Contact Information: print. From 1979 to 1981, the radio and television broadcasts were separated for the first time since the inaugural season, with Kelly doing the radio broadcasts and Eli Gold hired to do the television. The jersey brought back the contrasting shoulder yoke and returned to the lighter blue of previous eras. The cash-poor Ornest then ran the franchise on a skeletal budget. 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. Jeremy P. Rutherford Sep 29, 2013 Sep 29, 2013; 0; Facebook . Photo by Scott C. Dine/St. It wasn't. Maybe eight will be worth the wait. All that hardware notwithstanding, hopes for a Stanley Cup run turned to stunning disappointment. The Blues chairman/owner . As the Blues faced the Oilers on December 7, 1982; brochures were distributed saying "Saskatchewan in the NHL". On October 2, 2007, the Blues finalized the season-starting roster, which included rookies David Perron, Steven Wagner and Erik Johnson. The team made headlines with free-agent signings and trades that landed stars like Brett Hull, Adam Oates, Brendan Shanahan, Scott Stevens, Grant Fuhr, Phil Housley and Al MacInnis. [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. He was introduced on October 10, 2007. The Blues have a rivalry with the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom they have shared a division since 1970. The Blues then fired 60 percent of their employees. The Cardinals moved back to KMOX in the 2011 season, with conflicting games moved to KYKY, an FM station owned by the same group as KMOX. The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. He asked many players to defer contracts to help meet operating costs and through much of Ornest's tenure, the team operated with a small office staff. The song has since been retired; the last time they played it was during the raising of the Stanley Cup Championship banner ceremony on October 2, 2019. [11] The Board of Governors rejected the offer and "terminated" the team on June 13, one day before Ralston's supposed deadline. An updated version of the blue sweater, produced by Adidas, was brought back in 2019 as their 90s Vintage Jersey.. Sid Salomon III convinced his initially wary father to make a bid for the team. "[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. In between seasons and during trade deadlines, the Blues became a must-see attraction. MLS in July 2020 pushed the expansion schedule back by a year for both St. Louis and the Charlotte, North Carolina, team that began play last year, saying the Covid-19 pandemic had led to delays . The blue jerseys lacked the contrasting yoke until 1979. Menu. By accident", "Pronger steps aside as captain; MacInnis steps in", "Blues retire Plager's No. In addition to players and builders, the team recognizes an affiliation with two broadcasters who were awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame. St. Louis Blues. The Blues were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings, in the following round. They play their home games at the 18,096 seat Enterprise Center in downtown St. Louis, which has been their arena since moving from St. Louis Arena in 1994.[3]. Photo by UPI, St. Louis Blues chairman Mike Shanahan at a game in January of 1987, agonizing from the owner's box. "[50][51] And it did take them to the Stanley Cup. The Salomons might have been the most generous employers in sports history. Goaltending anchors Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante retired, Berenson was traded and "Sid III" began changing coaches and general managers like it was a court order. During the 2018 NHL offseason, the Blues acquired forward Ryan O'Reilly from the Buffalo Sabres via trade and re-signed Perron to a third stint with the team in free agency, while also signing forwards Tyler Bozak, St. Louis native Pat Maroon, and goaltender Chad Johnson. Albums. One of them was Emile Francis, who served as team president, general manager and head coach. New Blues ownership group Tom Stillman, chairman and CEO of Summit Distributing Donn Lux, Luxco chairman and CEO Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, president of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation Steve. Weight was again traded in December 2007 to the Anaheim Ducks, along with a minor league player, in exchange for Andy McDonald. The Salomons sold the Blues to Ralston on July 27, 1977. They were again eliminated by Los Angeles, however, this time in six games in the first round of the playoffs, despite taking an initial 20 series lead. 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". 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. List of former Blues players set to return to St. Louis before the end of the season . The Blues jumped to a 31 series lead, but struggled in games 5 and 6. 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. The Blues kept 26 players under contract, 23 of them in St. Louis. Local ownership group aims to 'put the Blues on solid financial footing.'. 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. The mistake was that play resumed before the chorus was over and the music had to stop. 20 Years Ago, Blur's 'Song 2' Became an Unlikely Sports Anthem", "PLAY GLORIA! They would also pick up Brayden Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers by giving away Jori Lehtera. At the beginning of the 200607 season, the Blues looked to be competitive in the Central Division. The emotional win two days earlier notwitstanding, the Blues lost Game 7 of the playoffs in Calgary, falling short of the Cup finals. The game against Anaheim was suspended during the first period and postponed to March 11. Minority Owners [ edit] [Brian O'Reilly (Ryan's dad)] I want to thank all of St Louis especially Doug Armstrong. Still desperate for a championship, the Blues made another controversial move in 1995, hiring Mike Keenan right off the staff directory of the Stanley Cup winning New York Rangers. 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. [35], Prior to the 202021 season, the Blues unveiled a "Reverse Retro" alternate uniform based on the design worn from 1995 to 1998, but with a red base. This third jersey was unveiled on September 21, 2008, and debuted during a Blues' home game against the Anaheim Ducks on November 21, 2008. Caron was reinstated as interim general manager for the rest of the season, and general manager Larry Pleau was hired on June 9, 1997. Other players like Patrik Berglund, and Alex Steen did not return in time for the season. Jeff Gordon writes: Controlling the Blues is a great honor for diehard fan Tom Stillman. Attendance plummeted, from 18,560 a game in 2003-04 to 12,520 in 2006-07. 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. However, had the league not found a new owner by August 6, it would dissolve the team and hold a dispersal draft for the players. 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. Team owner puts St. Louis Blues up for sale 5 is #1 Show Me 5 Sally Sally Jessy Raphael at KSDK Today In St. Louis Be the first to know Making a Difference Mike Bush Fantasy Baseball. Wal-Mart heir Nancy Walton Laurie and her husband Bill purchased the Blues in 1999. 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. 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. Jason Pippi stated "its just a testament to the passion Blues fans bring each and every night to the Cup (Stanley Cup) maybe? It has been called the "Fan Salute" by some. Following their playoff exit, Ralston authorized the deal to Hunter's renamed company Coliseum Holdings, Ltd. for $12 million on April 21. 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. Blues games, many of which were crucial to playoff berths, would often be pre-empted for spring training coverage. st louis blues traditions. The team slipped under .500 the following season and managed just 65 points in 1982-83. Dean was the key figure in Ralston Purina's takeover of the St. Louis Blues after the 1976-77 season. Buck elected to leave the booth after one season, though, and was replaced by another famed announcer in Dan Kelly. An NHL lockout canceled the 2004-05 season and the Lauries put the team up for sale in June 2005, citing losses of more than $60 million over the previous two years. However, they were stunned by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2000 playoffs in seven games. [34] A corresponding vintage white version was unveiled for the 2022 NHL Winter Classic. The Blues also won the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals (165) in the NHL, as netminder Roman Turek finished with a 1.95 goals-against average. [55] Dan Kelly, the Blues' radio play-by-play announcer, was awarded the first Blues broadcaster to receive the award in 1989. Rivers also fills in on color commentary whenever Pang is on a national TV assignment for the NHL on TNT. St Louis Blues Players. The Keenan coup wound up being a catastrophe. Category:St. Louis Blues owners Pages in category "St. Louis Blues owners" The following 5 pages are in this category, out of 5 total. More often than not, several of the Blues' emerging stars ended up as Calgary Flames, and the sight of Flames executive Al MacNeil was always greeted with dread. Like all NHL teams, the Blues updated their jerseys for the 200708 season with new Rbk Edge jerseys. On December 11, 2006, the Blues fired head coach Mike Kitchen and replaced him with former Los Angeles Kings head coach Andy Murray. 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. [15] The team later traded veteran defenseman Bryce Salvador to the New Jersey Devils for enforcer, and St. Louis native, Cam Janssen. He saw the Blues as just another money-bleeding division, and put the team on the market. This setupKelly as commentator, with either Kyle, Bob Plager, or Noel Picard (whose heavy French-Canadian . 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. They moved on to the next round, where they defeated the Dallas Stars in another seven-game series to advance to their first Western Conference Finals since 2001. St. Louis has a record of 2-3 in games when bookmakers list them +180 or longer on the moneyline. The moves kept sportswriters busy and fans captivated, and often infuriated opposing executives. "Our new ownership group is 100 percent local, and we are 100 percent committed to the Blues and to St. Louis." Stillman asked for support from fans, local businesses and the rest of the community. 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. 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. Ten players reached at least 20 goals, including Wayne Babych, future Hall of Famer Bernie Federko, and team captain Brian Sutter. [a] The Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL) is the team's minor league affiliate. St. Louis Blues (1958) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. St. Louis kept chugging along through the late 1980s and early 1990s. Arbour, who officially retired as a player after the 197071 season, would remain behind the Blues' bench for the next two seasons. But a competing carnival owner hatches a scheme to put an end to the show before it begins. In 1978-79, the Blues won 18 of 80 games, or just one more than the NFL's 1972 Miami Dophins. #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. 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. [45], The Blues were one of the last teams to add a goal horn, doing so during the 199293 season at the St. Louis Arena. Last chance! St. Louis was the last of the six expansion teams to gain entry into the League; the market was chosen over Baltimore at the insistence of the Black Hawks owners, James D. Norris and Arthur Wirtz. Trending. However, injuries plagued the team all season, and the lack of a bona fide scorer hampered them as well. The bottom of the numbers taper off to give way to the aforementioned stripes. 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. Initially, the front of the jersey featured the team name above the crest logo, but was removed in 1987. Minority owner Wolfson and Blues president Emile Francis persuaded Ralston Purina executive R. Hal Dean to invest in the franchise. The current logo (shown in the infobox), is similar, but with the slightly darker shade of blue used since 1984. While the first Blues teams included fading veterans like Doug Harvey, Don McKenney and Dickie Moore, the goaltending tandem of veterans Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante proved more durable, winning a Vezina Trophy in 1969 behind a sterling defense that featured players like skilled defensive forward Jim Roberts, team captain Al Arbour and hardrock brothers Bob and Barclay Plager. The Blues lost more players as Jay Bouwmeester suffered a season-ending injury, and Jaden Schwartz missed a large portion of the season. He made his debut two days later, wearing number 55 against the Phoenix Coyotes. The seats are in section 106 row cc seats 1-4. During the 3rd Period, The Blues were winning by a large margin against the visiting Nashville Predators. Gretzky, whose wife is a native St. Louisan, personally approved the trade and was prepared to finish his illustrious career with the Blues. Following the disappointing 200506 season, which saw the Blues with the worst record in the NHL, the new management focused on rebuilding the franchise. [41] However, during the 2019 playoffs, Laura Branigan's "Gloria" was played first before The Urge song. In each instance, the Blues were swept in four games, twice by the Montreal Canadiens and lastly by the Boston Bruins. [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. In fact, they made it to the conference finals only two times in their streak (1986 and 2001). After each goal, a bell is rung and each of the goals are counted by the crowd. After the 200405 lockout, the Blues' attendance suffered, but has since improved every year since its all-time low in 200607. While the Blues had returned to respectability on the ice, they were struggling off it. 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. [36] A second "Reverse Retro" uniform was released in the 202223 season, this time based on the prototype uniforms the team first leaked in 1966 before eventually releasing the more iconic "blue note" uniforms. But with former Blues goaltender and nationally renowned broadcaster John Davidson at the point, they turned the worm. The Blues lost Bowman, who left during the 197071 season following a power-sharing dispute with Sid Salomon III (who was taking an increasing role in team affairs),[6] as well as Hall, Plante, Goyette and ultimately Berenson, who were all lost to retirement or trade. He gave his players cars, signed them to deferred contracts and treated them to vacations in Florida. His successor, William Stiritz, wanted to refocus on the core pet food business, and his personal sporting interests were in horse racing and not hockey. The arena quickly became one of the loudest buildings in the NHL, a reputation it maintained throughout its tenure as the Blues' home. During the late 1990s, the Blues nurtured a new identity. The Black Hawks treated St. Louis as a secondary market, placing minor league affiliates there and even playing a few NHL games in St. Louis during the 1950's while the team still struggled to sell tickets at Chicago Stadium. 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. 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. With silver-jacketed organist Norm Kramer pumping out "When the Blues Go Marching In," hockey became a happening in St. Louis. Ralston renamed the arena the "Checkerdome." The logo used on the Blues' jerseys from 1987 to 1998. St. Louis Blues owner Tom Stillman is a former lawyer who worked with the U.S. Department of Commerce where he was Chief Counsel for Export Administration. The Blues skated back to KPLR 3 years later. C Dave Checketts D John Danforth L Bill Laurie O Harry Ornest S SLB Acquisition Holdings LLC The Enterprise Center was electric and buzzing with excitement with anticipation of the win. This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Blues. On October 10, the Blues introduced a new mascot, Louie. On November 3, 2007, the fans voted on his name on the Blues' web site. [24] Up until that point, the Blues were the oldest franchise to never win the Stanley Cup; they were also the last of the five surviving 1967 expansion teams to win the Cup for the first time. No sooner had the season ended than Demers departed for Detroit. 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. Payne was previously the head coach of the Blues top minor league affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League (AHL).[16]. 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). In 1985, Ornest, wanting more broadcast revenue, put the radio rights up for bid. Prior to that, he worked at the New York . post; account; . David Backes was also announced as the new team captain. [27] The bill was signed into law by Mike Parson, the Governor of Missouri, with the revised statute becoming effective August 29, 2019. 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." The Blues missed the playoffs during the first four full seasons of new ownership. While there were a number of interested parties, none had enough cash to meet Ralston's asking price. The uniforms, which had the team name written around the primitive "blue note" logo along with contrasting stripes, had a gold base.[37]. In late September, 2005, the Lauries signed an agreement to sell the team to SCP Worldwide, a consulting and investment group led by Dave Checketts, former president of New York's Madison Square Garden. 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. 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. [31], For the 201415 season, the Blues made a few tweaks to their jerseys. 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. 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 June 17, 2005, the Lauries announced that they would sell the team. Since the 201920 preseason, WXOS (101 ESPN) has been the flagship radio station for the Blues. The Blues play in the 19,150 (not counting standing room) capacity Enterprise Center, where they have played since 1994. The standard for other teams was 60 players. 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. 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. Figures are updated after each completed NHL season. 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, St. Louis was swept in their first Finals appearance by the heavily favored Montreal Canadiens. 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. [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. 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. Among the first things Ornest did during his three-year tenure was change the name of the building back to the "Arena." The elder Salomon was not enthralled with the idea of owning a hockey team initially, but his son persuaded him to take the plunge. Reluctant to give up on the St. Louis market, the NHL blocked the sale.