Trending. Looking at losses of more than $10 million over six seasons, the pet food giant put the Blues up for sale and in January 1983, announced it had a buyer in Saskatoon-based Batoni-Hunter Enterprises, Ltd. Batoni's president, Bill Hunter, said his group was ready to break ground on a $43 million building, which could be ready for the Saskatoon Blues in time for the 1983-84 season. 0. Eventually, the St. Louis Arena came under the control of the owners of the Chicago Black Hawks. A corresponding blue jersey was introduced the following season, thus retiring the previous set. In the offseason for the 201718 season, the Blues would lose David Perron to the Vegas Golden Knights via an expansion draft. The Black Hawks owners felt they could establish a "lovable loser" (much like the Cubs) with the St. Louis hockey team. 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. All that hardware notwithstanding, hopes for a Stanley Cup run turned to stunning disappointment. The Blues have worn blue and white jerseys with the famous "Blue Note" crest and gold accents since their inception in 1967. 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. #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. Buck elected to leave the booth after one season, though, and was replaced by another famed announcer in Dan Kelly. But the roller coaster started to descend in the mid-1970s. Early life[edit] Laurie grew up in rural Missouri. St. Louis has a record of 2-3 in games when bookmakers list them +180 or longer on the moneyline. "[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. 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. A third-round loss to Colorado in 2000-01 was especially deflating. Ralston Purina lost an estimated $1.8 million a year during its six-year ownership of the Blues. Menu. He was replaced by assistant coach Scotty Bowman, who thereafter led the team to a winning record for the rest of the season. Blues' inaugural Hall of Fame class has stature that 'no one can touch' 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." However, St. Louis ended their first-round losing streak by beating Chicago 32 in game 7 of the series. Jason Pippi stated "its just a testament to the passion Blues fans bring each and every night to the Cup (Stanley Cup) maybe? The team started the season by posting a record of 1012 in their first 13 home games. 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]. Hockey-crazy Stillman is the latest to try his luck where so many others have failed. The Blues missed the playoffs during the first four full seasons of new ownership. Over the next few years, the franchise became one of the most colorful and controversial in the NHL. He made his debut two days later, wearing number 55 against the Phoenix Coyotes. 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. The Blues averaged more than 41 wins but could not get though the conference playoffs. However, they were stunned by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2000 playoffs in seven games. The Blues have a tradition of live organ music. 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. [1] The former New York Rangers goaltender promptly made multiple blockbuster deals, picking up Jay McKee, Bill Guerin and Manny Legace from free agency, and bringing Doug Weight back to St. Louis after a brief (and productive) stopover in Carolina. Despite a healthy 24-point jump from the previous season, the strain of playing in a conference where seven teams finished with more than 100 points kept them out of the playoffs for the second year in a row. Front Office | St. Louis Blues Stillman group acquires full ownership of St. Louis Blues Angry at having to play "second fiddle", the Blues elected to leave for KTRS in 2000. He had 70 or more goals in three consecutive seasons, including 1990-91 when he scored 86 and the team finished with 105 points. They sought to unload what was then a decrepit facility which had not been well-maintained since the 1940s, and thus pressed the NHL to give the franchise to St. Louis, which had not submitted a formal expansion bid. Reluctant to give up on the St. Louis market, the NHL blocked the sale. On May 21, the Blues advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1970, defeating the San Jose Sharks in a six-game Western Conference Finals series. Despite these losses, the Blues raced out to a 2182 start in their first 31 games. 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. St. Louis Blues: Directed by Raoul Walsh. As the Blues faced the Oilers on December 7, 1982; brochures were distributed saying "Saskatchewan in the NHL". 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. Among the first things Ornest did during his three-year tenure was change the name of the building back to the "Arena." They would finish second in the Western Conference, behind the Vancouver Canucks. Ornest immediately reverted the name of the team's home venue to the St. Louis Arena. David Backes was also announced as the new team captain. 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. Overview. The Blues play in the 19,150 (not counting standing room) capacity Enterprise Center, where they have played since 1994. These are the top-ten-point-scorers, goal scorers, and assist leaders in franchise playoff history. The Blues remain 0-12 in Stanley Cup finals play. Most NHL teams during the mid-1980s had over 60 players under contract. 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. Boyer also plays the latter song on the organ after Blues goals, with fans replacing the word "Saints" with "Blues. Photo by Lloyd Spainhower/St. The Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019 and have the most Stanley Cup playoff appearances outside of the Original Six. However, he resigned as head coach in late November after recording a 4132 record. 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. Payne was previously the head coach of the Blues top minor league affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League (AHL).[16]. 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. For the first time in five years (that is, since the lockout), the Blues were in the playoffs. 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. It then took control of the franchise and began searching for a new owner. Under Arbour, the Blues essentially matched their 1969-70 regular season performance in their fourth season, and were still the best of the expansion teams; however, it was only good enough for second place in the West as St. Louis finished twenty points behind Chicago. Dan Kelly continued to broadcast the games on radio but was diagnosed in the summer of 1988 with lung cancer and died on February 10, 1989. St Louis Blues Players. Im baffled., Suspect charged in fatal shooting in downtown St. Louis, Former Sweetie Pies TV star Tim Norman gets two life sentences in nephews death, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol slams ump C.B. The initial results were not good. The Berenson trade did bring then-Detroit Red Wings star center Garry Unger, who ultimately scored 30 goals in eight consecutive seasons while breaking the NHL's consecutive games played record. Checketts and his group had some serious damage control to perform. 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. 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. Dean told employes that the St. Louis-based firm had completed its second best fiscal year. The deferred contracts came due just as the Blues' performance began to slip. Defenseman Chris Pronger (acquired from the Hartford Whalers in 1995 for Brendan Shanahan), Keith Tkachuk, Pavol Demitra, Pierre Turgeon, Al MacInnis and goaltender Roman Turek kept the Blues a contender in the NHL. With silver-jacketed organist Norm Kramer pumping out "When the Blues Go Marching In," hockey became a happening in St. Louis. The Blues were one of the six teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion, along with the . 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. 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. 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. The game against Anaheim was suspended during the first period and postponed to March 11. san jose sharks vs . While the fans were stunned, the players were aware of this. 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. List Of St Louis Blues Owners. Aside from Stillman, the ownership group includes Jerald Kent, Donn Lux, James Cooper, Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, Steve Maritz, Edward Potter, Andrew Taylor, David Steward, Jim Kavanaugh, John Danforth,. Gretzky, whose wife is a native St. Louisan, personally approved the trade and was prepared to finish his illustrious career with the Blues. Caron was reinstated as interim general manager for the rest of the season, and general manager Larry Pleau was hired on June 9, 1997. The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. 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. 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. He intended to build a $43 million 18,000-seat arena in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in time for the 1983-84 season. 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. 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 NHL Board of Governors has approved the sale of the St. Louis Blues to a group headed. While the disappointment of that series loss is still fresh, hope springs eternal with the announcement that a new ownership group is in place. With Dorothy Lamour, Lloyd Nolan, Tito Guzar, Jerome Cowan. In response, the Blues moved back to KMOX starting in the 200607 season. But with former Blues goaltender and nationally renowned broadcaster John Davidson at the point, they turned the worm. In 1984, the Blues drastically redesigned their look, adding red and darkening the shade of blue. [27] The bill was signed into law by Mike Parson, the Governor of Missouri, with the revised statute becoming effective August 29, 2019. Bill Laurieis an American former basketball player and coach, and current business executive and philanthropist. Lynn Patrick initially served as general manager and head coach. In 1981, Dean retired. The logo used on the Blues' jerseys from 1967 to 1984. 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. Under the expansion playoff format, Bowman's leadership was enough as the Blues qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural season. March 3, 2023 by Marcus Ashpaugh. 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 lost more players as Jay Bouwmeester suffered a season-ending injury, and Jaden Schwartz missed a large portion of the 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. 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. Blues owners. 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. The bottom of the numbers taper off to give way to the aforementioned stripes. They treated the players to all-expenses-paid Florida vacations when seasons ended and bought them gold wristwatches for scoring hat tricks, etc. There is a lot of money riding on Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals for St. Louis Blues owner Tom Stillman. During this time, Doug Gilmour, drafted by St. Louis in 1982, emerged as a star. The jersey brought back the contrasting shoulder yoke and returned to the lighter blue of previous eras. The team finished last in the division and disbanded after one season. Tom Stillman becomes the eighth owner in Blues franchise history. Arbour, who officially retired as a player after the 197071 season, would remain behind the Blues' bench for the next two seasons. The jersey introduced the short-lived trumpet logo on the shoulders and featured thin diagonal stripes on the tail and sleeves. The navy blue third jersey was kept without any alterations, before it was retired prior the 201617 season. Nonetheless, the team remained competitive for the next three years, despite never advancing beyond the second round. Maybe eight will be worth the wait. Despite an impressive run into the end of the season, when they gained most points in the league from February 1, when Hitchcock was fired, to the end of the season,[18] the Blues were eliminated in the second round by the Nashville Predators in six games.[19]. NHL Owners: Who Are They? - The Hockey Writers They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. Instead, a Return to Play tournament was organized, starting in August 2020. st louis blues - $75 (Saint Louis) wednesday 2023-03-01. number available: 4 venue: enterprise center. Two-year process yields the most desirable outcome in terms of the city's best interest. After an ice plant was installed, the minor league St. Louis Flyers began play there in 1929. [55] Dan Kelly, the Blues' radio play-by-play announcer, was awarded the first Blues broadcaster to receive the award in 1989. Minority owner Wolfson and Blues president Emile Francis persuaded Ralston Purina executive R. Hal Dean to invest in the franchise. While there were a number of interested parties, none had enough cash to meet Ralston's asking price. St. Louis Blues (1958) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb Ralston renamed the arena the "Checkerdome." They captured the Jennings Trophy once more for allowing the fewest goals in the league (165). Blues Chairman Tom Stillman confirmed . Rivers also fills in on color commentary whenever Pang is on a national TV assignment for the NHL on TNT. On September 29, 2005, it was announced that the Lauries had signed an agreement to sell the Blues to SCP Worldwide, a consulting and investment group headed by former Madison Square Garden president Dave Checketts. 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. Blues owner Tom Stillman, 10 years in: On the road to a Stanley Cup and During the offseason, forward T. J. Oshie was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Troy Brouwer. 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. St. Louis Blues - Wikipedia In addition to Jaden Schwartz and Vince Dunn vs. SEA this past Tuesday, . [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. The Blues are still looking for their first Stanley Cup. When Red Berenson scored six goals in a game on Nov. 7, 1968, ownership presented the outdoor enthusiast with a new station wagon, a canoe attached to the top and a Browning 20-gauge shotgun inside. 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. In 1978-79, the Blues won 18 of 80 games, or just one more than the NFL's 1972 Miami Dophins. Local ownership group aims to 'put the Blues on solid financial footing.'. 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. "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. The St Louis Blues: A History Of The Hockey Team During this period, the NHL rebuffed attempts at further expansion. On October 10, the Blues introduced a new mascot, Louie. On November 14, 2005, the Blues announced that SCP Worldwide had officially withdrawn from negotiations to buy the team. An updated version of the blue sweater, produced by Adidas, was brought back in 2019 as their 90s Vintage Jersey.. He gave his players cars, signed them to deferred contracts and treated them to vacations in Florida. Disillusioned by Keenan's contentious style, Gretzky became a free agent and departed for New York. 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. [55] The seven individuals recognized as builders by the Hall of Fame includes former Blues executives, general managers, head coaches, and owners. Dean retired and his successor, William Stiritz, had no interest in continuing the involvement in hockey. The original owners were successful insurance executive Sid Salomon Jr., his son Sid Salomon III and Robert Wolfson. In the meantime, the franchise was on the brink of financial collapse. 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. He has covered the team since the 2005-06 season, including a dozen years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 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 elder Salomon was not enthralled with the idea of owning a hockey team initially, but his son persuaded him to take the plunge. It has an urban feeling, with little of the rural atmosphere that distinguishes country-blues. Gary Bettman -- St. Louis Blues' future 'bright' with new owners 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. I really respect the fact that he puts the needs of the many ahead of the needs of the few. 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. 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. In 201213, the Blues completed the lockout-shortened season in fourth place in the Western Conference. [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. Hull, who had a lengthy feud with Keenan, left for the Dallas Stars in 1998. 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. In the first round of the playoffs, they faced the Vancouver Canucks, to whom they lost in six games. [58] Gretzky had previously played for the Blues in 1996, although the Blues did not retire his number prior to its league-wide retirement. The arrangement made the Blues the only major sports team in North America to be owned by a private equity firm. 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". "We've given them the extreme honor, so it's. 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. 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 took on the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first-round series. Declining revenue reached a critical stage by the end of the 1976-77 season, and the Blues reduced their management staff to three. After the 200405 lockout, the Blues' attendance suffered, but has since improved every year since its all-time low in 200607. [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. Steve Ott also left the team, signing a free-agent deal with the Red Wings. But a competing carnival owner hatches a scheme to put an end to the show before it begins. Ten players reached at least 20 goals, including Wayne Babych, future Hall of Famer Bernie Federko, and team captain Brian Sutter. 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.