St. Louis Blues (hockey)
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| St. Louis Blues | |
 | |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 1967 |
| History | St. Louis Blues 1967-present |
| Arena | Scottrade Center |
| City | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Local Media Affiliates | FSN Midwest KPLR (CW 11) KTRS (550 AM) |
| Team Colors | Royal Blue, Dark Blue, and Gold |
| Owner | Dave Checketts |
| General Manager | Larry Pleau |
| Head Coach | Mike Kitchen |
| Captain | Dallas Drake |
| Minor League Affiliates | Peoria Rivermen (AHL) Alaska Aces (ECHL) |
| Stanley Cups | None |
| Conference Championships | None |
| Division Championships | 1968-69, 1969-70, 1976-77, 1980-81, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1999-00 |
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy tune "St. Louis Blues".
Contents |
[edit] Franchise history
[edit] Early history (1967-70)
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 Oakland Seals, when the league doubled in size. The newcomers were, however, hampered by restrictive rules that kept virtually all the top players with the existing "Original Six" teams.
St. Louis was the last of the expansion teams to officially get in the league. It was selected over Baltimore at the insistence of the Chicago Blackhawks (owned by the influential Wirtz Family of Chicago), who wanted to unload the decrepit St. Louis Arena, which they also owned, to a new franchise holder. The team's first owner was insurance tycoon Sid Salomon, Jr. His son, Sid III, convinced his initially wary father to make a bid for the team. Salomon then spent several million dollars upgrading the 38-year-old arena, which had not been well maintained since the 1940s, to NHL standards. By opening night, the arena boasted almost 15,000 seats, up from 12,000 at the start of 1967. It never stopped being renovated from that day on, and held almost 20,000 seats by the time the Blues left the arena in 1994.
The Blues, originally coached by Lynn Patrick and then Scotty Bowman, proved to be the class of the admittedly weak Western Division. The playoff format guaranteed one of the expansion teams would make the Stanley Cup Finals, and the Blues would play for the Cup in each of their first three years of existence, although they failed to win a single game in any of the three final series', losing to the Boston Bruins in 1970, and the Montreal Canadiens in 1968 and 1969. 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 proved more durable, winning a Vezina Trophy in 1969 behind a sterling defense featuring players like skilled defensive forward Jim Roberts and hardrock defensemen, the Plagers, brothers Bob and Barclay. New York Rangers castoff Gord Berenson became the expansion team's first major star at center, and Phil Goyette won the Lady Byng Trophy for the Blues in 1970. The Arena was almost always sold out, and became one of the loudest buildings in the National Hockey League; the waiting list for season tickets soon rivaled that of the National Football League's Green Bay Packers.
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. Players like Plante, Hall and Harvey were used to being treated like serfs, and felt the only way to pay Salomon back was to leave everything on the ice every night.
[edit] Back to earth (1970-77)
The 1970s were less kind to the Blues. Continuing imbalance led the league to transfer the Blackhawks to the West Divsion for 1970-71, and to introduce a "crossover" playoff format that would ultimately exclude any of the expansion teams from the finals for the next three seasons. Bowman left for Montreal in 1971 after a feud with Sid Salomon III, who began to take a greater role in running the team. Older stars such as Hall, Plante and Goyette retired or were traded, as was Berenson for star Detroit Red Wings center Garry Unger. Unger scored thirty or more goals eight straight seasons for the franchise en route to breaking the NHL record for most consecutive games played, but beyond the Plagers on defense talent was thin, and the division was soon dominated by Chicago and the Philadelphia Flyers. St. Louis missed the playoffs outright for the first time in 1974. Realignment placed the team in the Smythe Division the next season and the team got a few good seasons out of forward Chuck Lefley and the reacquired Berenson, but the division in general was so weak as to become a cliché for mediocrity — the Blues won the division title in 1977 while finishing five games under .500 — and they missed the playoffs the two seasons following behind disastrous goaltending.
In the meantime, the franchise was on the brink of financial collapse. This was partly due to the pressures of the World Hockey Association, but largely due to financial decisions made when the Salomons first got the franchise. The deferred contracts came due just as the Blues' performance began to slip. At one point, the Salomons seriously considered bankruptcy, and cut the team's staff down to three employees. One of them was Emile Francis, who served as team president, coach and general manager all at once, and even swept the Arena at times.
[edit] Purina to the rescue (1977-83)
The Salomons finally found a buyer in St. Louis-based pet food giant Ralston Purina in 1977, who renamed the Arena "the Checkerdome." 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 straight playoff appearances. By 1981, they were the second-best team in the league in the regular season, with Berenson as coach and fresh new stars, including Wayne Babych scoring 54 goals, future Hockey Hall of Famer Bernie Federko (who would lead the team in scoring), inspirational leader Brian Sutter and franchise goaltender Mike Liut. The Blues fell rather flat in the playoffs that year, losing in six games to the New York Rangers in the second round. The Blues quietly slid back below .500, but they still made the playoffs in 1982 and 1983 despite finishing well below .500 in both seasons.
[edit] Rescued from the brink again (1983-86)
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 didn't pick anyone in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft because Purina didn't send a representative; it basically abandoned the team. It finally found a buyer in a group of investors led by WHA and Edmonton Oilers founder Bill Hunter. Hunter then made plans to move the team to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. However, the NHL was unwilling to lose a market as big as St. Louis and vetoed the deal. Hunter then padlocked the Checkerdome and turned the team over to the league. The team appeared destined for contraction in July when Harry Ornest, a Los Angeles-based businessman, came in at the 11th hour to save the franchise. Ornest immediately renamed the Checkerdome back to the St. Louis Arena.
Ornest ran the Blues on a shoestring budget, but the team returned to respectability almost immediately. Doug Gilmour, drafted by St. Louis in 1982, emerged as a superstar. 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, 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. By 1986, they reached the league semi-finals against the Flames. Doug Wickenheiser's overtime goal in game six to cap a furious comeback remains one of the greatest moments in team history, but they lost game seven 2-1. After that season, Ornest sold the team to a group led by St. Louis businessman Michael Shanahan.
[edit] Close, but no cigar (1986-present)
The Blues kept chugging along through the late 1980s and early 90s. General Manager Ron Caron was one of the more astute in the league, landing "The Golden Brett" Hull, Adam Oates, Curtis Joseph, Brendan Shanahan (no relation to Michael) and Al MacInnis, among others. While they contended during this time period, they never passed the second round of the playoffs. Still, the Blues' 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.
"The Golden Brett" remained one of the league's top superstars, scoring 86 goals in 1990-91 — technically third only to Wayne Gretzky (who played in St. Louis briefly in 1996) in goals scored in a season in NHL history — Gretzky had had a 92-goal 1981-82 season and continued with a next year of 87 goals. Only "The Great One" has found the net more often than Hull over any given three seasons. The Blues were the second-best team in the regular season in 90-91, but a second-round defeat to the Minnesota North Stars was indicative of their playoff woes.
"Iron Mike" Keenan was hired as both general manager and coach prior to the abbreviated 1995 season, lauded as the "playoff coach" that could cure the postseason turmoil Blues fans had endured for years. He instituted major changes, among them 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 falling-apart Los Angeles Kings (Gretzky left for the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent following the season). In spite of all he was prophesized to accomplish, his playoff resume with St. Louis included a first-round exit in 1995 and a second-round exit in 1996. Neither the fans nor the team ownership were fond of Keenan or what he did, and he was fired on December 19, 1996. Caron was reinstated as interim general manager for the rest of season, and current GM Larry Pleau was hired on June 9, 1997. But that did not stop Hull, who'd nevertheless endured a lengthy feud with Keenan, from leaving for the Dallas Stars in 1998, who went on to win the Stanley Cup the next year.
Defenseman Chris Pronger (acquired from the Hartford Whalers in 1995 for Shanahan), Pavol Demitra, Pierre Turgeon, MacInnis, and goalie Roman Turek kept the Blues a contender. In 1999-2000, they had the best record in the NHL during the regular season, earning the Presidents' Trophy, but 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.
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 second longest active streak in North American professional sports at the time. Amidst a depletion in talent over recent years and an unstable ownwership 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) and a sign that the city's sports fans have lost faith in the team's ability to play quality hockey.
Wal-Mart heir Bill Laurie purchased the Blues in 1998, but on June 17, 2005 announced that he would sell the team. On September 29, 2005 it was announced that Laurie has signed an agreement to sell the Blues to Dave Checketts. On November 14, 2005 the Blues announced that Checketts' group, Sports Capital Partners, has 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, Checketts entered the picture again. On March 24, 2006, the Lauries completed the sale of the Blues and the lease to the Savvis Center to Checketts, Sports Capital Partners (SCP) and TowerBrook Capital Partners, L.P. Checketts promptly installed John Davidson as team president and de facto GM, moving the much-maligned Larry 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. Davidson is attempting to build a strong American base of players for the Blues, just like the Dallas Stars have done with players from Finland and the New York Rangers are attempting to do with Czech skaters. The New Jersey Devils already have many strong Americans too.
So far, the 2006 season has been fairly productive, with the Blues looking quite competitive in the Central Division this year. However, injuries have plagued the side (their three top defensemen — Barret Jackman, Christian Bäckman and McKee — have all been sidelined) and the lack of a pure sniper has hampered them as well. The jury is out, however, about fan support, due to two reasons: Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals' playoff run, which has drawn energy away from the Blues; and the fact that the normal Christmas rush to buy tickets as gifts has not taken place. However, the 17,500-plus crowd seen at Scottrade Center for the Opening Night win against Boston, made even more notable given that the Cardinals were playing the New York Mets at Busch Stadium that same night, was seen by the St. Louis hockey faithful as a promising sign that hockey is back in "Baseball City USA".
[edit] Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1967-68 | 74 | 27 | 31 | 19 | -- | 70 | 177 | 191 | 792 | 3rd in Western | Won in Quarterfinals, 4-3 (Flyers) </br> Won in Semifinals, 4-3 (North Stars) </br> Lost in Finals, 0-4 (Canadiens) |
| 1968-69 | 76 | 37 | 25 | 14 | -- | 88 | 204 | 157 | 838 | 1st in Western | Won in Quarterfinals, 4-0 (Flyers) </br> Won in Semifinals, 4-0 (Kings) </br> Lost in Finals, 0-4 (Canadiens) |
| 1969-70 | 76 | 37 | 27 | 12 | -- | 86 | 224 | 179 | 876 | 1st in Western | Won in Quarterfinals, 4-2 (North Stars) </br> Won in Semifinals, 4-2 (Penguins) </br> Lost in Finals, 0-4 (Bruins) |
| 1970-71 | 78 | 34 | 25 | 19 | -- | 87 | 223 | 208 | 1092 | 2nd in Western | Lost in Quarterfinals, 2-4 (North Stars) |
| 1971-72 | 78 | 28 | 39 | 11 | -- | 67 | 208 | 247 | 1150 | 3rd in Western | Won in Quarterfinals, 4-3 (North Stars) </br> Lost in Semifinals, 0-4 (Bruins) |
| 1972-73 | 78 | 32 | 34 | 12 | -- | 76 | 206 | 248 | 1195 | 4th in Western | Lost in Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Black Hawks) |
| 1973-74 | 78 | 26 | 40 | 12 | -- | 64 | 206 | 248 | 1147 | 6th in Western | Did not qualify |
| 1974-75 | 80 | 35 | 31 | 14 | -- | 84 | 269 | 267 | 1275 | 2nd in Smythe | Lost in Preliminary Round, 0-2 (Penguins) |
| 1975-76 | 80 | 29 | 37 | 14 | -- | 72 | 249 | 290 | 1274 | 3rd in Smythe | Lost in Preliminary Round, 1-2 (Sabres) |
| 1976-77 | 80 | 32 | 39 | 9 | -- | 73 | 239 | 276 | 877 | 1st in Smythe | Lost in Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Canadiens) |
| 1977-78 | 80 | 20 | 47 | 13 | -- | 53 | 195 | 304 | 845 | 4th in Smythe | Did not qualify |
| 1978-79 | 80 | 18 | 50 | 12 | -- | 48 | 249 | 348 | 1055 | 3rd in Smythe | Did not qualify |
| 1979-80 | 80 | 34 | 34 | 12 | -- | 80 | 266 | 278 | 1037 | 2nd in Smythe | Lost in Preliminary Round, 0-3 (Black Hawks) |
| 1980-81 | 80 | 45 | 18 | 17 | -- | 107 | 352 | 281 | 1657 | 1st in Smythe | Won in Preliminary Round, 3-2 (Penguins) </br> Lost in Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Rangers) |
| 1981-82 | 80 | 32 | 40 | 8 | -- | 72 | 315 | 349 | 1579 | 3rd in Norris | Won in Division Semifinals, 3-1 (Jets) </br> Lost in Division Finals, 2-4 (Black Hawks) |
| 1982-83 | 80 | 25 | 40 | 15 | -- | 65 | 285 | 316 | 1281 | 4th in Norris | Lost in Division Semifinals, 1-3 (Black Hawks) |
| 1983-84 | 80 | 32 | 41 | 7 | -- | 71 | 293 | 316 | 1614 | 2nd in Norris | Won in Division Semifinals, 3-1 (Red Wings) </br> Lost in Division Finals, 3-4 (North Stars) |
| 1984-85 | 80 | 37 | 31 | 12 | -- | 86 | 299 | 288 | 1301 | 1st in Norris | Lost in Division Semifinals, 0-3 (North Stars) |
| 1985-86 | 80 | 37 | 34 | 9 | -- | 83 | 302 | 291 | 1478 | 3rd in Norris | Won in Division Semifinals, 3-2 (North Stars) </br> Won in Division Finals, 4-3 (Maple Leafs) </br> Lost in Conference Finals, 3-4 (Flames) |
| 1986-87 | 80 | 32 | 33 | 15 | -- | 79 | 281 | 293 | 1572 | 1st in Norris | Lost in Division Semifinals, 2-4 (Maple Leafs) |
| 1987-88 | 80 | 34 | 38 | 8 | -- | 76 | 278 | 294 | 1919 | 2nd in Norris | Won in Division Semifinals, 4-1 (Blackhawks) </br> Lost in Division Finals, 1-4 (Red Wings) |
| 1988-89 | 80 | 33 | 35 | 12 | -- | 78 | 275 | 285 | 1675 | 2nd in Norris | Won in Division Semifinals, 4-1(North Stars) </br> Lost in Division Finals, 1-4 (Blackhawks) |
| 1989-90 | 80 | 37 | 34 | 9 | -- | 83 | 295 | 279 | 1809 | 2nd in Norris | Won in Division Semifinals, 4-1 (Maple Leafs) </br> Lost in Division Finals, 3-4 (Blackhawks) |
| 1990-91 | 80 | 47 | 22 | 11 | -- | 105 | 310 | 250 | 1987 | 2nd in Norris | Won in Division Semifinals, 4-3 (Red Wings) </br> Lost in Division Finals, 2-4 (North Stars) |
| 1991-92 | 80 | 36 | 33 | 11 | -- | 83 | 279 | 266 | 2041 | 3rd in Norris | Lost in Division Semifinals, 2-4 (Blackhawks) |
| 1992-93 | 84 | 37 | 36 | 11 | -- | 85 | 282 | 278 | 1889 | 4th in Norris | Won in Division Semifinals, 4-0 (Blackhawks) </br> Lost in Division Finals, 3-4 (Maple Leafs) |
| 1993-94 | 84 | 40 | 33 | 11 | -- | 91 | 270 | 283 | 1659 | 4th in Central | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Stars) |
| 1994-951 | 48 | 28 | 15 | 5 | -- | 61 | 178 | 135 | 1077 | 2nd in Central | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Canucks) |
| 1995-96 | 82 | 32 | 34 | 16 | -- | 80 | 219 | 248 | 1823 | 4th in Central | Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-2 (Maple Leafs) </br> Lost in Conference Semifinals, 3-4 (Red Wings) |
| 1996-97 | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | -- | 83 | 236 | 239 | 1336 | 4th in Central | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Red Wings) |
| 1997-98 | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | -- | 98 | 256 | 204 | 1414 | 3rd in Central | Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-0 (Kings) </br> Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Red Wings) |
| 1998-99 | 82 | 37 | 32 | 13 | -- | 87 | 237 | 209 | 1308 | 2nd in Central | Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-3 (Coyotes) </br> Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Stars) |
| 1999-00 | 82 | 51 | 19 | 11 | 1 | 114 | 248 | 165 | 1139 | 1st in Central | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Sharks) |
| 2000-01 | 82 | 43 | 22 | 12 | 5 | 103 | 249 | 195 | 1345 | 2nd in Central | Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-2 (Sharks) </br> Won in Conference Semifinals, 4-0 (Stars) </br> Lost in Conference Finals, 1-4 (Avalanche) |
| 2001-02 | 82 | 43 | 27 | 8 | 4 | 98 | 227 | 188 | 1343 | 2nd in Central | Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-1 (Blackhawks) </br> Lost in Conference Semifinals, 1-4 (Red Wings) |
| 2002-03 | 82 | 41 | 24 | 11 | 6 | 99 | 253 | 222 | 1618 | 2nd in Central | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3-4 (Canucks) |
| 2003-04 | 82 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 91 | 191 | 198 | 1274 | 2nd in Central | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Sharks) |
| 2004-052 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2005-06 | 82 | 21 | 46 | -- | 15 | 57 | 197 | 292 | 1355 | 5th in Central | Did not qualify |
| 2006-07* | 23 | 7 | 13 | -- | 3 | 17 | 54 | 76 | 400 | 3rd in Central |
- 1 Season was shortened due to the 1994-95 NHL lockout.
- 2 Season was cancelled due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout.
- * Current Stats as of 11/28/2006 (PM).
[edit] Notable players
[edit] Current roster
| # | Player | Catches | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Image:Flag of Canada.svg | Curtis Sanford (Injured) | L | 2000 | Owen Sound, Ontario |
| 30 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg | Jason Bacashihua | L | 2001 | Garden City, Michigan |
| 34 | Image:Flag of Canada.svg | Manny Legace | L | 2006 | Alliston, Ontario |
| <center>Defensemen | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Player | Shoots | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| 4 | Image:Flag of Canada.svg | Eric Brewer | L | 2005 | Vernon, British Columbia |
| 5 | Image:Flag of Canada.svg | Barret Jackman - A | L | 1999 | Trail, British Columbia |
| 20 | Image:Flag of Canada.svg | Jamie Rivers | L | 2006 | Ottawa, Ontario |
| 25 | Image:Flag of Canada.svg | Dennis Wideman | R | 2004 | Kitchener, Ontario |
| 27 | Image:Flag of Canada.svg | Bryce Salvador | L | 1996 | Brandon, Manitoba |
| 28 | Image:Flag of Canada.svg | Matt Walker (Injured) | R | 1998 | Beaverlodge, Alberta |
| 29 | Image:Flag of Canada.svg | Jeff Woywitka | L | 2005 | Vermillion, Alberta |
| 55 | Image:Flag of Sweden.svg | Christian Bäckman | L | 1998 | Alingsas, Sweden |
| 74 | Image:Flag of Canada.svg | Jay McKee (IR) | L | 2006 | Kingston, Ontario |
[edit] Team captains
- Al Arbour, 1967-70
- Red Berenson, 1970-71
- Barclay Plager, 1971-76
- No captain, 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, 1997-02
- Al MacInnis, 2002-03
- No captain, 2003-04
- Dallas Drake, 2005- present
[edit] Hall of Famers
- Glenn Hall, G, 1967-71, inducted 1975
- Jacques Plante, G, 1968-70, inducted 1978
- Joe Mullen, F, 1979-86, inducted 2000
- Bernie Federko, C, 1976-89, inducted 2002
- Grant Fuhr, G, 1995-99, inducted 2003
[edit] Retired numbers
- 2 Al MacInnis, D, 1994-05, number retired April 9, 2006
- 3 Bob Gassoff, D, 1974-77, number retired October 1, 1977
- 5 Bob Plager, D, 1967-78, number not officially retired but honored
- 8 Barclay Plager, D, 1967-77, number retired March 9, 1982
- 11 Brian Sutter, LW, 1976-88, number retired December 30, 1988
- 14 Doug Wickenheiser, LW, 1984-87, number honored and unofficially retired
- 16 Brett Hull, RW, 1987-1998, number to be retired December 5, 2006
- 24 Bernie Federko, RW, 1976-89, number retired March 16, 1991
- 99 Wayne Gretzky, C, 1996, number retired league-wide February 6, 2000
- Dan Kelly, Broadcaster, 1968-89, recognized with an honorary shamrock that hangs from the rafters at Scottrade Center
[edit] 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: Rick Wilson (12th overall)
- 1981: Marty Ruff (20th overall)
- 1982: None
- 1983: None
- 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) & Patrik Berglund (25th overall)
[edit] 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 | 1073 | 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 |
| Chris Pronger | D | 598 | 84 | 272 | 356 | .60 |
| Pierre Turgeon | C | 327 | 134 | 221 | 355 | 1.09 |
| Doug Gilmour | C | 384 | 149 | 205 | 354 | .92 |
[edit] NHL awards and trophies
[edit] 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)
- Worst Attendance in NHL history, 5,410 November 30th 2005 vs Nashville Predators at Scottrade Center
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] See also
- List of St. Louis Blues players
- Head Coaches of the St. Louis Blues
- 1967 NHL Expansion
- List of NHL players
- List of NHL seasons
[edit] External links
- Official website of the St. Louis Blues
- Let's Go Blues -- #1 Fan Site of St. Louis Blues Hockey
- Scottrade Center - Home of the Blues, Mid-America's Premier Venue
| St. Louis Blues Head Coaches |
|---|
| Patrick • Bowman • Arbour • Abel • McCreary• Talbot • Angotti • Young • Boivin • Francis • Plager • Berenson • Demers • Sutter • B. Plager • Berry • Keenan • Roberts • Quenneville • Kitchen |
Current teams: Anaheim • Atlanta • Boston • Buffalo • Calgary • Carolina • Chicago • Colorado • Columbus • Dallas • Detroit • Edmonton • Florida • Los Angeles • Minnesota • Montreal • Nashville • New Jersey • NY Islanders • NY Rangers • Ottawa • Philadelphia • Phoenix • Pittsburgh • San Jose • St. Louis • Tampa Bay • Toronto • Vancouver • Washington
Trophies and awards: Stanley Cup • Prince of Wales • Clarence S. Campbell • Presidents' Trophy • Adams • Art Ross • Calder • Conn Smythe • Crozier • Hart • Jennings • King Clancy • Lady Byng • Masterton • Norris • Patrick • Pearson • Plus/Minus • Rocket Richard • Selke • Vezina
Defunct and relocated teams: Atlanta Flames • California/Oakland Golden Seals • Cleveland Barons • Colorado Rockies • Hamilton Tigers • Hartford Whalers • Kansas City Scouts • Minnesota North Stars • Montreal Maroons • Montreal Wanderers • New York/Brooklyn Americans • Ottawa Senators (orginal) • Philadelphia Quakers • Pittsburgh Pirates • Quebec Bulldogs • Quebec Nordiques • St. Louis Eagles • Winnipeg Jets
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