Ornest had made plans to buy the team as early as March, but built up his efforts in late June to have enough money. [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. Off the ice, the cash-poor Checketts operated with an Ornest-like budget; on the ice the team continued to stockpile picks and promise. The day after the draft, the NHL filed a $78 million counter-suit against Ralston, accusing Ralston of "damaging the league by willfully, wantonly and maliciously collapsing its St. Louis Blues hockey operation." At one point, the Salomons cut the team's staff down to three employees. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Blues chairman/owner . [Brian O'Reilly (Ryan's dad)] I want to thank all of St Louis especially Doug Armstrong. The remaining staff included the accounting department, scouting staff, and coach Barclay Plager. The Blues got off to a slow start in their initial season. On February 8, 2008, it was announced that, after going much of the season without a captain, defenseman Eric Brewer was chosen as the team's 19th captain. The arena was previously known as Scottrade Center, the Savvis Center, and before that as the Kiel Center. The Blues fired head coach Andy Murray on January 2, 2010, after a disappointing record (17176, 40 points), sitting in 12th place in the Conference. The Blues missed the playoffs during the first four full seasons of new ownership. Weight was again traded in December 2007 to the Anaheim Ducks, along with a minor league player, in exchange for Andy McDonald. Blues Chairman Tom Stillman confirmed . After hockey resumed in 2005, a few months after GNR's final issue, a new publication, St. Louis Game Time, was formed by several former GNR staffers.[49]. 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. In 1980-81, with Berenson behind the bench, the Blues had a 107-point season and put hockey back on the St. Louis radar. ST. LOUIS (AP) Mike Shanahan, who owned the St. Louis Blues from 1986-91 and oversaw the acquisition of Hall of Famer Brett Hull, has died. Photo by UPI, St. Louis Blues chairman Mike Shanahan at a game in January of 1987, agonizing from the owner's box. During this time, Doug Gilmour, drafted by St. Louis in 1982, emerged as a star. The moves kept sportswriters busy and fans captivated, and often infuriated opposing executives. A third-round loss to Colorado in 2000-01 was especially deflating. 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. Angry at having to play "second fiddle", the Blues elected to leave for KTRS in 2000. After an ice plant was installed, the minor league St. Louis Flyers began play there in 1929. St Louis Blues Players. In response, the Blues moved back to KMOX starting in the 200607 season. Photo by Scott C. Dine/St. Especially galling were the frequent blown leads after two periods, and with the worst home record (6133) posted in the entire NHL. After losing Vladimir Tarasenko to injury during the game, the Blues lost to the Avalanche 52 as they missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years. It wasn't. The latest STL Blues hockey news, NHL headlines, scores, standings and rosters. [25] This all but assured that Berube would have the "interim" tag removed from his title, which occurred two weeks after their Cup victory. 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. St. Louis Blues - (NHL) Enterprise Center - Operations only, the City of St. Louis is the owner Stifel Theatre - Majority Owner Former assets [ edit] Peoria Rivermen - (AHL) Shareholders [ edit] [3] Majority Owner [ edit] Thomas H. Stillman - Chairman of the Board & CEO, Summit Distributing. Following the disappointing 200506 season, which saw the Blues with the worst record in the NHL, the new management focused on rebuilding the franchise. While they kept the Reebok Edge-era template, they brought back the 19982007 look. 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. 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. 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. 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. However, Dean took the losses philosophically, having taken over out of a sense of civic responsibility. 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. [38] Louie is a blue polar bear and wears a Blues jersey with his name on the back, and the numbers "00". St. Louis businessman Tom Stillman and his band of investment brothers will announce today they have closed a deal to purchase the Blues. Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game. Prior to that, he worked at the New York . That was the highlight of the Ornest years; the bottom fell out soon after. The arena quickly became one of the loudest buildings in the NHL, a reputation it maintained throughout its tenure as the Blues' home. Pronger, Doug Weight and Mike Sillinger were all sent packing. post; account; . 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. 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. Blues games, many of which were crucial to playoff berths, would often be pre-empted for spring training coverage. [31], For the 201415 season, the Blues made a few tweaks to their jerseys. Other players like Patrik Berglund, and Alex Steen did not return in time for the season. The Blues have worn blue and white jerseys with the famous "Blue Note" crest and gold accents since their inception in 1967. On June 3, Ralston announced that it had no interest in running the team anymore. 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. 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. 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. 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. Sid Salomon III convinced his initially wary father to make a bid for the team. Berenson, who had played previously in Montreal and New York, commented: "In New York or Montreal, all you'd get would be a handshake.". In fact, several of the Blues' young stars, such as Rob Ramage, Joe Mullen and Gilmour, were main cogs in the Flames' 1989 Stanley Cup win. In between seasons and during trade deadlines, the Blues became a must-see attraction. Albums. On February 9, 2019, another tradition was born. [30] In 201011, the team sold out every home game. The Blues lost more players as Jay Bouwmeester suffered a season-ending injury, and Jaden Schwartz missed a large portion of the season. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). 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. Blues owners. 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. Movies. Although they had finished in third place, St. Louis was regarded as fairly evenly matched with the other three Western qualifiers since only four points separated first and fourth place. The St. Louis Blues presently acknowledge an affiliation with a number of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame. 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." A look at the ownership lineage: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 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. [41] However, during the 2019 playoffs, Laura Branigan's "Gloria" was played first before The Urge song. On January 12, 1983, Batoni-Hunter Enterprises Ltd., led by WHA and Edmonton Oilers founder Bill Hunter, tendered an offer to buy the team. A Broadway musical comedy star tires of the same old grind and flees the city. Country Roads has been played during every Home game since, at approximately the 15:00 minute mark of the 3rd Period, regardless of the current score. St. Louis Blues (1958) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. After his death, Ron Jacober (who had left Channel 5 to be KXOK's sports director in 1985 then left for KMOX in 1987) was hired as the radio play-by-play announcer for the remainder of the season, and John Kelly succeeded in that position. During that time, Salomon gained a reputation throughout the NHL as the top players' owner. St. Louis has embraced team's victory anthem", "The history behind the NHL's ubiquitous sound for scoring: the goal horn", "A Look at Five St. Louis Blues' Superfans", "Celebrate 20 years of fan-run papers on Friday", "How did 'Country Roads' become a Blues home-game staple? They captured the Jennings Trophy once more for allowing the fewest goals in the league (165). C Dave Checketts D John Danforth L Bill Laurie O Harry Ornest S SLB Acquisition Holdings LLC st louis blues traditions. 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. The NHL Board of Governors has approved the sale of the St. Louis Blues to a group headed. 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. 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. san jose sharks vs . 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. [23] On June 12, 2019, the Blues defeated the Bruins 41 in Game 7 to win their first Stanley Cup. 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. 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. [10] Ralston called the counter-suit "ridiculous" and gave the NHL an ultimatum: if the NHL would not accept Hunter's offer by June 14, Ralston would dissolve the team and sell its players and assets to other teams. Checketts and his group had some serious damage control to perform. Declining revenue reached a critical stage by the end of the 1976-77 season, and the Blues reduced their management staff to three. Payne was previously the head coach of the Blues top minor league affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League (AHL).[16]. 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. Former St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial and Musial's business partner Julius "Biggie" Garagnani were also members of the 16-man investment group that made the initial formal application for the franchise. This list may not reflect recent changes . Hull, who had a lengthy feud with Keenan, left for the Dallas Stars in 1998. Wal-Mart heir Nancy Walton Laurie and her husband Bill purchased the Blues in 1999. 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. [13] After that season, Ornest sold the team to a group led by St. Louis businessman Michael Shanahan. [46] All of these traditions carried over to the Kiel Center (now known as Enterprise Center) in 1994. Trending. A new company who had purchased KXOK won the bid for a three-year contract and Kelly moved over from KMOX to do the games on KXOK. Local ownership group aims to 'put the Blues on solid financial footing.'. 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". You have permission to edit this article. Their chance of winning the Central Division title, the top seed in the West, and the Presidents' Trophy would all evaporate, after they lost their final six games and wound up in second place in the Division, this time to the Colorado Avalanche. 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. He was 78. 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. [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. He purchased the team and its player contracts for $3 million in cash and $9 million in two notes. By 1986, the team reached the Campbell Conference Finals against the Flames. Louis Post-Dispatch, Ruth and Harry Ornest, holding court during their reign with the St. Louis Blues, on July 12, 1985. In each instance, the Blues were swept in four games, twice by the Montreal Canadiens and lastly by the Boston Bruins. (Jeremy Rutherford photo / Post-Dispatch) Jeremy P. Rutherford , Tom . 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. The Blues' successes in the late 1960s, however, did not continue into the 1970s. Nonetheless, their on-ice success was enough for a consortium of 19 companies to buy the team. Ralston then filed a $60 million anti-trust lawsuit in U.S. District Court, claiming that the NHL broke federal antitrust laws and breached the duty of good faith and fair dealing by voting to reject the sale and transfer of the Blues to Hunter's group. With silver-jacketed organist Norm Kramer pumping out "When the Blues Go Marching In," hockey became a happening in St. Louis. 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. KXOK backed out of the contract after just 2 years, and the Blues immediately went back to KMOX, who held the rights until 2000. The Keenan coup wound up being a catastrophe. According to Sutter, they wanted to stay in St. Louis because it reminded them of the rural Canadian towns where many of them grew up. 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. [14] Davidson also installed a strong development program under head scout Jarmo Kekalainen, using the team's raft of high draft picks in 2006 and 2007 to select highly touted prospects such as T. J. Oshie, Erik Johnson and David Perron. Menu. 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. The logo used on the Blues' jerseys from 1987 to 1998. The Checkerboard Square chief even re-painted the fading Arena and re-dubbed it the Checkerdome. Sidney Salomon (right) and his son, Sid, express jubilation after the group of nine individuals they head from St. Louis were awarded a conditional franchise from the National Hockey League on April 5, 1966. Arbour, who officially retired as a player after the 197071 season, would remain behind the Blues' bench for the next two seasons. 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. 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. Ralston Purina lost an estimated $1.8 million a year during its six-year ownership of the Blues. 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. 27 febrero, 2023 . While the fans were stunned, the players were aware of this. They would also pick up Brayden Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers by giving away Jori Lehtera. 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. 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. A few months later, in December 1996, both Keenan and executive Jack Quinn were fired. 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. The Blues averaged more than 41 wins but could not get though the conference playoffs. Brandon Saad and Robert Thomas both recorded a goal and an assist, helping the Blues earn a 5-2 win over the Predators at home 04:56 January 19, 2023 ST. LOUIS -- Brandon Saad and Robert. 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. That included Federko, Gassoff, Hull, MacInnis, Bob and Barclay Plager, Pronger and Sutter, along with Kelly, the Blues' legendary broadcaster. Members of the Blues' all-local ownership group include Tom Stillman, Jerald Kent, Donn Lux, James Cooper, Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, Steve Maritz, Edward Potter, Andrew Taylor, David Steward, Jim. With Dorothy Lamour, Lloyd Nolan, Tito Guzar, Jerome Cowan. 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. Despite defeating the Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Winter Classic by the score of 41, the Blues fired Hitchcock and promoted Yeo to head coach on February 1, 2017. The Blues, who have never won the Cup, are marginally profitable during the. 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. 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]. 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. Jeremy Rutherford is the lead Blues beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Steve Ott also left the team, signing a free-agent deal with the Red Wings. The team would dominate the postseason awards, as Pronger earned a Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player, Pavol Demitra got the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play and Quenneville was named coach of the year. 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. He intended to build a $43 million 18,000-seat arena in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in time for the 1983-84 season. The Blues are still looking for their first Stanley Cup. The Blues then fired 60 percent of their employees. They treated the players to all-expenses-paid Florida vacations when seasons ended and bought them gold wristwatches for scoring hat tricks, etc. Guided by young coach Joel Quenneville, built on the backline presence of MacInnis and Chris Pronger who came in the Shanahan deal the Blues embarked on one of their most rewarding periods. However, for the third straight year, they lost in the first round and in six games. The team started the season by posting a record of 1012 in their first 13 home games. It also replaced red with navy blue as an accent color. In 1984, the Blues drastically redesigned their look, adding red and darkening the shade of blue. After spending the first half of the 200809 season at or near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, the Blues began to turn things around behind the solid goaltending of Chris Mason. Soon after, Ornest sold the Blues to a group led by Michael Shanahan, head of Engineered Support Systems Inc. Tom Stillman becomes the eighth owner in Blues franchise history. 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. Hull's 86 goals set the record for most goals in a single season by a right-winger (and the third-most overall at the time). The St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history later that season. The following numbers have been retired from use within the St. Louis Blues: In addition to the aforementioned numbers, the NHL also retired Wayne Gretzky's number 99 from use for all of its members teams, including the Blues, at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game. While the Blues contended during this time period, they never passed the second round of the playoffs. [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. 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. The cash-poor Ornest then ran the franchise on a skeletal budget. The deferred contracts came due just as the Blues' performance began to slip. He saw the Blues as just another money-bleeding division, and put the team on the market. While the disappointment of that series loss is still fresh, hope springs eternal with the announcement that a new ownership group is in place. Despite years of mediocrity and the stigma of never being able to "take the next step," the Blues were a playoff presence every year from 1980 to 2004 the third-longest streak in North American professional sports history (all three of which being held by NHL teams). They fired their head coach, Davis Payne, and named Ken Hitchcock as his replacement on November 6, 2011. [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. Coming off their defeat of the Presidents' Trophy winning Canucks, the Kings ousted the Blues in four games. Ten players reached at least 20 goals, including Wayne Babych, future Hall of Famer Bernie Federko, and team captain Brian Sutter. 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. Instead, a Return to Play tournament was organized, starting in August 2020. On November 14, 2005, the Blues announced that SCP Worldwide had officially withdrawn from negotiations to buy the team. 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. 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.
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