On May 21, the Blues advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1970, defeating the San Jose Sharks in a six-game Western Conference Finals series. St. Louis kept chugging along through the late 1980s and early 1990s. After each goal, a bell is rung and each of the goals are counted by the crowd. Jeff Gordon writes: Controlling the Blues is a great honor for diehard fan Tom Stillman. The St. Louis Blues are one of the more successful NHL teams in terms of attendance. This ended up being the Blues' last game in the regular season, as the season would be cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic shortly afterwards. St Louis Blues Players. October 1, 2019. Hitchcock is a finalist for the Jack Adams coaching award and Doug Armstrong is a contender for general manager of the year. After a strong second-half run, the Blues made the 2009 playoffs on April 10, 2009, after defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 31. [48] 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. The NHL Board of Governors has approved the sale of the St. Louis Blues to a group headed. On March 17, 2012, the Blues became the first team to reach 100 points and clinch a playoff berth in the 201112 season under Hitchcock, qualifying for their first playoffs since 200809. He scored 16 points in 13 games after his arrival, but the season ended in frustration as the Blues lost Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals to Detroit. They faced the third-seeded Vancouver Canucks in the first round, but despite the team's tremendous run to end the season, the Blues would ultimately lose the series in a quick four-game sweep. Photo by UPI, St. Louis Blues chairman Mike Shanahan at a game in January of 1987, agonizing from the owner's box. While the Blues remained competitive, they were unable to keep many of their young players. [44] Beginning in 2018, the win song has been the aforementioned song recorded by The Urge. It wasn't. But the memorable season came to an abrupt end at the hands of the surging Los Angles Kings. Under the expansion playoff format, Bowman's leadership was enough as the Blues qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural season. NHL president Clarence Campbell said during the 1967 expansion meetings, "We want a team in St. Louis because of the city's geographical location and the fact that it has an adequate building."[4]. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season. [41], At the end of the national anthem before every home game, the words "the home of the brave" are drowned out by fans with "the home of the Blues. From 1967 until 1994, 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. Their situation was not helped by the decision to keep the Eagles in the Canadian Division to keep the divisions balanced, which left the team with unaffordable travel expenses to games in Toronto and Montreal. Tom Stillman becomes the eighth owner in Blues franchise history. The Salomons might have been the most generous employers in sports history. As part of the expansion, the NHL had agreed to put all of the expansion teams in the new Western Division, an arrangement which was intended to ensure all of the new teams all had an equal chance of reaching the playoffs. I really respect the fact that he puts the needs of the many ahead of the needs of the few. On January 4, 2007, the Blues had a record of 613 in their previous ten games, which was the best in the NHL during that stretch. Things got worse after Keenan orchestrated a bold trade to acquire Wayne Gretzky late in the 1995-96 season. Berenson, who had played previously in Montreal and New York, commented: "In New York or Montreal, all you'd get would be a handshake.". The latest STL Blues hockey news, NHL headlines, scores, standings and rosters. In between seasons and during trade deadlines, the Blues became a must-see attraction. This setupKelly as commentator, with either Kyle, Bob Plager, or Noel Picard (whose heavy French-Canadian . Audience capacity was increased from 12,000 to 15,000 at the Arena, which had been home to the Central Hockey League's St. Louis Braves. On January 12, 1983, Batoni-Hunter Enterprises Ltd., led by WHA and Edmonton Oilers founder Bill Hunter, tendered an offer to buy the team. The St. Louis Blues presently acknowledge an affiliation with a number of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame. After an early-season coaching change brought Ken Hitchcock aboard, the Blues broke through this season with 109 points, two points removed from the best record in the NHL. On November 14, 2005, the Blues announced that SCP Worldwide had officially withdrawn from negotiations to buy the team. In 201213, the Blues completed the lockout-shortened season in fourth place in the Western Conference. The NHL also said that Ralston broke a league rule that an owner had to give two years' notice before dissolving a franchise. A third-round loss to Colorado in 2000-01 was especially deflating. Jake Allen was now the starting goaltender for the Blues, while the team also signed former Nashville Predators backup Carter Hutton. The mistake was that play resumed before the chorus was over and the music had to stop. He made his debut two days later, wearing number 55 against the Phoenix Coyotes. Hi I have 4 tickets to the blues game tonight vs the San Jose sharks. The Blues also dealt away Paul Stastny to the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline for their 1st round pick as they won only 23 games of their remaining 51, but they still had a chance to get into the playoffs on the last day of their season against the Colorado Avalanche. They also had strong goaltending led by Mike Liut. He was replaced by assistant coach Scotty Bowman, who thereafter led the team to a winning record for the rest of the season. Following the disappointing 200506 season, which saw the Blues with the worst record in the NHL, the new management focused on rebuilding the franchise. None of the previous owners has brought a Stanley Cup championship to St. Louis. They play their home games at the 19,150-seat Enterprise Center in downtown St. Louis, which has been their arena since moving from St. Louis Arena in 1994. [15] The team later traded veteran defenseman Bryce Salvador to the New Jersey Devils for enforcer, and St. Louis native, Cam Janssen. The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis. Starting after a couple of players heard "Gloria" by Laura Branigan, after their win in Philadelphia on January 3, 2019, the team started to use the song after every home win, and lasted all the way up to their Stanley Cup win. Ten days before the deadline NHL President John Ziegler set for dissolving the franchise, Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Harry Ornest stepped up with the only formal bid. They also requested that the court allow them to give up the team and bar the NHL from interfering with the sale of the team. After the 200405 lockout, the Blues' attendance suffered, but has since improved every year since its all-time low in 200607. The Blues are currently the only team in the four major North American sports (ice hockey, basketball, baseball, and American football) to be owned by a private equity firm. Here is a list of the team's owners since its inception: -Sidney Salomon Jr. -Ralph Sauer -Harry Ornest -Michael Shanahan -Dave Checketts -Tom Stillman. No sooner had the season ended than Demers departed for Detroit. At one point, the Salomons cut the team's staff down to three employees. 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.[6]. During the season, he publicly criticized Gretzky, who entered free agency after the season, declined an offer from the Blues, and took a less lucrative contract with the New York Rangers. Additionally, fans complained they could not hear the station at night (it had to readjust its coverage due to a glut of clear channels on adjacent frequencies). Disillusioned by Keenan's contentious style, Gretzky became a free agent and departed for New York. 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., a private equity firm. Other players like Patrik Berglund, and Alex Steen did not return in time for the season. The next few seasons became like a broken record. During the 2007 off-season, the Blues signed free agent Paul Kariya to a three-year contract worth $18million, 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 Bruins in exchange for yet more depth in the goal crease, Hannu Toivonen. Soon after, Ornest sold the Blues to a group led by Michael Shanahan, head of Engineered Support Systems Inc. Originally, the St. Louis Blues aired their games on KPLR-TV and KMOX radio, with team patron Gus Kyle calling games alongside St Louis broadcasting legend Jack Buck. In fact, they made it to the conference finals only two times in their streak (1986 and 2001). The jersey introduced the short-lived trumpet logo on the shoulders and featured thin diagonal stripes on the tail and sleeves. The jersey brought back the contrasting shoulder yoke and returned to the lighter blue of previous eras. [31], For the 201415 season, the Blues made a few tweaks to their jerseys. [23] On June 12, 2019, the Blues defeated the Bruins 41 in Game 7 to win their first Stanley Cup. That included Federko, Gassoff, Hull, MacInnis, Bob and Barclay Plager, Pronger and Sutter, along with Kelly, the Blues' legendary broadcaster. [55] Dan Kelly, the Blues' radio play-by-play announcer, was awarded the first Blues broadcaster to receive the award in 1989. However, injuries plagued the team all season, and the lack of a bona fide scorer hampered them as well. In March 2011, Checketts announced he was putting the team and the Scottrade Center lease up for sale, projecting a deal would be struck before the 2011-12 season started. The St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history later that season. "[40] On October 1, 2018, it was reported that, for the upcoming season, a new goal song recorded by St. Louis-based band The Urge, "The Blues Have The Urge," would be played after Blues goals, immediately following the traditional organ music. Photo by Scott C. Dine/St. David Backes was also announced as the new team captain. [17] During the 2011 NHL offseason, the team signed many key free agents, including Brian Elliott, Scott Nichol, Kent Huskins, Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner. Declining revenue reached a critical stage by the end of the 1976-77 season, and the Blues reduced their management staff to three. During the 3rd Period, The Blues were winning by a large margin against the visiting Nashville Predators. He also purchased the Checkerdome from Ralston Purina for $5 million, then raised $3 million in operating expenses. Jeremy Boyer, the Blues organist, plays a Glenn Miller arrangement of W. C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues" in its entirety before games and a short version at the end of every period, followed by "When the Saints Go Marching In." In 1978-79, the Blues won 18 of 80 games, or just one more than the NFL's 1972 Miami Dophins. In addition, the contrasting shoulder yoke was removed. Ultimately, it was the Blues who prevailed by winning in seven games each over the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota North Stars to reach the 1968 Stanley Cup Finals. Like all NHL teams, the Blues updated their jerseys for the 200708 season with new Rbk Edge jerseys. List of former Blues players set to return to St. Louis before the end of the season . 5 to the rafters", "Blues retire Pronger's number on 'very special' night in St. Louis", "Perfect setting: Gretzky's number retired before All-Star Game", "Brian Elliott, Blues Stats National Hockey League.com Players", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St._Louis_Blues&oldid=1141928547, Most points in a season: Brett Hull, 131 (199091), Lowest GAA in a season (min 30 GP): Brian Elliott, 1.56 (201112), Best SV% in a season (min 30 GP): Brian Elliott, .940 (201112), This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 16:20. [5] Upon acquiring the franchise in 1966, Salomon then spent several million dollars on extensive renovations for the 38-year-old arena, expanding it from 12,000 seats to 15,000. [12] To date, this is the closest that an NHL team has come to folding since the Cleveland Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars after the 197778 season. This marked the second-straight year the Blues lost in the first round of the playoffs to the reigning champions in six games after leading the series 20. [55] The seven individuals recognized as builders by the Hall of Fame includes former Blues executives, general managers, head coaches, and owners. Before the season began, the Blues were hit hard with injuries as they lost Robby Fabbri before the season began. 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 president Dave Checketts. The Blues, who have never won the Cup, are marginally profitable during the. The St. Louis Blues medical team is a group of Washington University in St. Louis orthopedic specialists from Barnes-Jewish Hospital led by Washington University in St. Louis' Chief of Sports Medicine Matthew Matava.[39]. [47], 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- and League-produced periodicals. Early in the morning of trade deadline day, the St. Louis Blues and the Detroit Red Wings agreed to a deal. Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Most Popular Video Games Most Popular Music Videos Most Popular Podcasts. John Davidson, received the award in 2009 for his contributions in television broadcasting. The Blues missed the playoffs during the first four full seasons of new ownership. League president John Ziegler said they would try to keep the team in St. Louis. On February 9, 2019, another tradition was born. st louis blues traditions. The former New York Rangers goaltender promptly made multiple blockbuster 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. Quenneville was fired during the 2003-04 season and like so many prominent Blues alumni before him Hull, Shanahan, Stevens, Pronger he went on to win a Cup elsewhere. [13] After that season, Ornest sold the team to a group led by St. Louis businessman Michael Shanahan. Attendance had gone from a peak of 18,601 a game in 1972-73 to 10,130. St. Louis Blues (1958) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. [32], When Adidas became the uniform provider before the 201718 season, the Blues kept most of the same template, with the exception of the home jersey numbers changing from gold to white. Ten players reached at least 20 goals, including Wayne Babych, future Hall of Famer Bernie Federko, and team captain Brian Sutter. "[42], Starting in 2014, the team introduced a win song in the form of Pitbull's "Don't Stop The Party",[43] but from 2016 to 2018, the win song was "Song 2" by Blur after public backlash against using a Pitbull song. The Blues chairman/owner . Nevertheless, the Black Hawks owners still owned the St. Louis Arena. ST. LOUIS (KTVI) - There's been talk that the Rams move is great news for the St. Louis Blues: freeing up more money for St. Louis sports fans to spend on hockey. Nonetheless, the team remained competitive for the next three years, despite never advancing beyond the second round. This article is about the ice hockey team. New owners take over Blues BY TOM TIMMERMANN May 10, 2012 0 NHL commissioner Gary Bettman (left) introduces new St. Louis Blues majority owner Tom Stillman during a press conference on. Phil Goyette won the Lady Byng Trophy for the Blues in 1970 and New York Rangers castoff Red Berenson became the expansion team's first major star at center. As the Blues faced the Oilers on December 7, 1982; brochures were distributed saying "Saskatchewan in the NHL". Because they were not required to participate in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, they did not send a representative, which led the Blues to forfeit their picks. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). For the song, see. After each Home win, the entire St Louis Blues team skates to center ice and in unison, raise their sticks and clap while the goal horn blares, to thank the Blues fans in attendance and watching on TV. Pronger, Doug Weight and Mike Sillinger were all sent packing. However, he resigned as head coach in late November after recording a 4132 record. In the 1999-2000 season, Quenneville's club won 51 games and collected 114 points, capturing the first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history.