The son of legendary Bobby Hull, the "Golden Brett" became the face of the franchise, with his magical name and sublime scoring touch. The standard for other teams was 60 players. During the late 1990s, the Blues nurtured a new identity. [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. Minority owner Wolfson and Blues president Emile Francis persuaded Ralston Purina executive R. Hal Dean to invest in the franchise. General manager Ron Caron made astute moves, landing forwards Brett Hull, Adam Oates and Brendan Shanahan, defenseman Al MacInnis and goaltender Curtis Joseph, among others. The Blues have worn blue and white jerseys with the famous "Blue Note" crest and gold accents since their inception in 1967. 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. 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. 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. Prior to that, he worked at the New York . 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. [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. Attendance had gone from a peak of 18,601 a game in 1972-73 to 10,130. He was 78. [5] Upon acquiring the franchise in 1966, Salomon then spent several million dollars on extensive renovations for the 38-year-old arena, expanding it from 12,000 seats to 15,000. In 1985, Ornest, wanting more broadcast revenue, put the radio rights up for bid. 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. The sale price for the team and building lease was reported to be $100 million. However, the NHL Board of Governors rejected the deal by a 153 vote on May 18, feeling that Saskatoon was not big enough or financially stable enough to support an NHL team.[8][9]. The elder Salomon was not enthralled with the idea of owning a hockey team initially, but his son persuaded him to take the plunge. On January 12, 1983, Batoni-Hunter Enterprises Ltd., led by WHA and Edmonton Oilers founder Bill Hunter, tendered an offer to buy the team. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season. SLB Acquisition Holdings LLC - Wikipedia Tom Stillman becomes the eighth owner in Blues franchise history. [4] Garagnani would never see the Blues franchise take the ice, as he died from a heart attack on June 19, 1967, less than three months before the Blues played their first preseason game. Under new management, the Blues promptly installed John Davidson as president of hockey operations, moving Pleau to a mostly advisory role. As the Blues faced the Oilers on December 7, 1982; brochures were distributed saying "Saskatchewan in the NHL". Blues Acquire Vrana From the Red Wings 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 . Movies. 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. These are the top-ten point-scorers, goal scorers, and assist leaders in franchise regular-season history. In 200910, despite not having a playoff year, the Blues had an average attendance of 18,883 (98.6% total capacity), selling out 34 of its 40 home games, which placed them seventh in the NHL in attendance. He had 70 or more goals in three consecutive seasons, including 1990-91 when he scored 86 and the team finished with 105 points. Category:St. Louis Blues owners Pages in category "St. Louis Blues owners" The following 5 pages are in this category, out of 5 total. The Salomons sold the Blues to Ralston on July 27, 1977. Blues owner Tom Stillman, 10 years in: On the road to a Stanley Cup and A look at the ownership lineage: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. St. Louis has a record of 2-3 in games when bookmakers list them +180 or longer on the moneyline. In the end, when the legal dodgeball and financial haggling between the league and Ralston Purina settled, when the budget squeezing and penny-pinching was complete, Ornest came out the big winner. A few weeks later, SCP withdrew and a month later, the Blues announced they had signed an exclusive letter of intent to negotiate with General Sports and Entertainment, LLC. 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. Los Angeles Kings vs. St. Louis Blues odds, tips and betting trends Hull, who had a lengthy feud with Keenan, left for the Dallas Stars in 1998. Blues games, many of which were crucial to playoff berths, would often be pre-empted for spring training coverage. I really respect the fact that he puts the needs of the many ahead of the needs of the few. Dean told employes that the St. Louis-based firm had completed its second best fiscal year. St. Louis Blues - Owners | RetroSeasons.com On October 2, 2007, the Blues finalized the season-starting roster, which included rookies David Perron, Steven Wagner and Erik Johnson. 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. Since the St. Louis Blues were founded in 1967, the team has had a number of owners. 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. On November 14, 2005, the Blues announced that SCP Worldwide had officially withdrawn from negotiations to buy the team. [46] All of these traditions carried over to the Kiel Center (now known as Enterprise Center) in 1994. At one point, the Salomons cut the team's staff down to three employees. Since the 201920 preseason, WXOS (101 ESPN) has been the flagship radio station for the Blues. In March 2011, Checketts announced he was putting the team and the Scottrade Center lease up for sale, projecting a deal would be struck before the 2011-12 season started. The jersey introduced the short-lived trumpet logo on the shoulders and featured thin diagonal stripes on the tail and sleeves. 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. Attendance plummeted, from 18,560 a game in 2003-04 to 12,520 in 2006-07. The Blues were one of the six teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion, along with the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and California Seals. The team's first owners were insurance tycoon Sid Salomon Jr., his son, Sid Salomon III, and Robert L. Wolfson, who were granted the franchise in 1966. The Blues play in the 19,150 (not counting standing room) capacity Enterprise Center, where they have played since 1994. On June 13, 2016, it was announced that Mike Yeo would replace Hitchcock as head coach of the Blues following the 201617 season. 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. Gretzky, whose wife is a native St. Louisan, personally approved the trade and was prepared to finish his illustrious career with the Blues. They fired their head coach, Davis Payne, and named Ken Hitchcock as his replacement on November 6, 2011. It also replaced red with navy blue as an accent color. 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,. Following further contraction, the league stabilized at six teams after 1942. 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. In the offseason for the 201718 season, the Blues would lose David Perron to the Vegas Golden Knights via an expansion draft. [28], In the 201920 season, the Blues suffered an early blow as forward Vladimir Tarasenko suffered a season-ending injury on October 24. However, for the third straight year, they lost in the first round and in six games. However, despite the music stopping, the loyal Blues fans in attendance continued to sing loudly. 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]. [22] This resurgence included an eleven-game winning streak between February and March, in large part thanks to the emergence of the eventual Calder Trophy nominee, rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington. The Blues chairman/owner . 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. Albums. This list may not reflect recent changes . 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. st louis blues - $75 (Saint Louis) wednesday 2023-03-01. number available: 4 venue: enterprise center. 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. As the team lingered on the shelf, management further demoralized the fan base by streamlining the books and trading its high-salaried players. List of former Blues players set to return to St. Louis before the end of the season . Over the next few years, the franchise became one of the most colorful and controversial in the NHL. In addition to Jaden Schwartz and Vince Dunn vs. SEA this past Tuesday, . [31], For the 201415 season, the Blues made a few tweaks to their jerseys. During most of Ornest's tenure, the Blues had only 26 players under contract23 in St. Louis, plus three on their farm team, the Montana Magic. The Keenan coup wound up being a catastrophe. 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. He was replaced by assistant coach Scotty Bowman, who thereafter led the team to a winning record for the rest of the season. But the renaissance was short-lived. In each instance, the Blues were swept in four games, twice by the Montreal Canadiens and lastly by the Boston Bruins. But the memorable season came to an abrupt end at the hands of the surging Los Angles Kings. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . However, St. Louis was swept in their first Finals appearance by the heavily favored Montreal Canadiens. They would get rewarded as head coach Red Berenson won the Jack Adams Award, Mike Liut finished a close second to Wayne Gretzky in the Hart Trophy voting, and earned the top spot on the NHL All-Star team, Larry Patey finished third in the Frank J. Selke Trophy voting, and Blake Dunlop won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. However, they were stunned by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2000 playoffs in seven games. The Blues will receive 27-year-old forward Jakub Vrana . You have permission to edit this article. New owners take over Blues BY TOM TIMMERMANN May 10, 2012 0 NHL commissioner Gary Bettman (left) introduces new St. Louis Blues majority owner Tom Stillman during a press conference on. [15] The team later traded veteran defenseman Bryce Salvador to the New Jersey Devils for enforcer, and St. Louis native, Cam Janssen. However, injuries plagued the team all season, and the lack of a bona fide scorer hampered them as well. Checketts and his group had some serious damage control to perform. This article is about the ice hockey team. While the fans were stunned, the players were aware of this. On December 11, 2006, the Blues fired head coach Mike Kitchen and replaced him with former Los Angeles Kings head coach Andy Murray. The Blues are still looking for their first Stanley Cup. The deferred contracts came due just as the Blues' performance began to slip. 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. 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". 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. He saw the Blues as just another money-bleeding division, and put the team on the market. During the offseason, forward T. J. Oshie was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Troy Brouwer. 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. Ralston Purina lost an estimated $1.8 million a year during its six-year ownership of the Blues. He was introduced on October 10, 2007. [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. The team did not even participate in the 1983 NHL draft, forfeiting all of its picks. Steward, minority owner of Blues, vows to promote diversity in hockey Overview. Photo by Scott C. Dine/St. [a] The Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL) is the team's minor league affiliate. In the first round of the playoffs, they faced the Vancouver Canucks, to whom they lost in six games. san jose sharks vs . st louis blues - tickets - by owner - event sale Things got worse after Keenan orchestrated a bold trade to acquire Wayne Gretzky late in the 1995-96 season. The team started the season by posting a record of 1012 in their first 13 home games. The Blues ended the 1990s as the only NHL team to make the playoffs for the entire decade, although a Stanley Cup title still eluded the franchise. The group becomes the eighth to hold the keys to the franchise since its inception. Before the season began, the Blues were hit hard with injuries as they lost Robby Fabbri before the season began. With Dorothy Lamour, Lloyd Nolan, Tito Guzar, Jerome Cowan. The Blues took on the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first-round series. "[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. It has an urban feeling, with little of the rural atmosphere that distinguishes country-blues. In 19992000, the team notched a franchise-record 114 points during the regular season, earning the Presidents' Trophy for the League's best record. 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. 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. [32], When Adidas became the uniform provider before the 201718 season, the Blues kept most of the same template, with the exception of the home jersey numbers changing from gold to white.