The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the six teams from the 1967 NHL expansion and is named after the W. C. Handy song "Saint Louis Blues". [20] On November 19, 2018, the Blues fired head coach Mike Yeo after starting the season with a 793 record and replaced him with Craig Berube on an interim basis. The mainstream appeal moved a conglomerate of corporate leaders to buy out Shanahan and build the Kiel Center (now the Scottrade Center), opening the downtown doors in 1994. Defensively, however, the Blues were less than stellar and saw Chicago and the Philadelphia Flyers overtake the Division. The Blues remain 0-12 in Stanley Cup finals play. At one point, the Salomons cut the team's staff down to three employees. 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. But from late December through January the Blues lost only twice in 16 games and grabbed a foothold. 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. The remaining staff included the accounting department, scouting staff, and coach Barclay Plager. The Enterprise Center was electric and buzzing with excitement with anticipation of the win. Overview. In each instance, the Blues were swept in four games, twice by the Montreal Canadiens and lastly by the Boston Bruins. Following the 198081 season, the television broadcasts moved from KDNL to NBC affiliate KSD-TV for the 198182 season, produced by Sports Network Incorporated (SNI), owned and operated by Greg Maracek who did the broadcasts with Channel 5 sportscaster Ron Jacober. He gave his players cars, signed them to deferred contracts and treated them to vacations in Florida. It operated for over 10 years, from 1994 to 2005, when its owner decided not to resume the magazine after the 200405 NHL lockout (one final oversized "goodbye" issue was distributed the first two home games of the 200506 season). But with Ron Caron as the general manager and Jacques Demers as the coach, with Federko and Sutter as the foundation, the Blues were competitive. Soon after, Ornest sold the Blues to a group led by Michael Shanahan, head of Engineered Support Systems Inc. Before the 199798 season, the Blues introduced a new alternate white jersey. [41] However, during the 2019 playoffs, Laura Branigan's "Gloria" was played first before The Urge song. In 1985, Ornest, wanting more broadcast revenue, put the radio rights up for bid. The Blues were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings, in the following round. In 201213, the Blues completed the lockout-shortened season in fourth place in the Western Conference. Following further contraction, the league stabilized at six teams after 1942. [26] Shortly after the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, Karla May of the Missouri Senate introduced a bill which would officially designate several items as state symbols of Missouri; including the Blues being as the state's official hockey team. . Last chance! The Blues were one of the six teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion, along with the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and California Seals. The NHL Board of Governors has approved the sale of the St. Louis Blues to a group headed. On March 17, 2011, it was announced that the St. Louis Blues were for sale. 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. With the Blues' victory in their fourth Stanley Cup Finals, 49 years after their last appearance and in their 52nd year of existence, they became the final active team from the 1967 expansion to win their first Stanley Cup. [38] Louie is a blue polar bear and wears a Blues jersey with his name on the back, and the numbers "00". The Checkerboard Square chief even re-painted the fading Arena and re-dubbed it the Checkerdome. Photo by Lloyd Spainhower/St. But with former Blues goaltender and nationally renowned broadcaster John Davidson at the point, they turned the worm. None of the previous owners has brought a Stanley Cup championship to St. Louis. In the Round Robin tournament for the four top-seeded teams of the conference, the Blues failed to get a win, and thus despite winning the regular-season conference title, they ended up being the fourth seed in the West. Behind the solid goaltending of Brian Elliott and scoring heroics of Andy McDonald, the Blues defeated the Sharks in five games, advancing to the conference semifinals. On May 29, the Blues won a Stanley Cup Finals series game for the first time in franchise history after getting swept in three previous series (19681970), when they defeated the Boston Bruins 32 in overtime. [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. With Dorothy Lamour, Lloyd Nolan, Tito Guzar, Jerome Cowan. St. Louis Blues tends to be a variation on jump blues or piano blues, featuring solo singers or a pianist performing with small combos or large bands. During the 3rd Period, The Blues were winning by a large margin against the visiting Nashville Predators. [13] Despite operating on a shoestring, the Blues remained competitive even though they never finished more than six games over .500 in Ornest's three years as owner. Blues owners. [55] The seven individuals recognized as builders by the Hall of Fame includes former Blues executives, general managers, head coaches, and owners. Ornest had made plans to buy the team as early as March, but built up his efforts in late June to have enough money. March 3, 2023 by Marcus Ashpaugh. Incensed, Ralston Purina sued the NHL, padlocked the Checkerdome and abandoned the franchise, leaving a mess for the league to sort out. DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- St. Louis Blues minority owner David L. Steward was celebrating on the TD Garden ice with his son after the Blues defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of . [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. [30] In 201011, the team sold out every home game. 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. In 57.4% of St. Louis' previous games this season (35/61), the teams combined to score over Saturday's over/under of 6.5 goals. Management vowed to build through the draft and implored fans to bank on the future of prospects like T.J. Oshie, David Perron and Patrik Berglund. Off the ice, the cash-poor Checketts operated with an Ornest-like budget; on the ice the team continued to stockpile picks and promise. Attendance went from 8,897 in 1967-68 to 18,238 in 1970-71. This division was particularly weak, and in 197677, the Blues won it while finishing five games below .500, though this would be their last playoff appearance in the decade. In hopes of saving the franchise, Francis persuaded St. Louis-based pet food giant Ralston Purina to buy the team, arena, and the $8.8 million debt. Following the disappointing 200506 season, which saw the Blues with the worst record in the NHL, the new management focused on rebuilding the franchise. Ryan O'Reilly won the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. She runs into the skipper of a showboat who befriends her, and they make plans to put together a musical revue. However, St. Louis was swept in their first Finals appearance by the heavily favored Montreal Canadiens. [a] The Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL) is the team's minor league affiliate. The arrangement made the Blues the only major sports team in North America to be owned by a private equity firm. It has an urban feeling, with little of the rural atmosphere that distinguishes country-blues. The sale price for the team and building lease was reported to be $100 million. They fired their head coach, Davis Payne, and named Ken Hitchcock as his replacement on November 6, 2011. [22] This resurgence included an eleven-game winning streak between February and March, in large part thanks to the emergence of the eventual Calder Trophy nominee, rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington. The moneyline in this contest implies a 35.7% chance for the Blues to win. On April 12, the Blues clinched the sixth seed in the West with a 10 win against the Colorado Avalanche. The jersey introduced the short-lived trumpet logo on the shoulders and featured thin diagonal stripes on the tail and sleeves. While the Blues remained competitive, they were unable to keep many of their young players. During this time, Doug Gilmour, drafted by St. Louis in 1982, emerged as a star. He went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Stars the next year, scoring a controversial goal on the Buffalo Sabres' Dominik Hasek to clinch the Cup for Dallas. The original owners were successful insurance executive Sid Salomon Jr., his son Sid Salomon III and Robert Wolfson. Originally, the Blues aired their games on KPLR-TV and KMOX radio, with team patron Gus Kyle calling games alongside St Louis broadcasting legend Jack Buck. The emotional win two days earlier notwitstanding, the Blues lost Game 7 of the playoffs in Calgary, falling short of the Cup finals. List Of St Louis Blues Owners. However, despite the music stopping, the loyal Blues fans in attendance continued to sing loudly. In 1986, the team reached the Campbell Conference finals and produced one of its signature moments, a "Monday Night Miracle" comeback victory in Game 6. Just before the 2007 NHL trade deadline, the Blues traded several key players, including Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk and Dennis Wideman, in exchange for draft picks, though they re-signed Tkachuk after the season ended. Dean told employes that the St. Louis-based firm had completed its second best fiscal year. The next few seasons became like a broken record. Since 1990, Ron Baechle, also known as the "Towel Man" or "Towel Guy," has celebrated each goal by counting with the bell and throwing a towel into the crowd from section 314. During this time, from 1989 to 2000, more games began to be aired on Prime Sports Midwest, the forerunner to today's Bally Sports Midwest. St. Louis Blues: Directed by Raoul Walsh. St. Louis soon began to attract the interest as a potential NHL market, eventually leading the owners of the moribund Ottawa Senators to relocate there for the 1934-35 season. [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. The following season, 201314, the team hit the 100-point mark for the sixth time in franchise history, and gained a franchise record of 52 wins. St. Louis Blues. In the hiatus preceding the NHL's Return to Play, several Blues players contracted COVID-19, which was cited by the coaching staff as one of the reasons why their play faltered in the playoffs. Jeremy Rutherford is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the St. Louis Blues. The Blues missed the playoffs during the first four full seasons of new ownership. A few weeks later, SCP withdrew and a month later, the Blues announced they had signed an exclusive letter of intent to negotiate with General Sports and Entertainment, LLC. st louis blues traditions. st louis blues traditions. The Blues ended the 1990s as the only NHL team to make the playoffs for the entire decade, although a Stanley Cup title still eluded the franchise. The moves kept. Former Blues forward David Perron was brought back on a free agent deal, while defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was named team captain. The arena was previously known as Scottrade Center, the Savvis Center, and before that as the Kiel Center. The Blues chairman/owner . Early life[edit] Laurie grew up in rural Missouri. An updated version of the blue sweater, produced by Adidas, was brought back in 2019 as their 90s Vintage Jersey.. Under Bowman, the Blues dominated the West for the next two seasons, becoming the only expansion team to compile a winning record, and they captured division titles by wide margins each year. Pronger, Doug Weight and Mike Sillinger were all sent packing. 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. The NHL also said that Ralston broke a league rule that an owner had to give two years' notice before dissolving a franchise. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. [27] The bill was signed into law by Mike Parson, the Governor of Missouri, with the revised statute becoming effective August 29, 2019. The blue jerseys lacked the contrasting yoke until 1979. The Blues got off to a slow start in their initial 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. Attendance plummeted, from 18,560 a game in 2003-04 to 12,520 in 2006-07. After losing Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, the team beat the San Jose Sharks in Game 2 at Scottrade Center, securing its first playoff game victory since 2004. 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. The Blues averaged more than 41 wins but could not get though the conference playoffs. "[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. The Blues season would come to an end at the hands of the San Jose Sharks, who eliminated them in six games. The Stanley Cup playoff format changed in such a way that a Western team was no longer guaranteed a Finals berth, and also the Chicago Black Hawks were moved into the Western Division following the 1970 expansion. It has been called the "Fan Salute" by some. * current Blues player However, in an ironic twist the Cards purchased a controlling interest in KTRS in 2005, and once again preferred to air preseason baseball over regular-season hockey. In 1984, the Blues drastically redesigned their look, adding red and darkening the shade of blue. 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. 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. The Blues were one of the six teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion, along with the . The St. Louis Blues presently acknowledge an affiliation with a number of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame. While the disappointment of that series loss is still fresh, hope springs eternal with the announcement that a new ownership group is in place. Buck elected to leave the booth after one season, though, and was replaced by another famed announcer in Dan Kelly. This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Blues. Seriously underwater., Arch Madness: 2023 MVC Basketball Tournament bracket, schedule, game times, TV info, Centene expects to lose millions of Medicaid customers beginning in April, St. Louis man charged in quadruple fatal crash; police say he ran off with his license plate, Neman: Missouri womans saga of trying to find common sense at Walmart, I can still hear the roaring of the engine, says father of teen maimed in downtown St. Louis. A look at the ownership lineage: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 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." After being one of the worst teams a couple of years before, they were one of the best in 1981, as they finished with a then-franchise-best record of 451817 record which translated to 107 points and the second-best record in the league. KXOK backed out of the contract after just 2 years, and the Blues immediately went back to KMOX, who held the rights until 2000. 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. Jeremy Rutherford is the lead Blues beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. David Backes was also announced as the new team captain. Blues Jump Blues/Piano Blues St. Louis Blues. Especially galling were the frequent blown leads after two periods, and with the worst home record (6133) posted in the entire NHL. He has covered the team since the 2005-06 season, including a dozen years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. [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. Although perennial postseason contenders for most of their history, the franchise frequently struggled in the playoffs, including consecutive Stanley Cup Finals defeats at the end of their first three seasons. This article is about the ice hockey team. It was loud enough, TV cameras picked up the song loud and clear. On February 12, 2020, the Blues suffered another loss as defenseman Jay Bouwmeester suddenly collapsed on the bench in a game against the Anaheim Ducks, and would not come back to play again in the season. The Blues announced plans for a navy third jersey featuring a new logo, with the Gateway Arch with the Blue Note superimposed over it inside a circle with the words "St. Louis" above and "Blues" below. 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. [21] On March 29, 2019, the Blues became the seventh team in NHL since the 196768 season to qualify for the playoffs after being placed last after January 1. The 2016 offseason saw big changes for the Blues, as team captain David Backes left the team to sign with the Boston Bruins, and goaltender Brian Elliott was traded to the Calgary Flames, while veteran forward Troy Brouwer also signed with Calgary as a free agent. The Blues would go on to be upset by the North Stars in six games, thus failing to advance past the first round for the first time in franchise history. This was partly due to the pressures of the World Hockey Association (WHA), but mostly the result of financial decisions made when the Salomons first acquired the franchise. Despite posting the second-best regular-season record in the entire league in 199091, the Blues were upset in the second round of the playoffs to the Minnesota North Stars, a defeat that was symbolic of St. Louis' playoff struggles. He was introduced on October 10, 2007. The Blues kept 26 players under contract, 23 of them in St. Louis. Movies. The logo used on the Blues' jerseys from 1967 to 1984. However, after the period of exclusivity, SCP entered the picture again. 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. 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 season. 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. St. Louis businessman Tom Stillman and his band of investment brothers will announce today they have closed a deal to purchase the Blues. #19 St Louis Blues Team Value 1 $880M Calculated December 2022 Owner (s) Tom Stillman Championships 1 Year Purchased 2012 Price Paid $180M Revenue 2 $180M Operating Income 3 $56M Debt/Value 4. The St. Louis Blues are one of the more successful NHL teams in terms of attendance. After two awful years, including what is still a franchise-worst 185012 record with 48 points in 1979, the Blues made the playoffs the following year, the first of 25 consecutive postseason appearances. Other players like Patrik Berglund, and Alex Steen did not return in time for the season. He returned to California with $3.4 million in profit on the sale of the Blues and $8.2 million in profit on the sale of the Arena. Reluctant to give up on the St. Louis market, the NHL blocked the sale. Wal-Mart heir Nancy Walton Laurie and her husband Bill purchased the Blues in 1999. On October 10, the Blues introduced a new mascot, Louie. They missed the playoffs for only the fourth time in franchise history. Dean retired and his successor, William Stiritz, had no interest in continuing the involvement in hockey. Louie is the mascot of the St. Louis Blues. During the offseason, forward T. J. Oshie was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Troy Brouwer. The arena quickly became one of the loudest buildings in the NHL, a reputation it maintained throughout its tenure as the Blues' home. The jersey brought back the contrasting shoulder yoke and returned to the lighter blue of previous eras. A Broadway musical comedy star tires of the same old grind and flees the city. He saw the Blues as just another money-bleeding division, and put the team on the market. 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. [15] The team later traded veteran defenseman Bryce Salvador to the New Jersey Devils for enforcer, and St. Louis native, Cam Janssen. The Blues are still looking for their first Stanley Cup. Jeff Gordon writes: Controlling the Blues is a great honor for diehard fan Tom Stillman. 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. As general manager and coach, Keenan traded away the popular Brendan Shanahan, tested patience with other curious transactions and cultivated a toxic relationship with Hull. However, they were swept in the Stanley Cup Finals by the Montreal Canadiens in 1969 and then by the Boston Bruins in 1970. The cash-poor Ornest then ran the franchise on a skeletal budget. However, they would continue their strong play even despite being plagued with various other injuries, consistently remaining at or near the top of the Western Conference. However, for the third straight year, they lost in the first round and in six games. In the meantime, the franchise was on the brink of financial collapse. Before the season began, the Blues were hit hard with injuries as they lost Robby Fabbri before the season began. (Jeremy Rutherford photo / Post-Dispatch) Jeremy P. Rutherford , Tom . But a competing carnival owner hatches a scheme to put an end to the show before it begins. [25] This all but assured that Berube would have the "interim" tag removed from his title, which occurred two weeks after their Cup victory. "[50][51] And it did take them to the Stanley Cup. On November 14, 2005, the Blues announced that SCP Worldwide had officially withdrawn from negotiations to buy the team. Ten players reached at least 20 goals, including Wayne Babych, future Hall of Famer Bernie Federko, and team captain Brian Sutter. Figures are updated after each completed NHL season. "We've given them the extreme honor, so it's. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). [Brian O'Reilly (Ryan's dad)] I want to thank all of St Louis especially Doug Armstrong. [31], For the 201415 season, the Blues made a few tweaks to their jerseys. After Dan Kelly's death, Ken Wilson became St. Louis Blues' lead television play-by-play announcer alongside former Blues' players Joe Micheletti and Bruce Affleck. [46] All of these traditions carried over to the Kiel Center (now known as Enterprise Center) in 1994. The initial results were not good. Category:St. Louis Blues owners Pages in category "St. Louis Blues owners" The following 5 pages are in this category, out of 5 total. Finally, in March 2006, the Lauries completed the sale of the team and the Savvis Center lease to SCP and a private equity firm, TowerBrook Capital Partners, L.P. Oct 17, 2016. Bucknor for rejecting handshake: Zero class, Man shot and killed after fight in downtown St. Louis, Fate of St. Louis Fox Theatre still undecided, Liberty High student killed in St. Charles shooting could heal you with a smile, Brothers who did everything together, fashionista among victims in fatal St. Louis crash, St. Louis prosecutors staff down by nearly half as caseloads jump. After missing the playoffs for the first time in 197374, the Blues ended up in the Smythe Division after a League realignment. But the memorable season came to an abrupt end at the hands of the surging Los Angles Kings. And within two years, Hull also was gone, left unsigned to continue a Hall of Fame career with Stanley Cup championships in Dallas and Detroit. During the late 1990s, the Blues nurtured a new identity. Blues Director of Entertainment, Jason Pippi, commented that they played Country Roads by John Denver, "was a bit of an mistake because people love to sing along to that song". The season of 200809 saw the Blues play their last game on KPLR, which had the rights since the 198687 season (except for the 199697 season on CBS affiliate KMOV), electing to move all their games to FS Midwest, starting with the 200910 season.
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