen Pettersson, 73 (1980–81)
- Most wins in a season: Roman Turek, 42 (1999–00)
- Most shutouts in a season: Glenn Hall, 8 (1968–69)
- Lowest GAA in a season (min 30 GP): Roman Turek, 1.95 (1999–00)
- Best SV% in a season (min 30 GP): Chris Mason, .916 (2008–09) [5]
See also
References
- ^ a b Diamond, Dan (2003). Total NHL. Triumph Books. ISBN 1572436042.
- ^ a b Duhatschek, Eric et al. (2001). Hockey Chronicles. New York City: Checkmark Books. ISBN 0816046972.
- ^ Davis Payne Named Interim Head Coach
- ^ Pinkert, Chris (September 21, 2008). "Blues Unveil Third Jersey". St. Louis Blues. http://blues.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=382747. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ "Blues Re-Introduce Popular Taco Promotion". St. Louis Blues. November 8, 2007. http://blues.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=342640. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ "Blues Roster - St. Louis Blues - Team". St. Louis Blues. http://blues.nhl.com/club/roster.htm?type=roster. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
External links
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