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. Disillusioned by Keenan's contentious style, Gretzky became a free agent and departed for New York. The sale price for the team and building lease was reported to be $100 million. 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. I really respect the fact that he puts the needs of the many ahead of the needs of the few. The Blues lost more players as Jay Bouwmeester suffered a season-ending injury, and Jaden Schwartz missed a large portion of the season. For the 199495 season, the Blues introduced a more radical jersey set, featuring red in a more prominent role. Nonetheless, their on-ice success was enough for a consortium of 19 companies to buy the team. 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. [15] The team later traded veteran defenseman Bryce Salvador to the New Jersey Devils for enforcer, and St. Louis native, Cam Janssen. [Brian O'Reilly (Ryan's dad)] I want to thank all of St Louis especially Doug Armstrong. Local ownership group aims to 'put the Blues on solid financial footing.'. 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. Weight was again traded in December 2007 to the Anaheim Ducks, along with a minor league player, in exchange for Andy McDonald. For the first time in five years (that is, since the lockout), the Blues were in the playoffs. They also requested that the court allow them to give up the team and bar the NHL from interfering with the sale of the team. post; account; . [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. Hull, who had a lengthy feud with Keenan, left for the Dallas Stars in 1998. After a strong second-half run, the Blues made the 2009 playoffs on April 10, 2009, after defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 31. 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. 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. Blues' inaugural Hall of Fame class has stature that 'no one can touch' After missing the playoffs for the first time in 197374, the Blues ended up in the Smythe Division after a League realignment. san jose sharks vs . st louis blues - tickets - by owner - event sale 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. Overview. Two-year process yields the most desirable outcome in terms of the city's best interest. 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]. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). None of the previous owners has brought a Stanley Cup championship to St. Louis. He saw the Blues as just another money-bleeding division, and put the team on the market. While the Blues had returned to respectability on the ice, they were struggling off it. 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. In hopes of saving the franchise, Francis persuaded St. Louis-based pet food giant Ralston Purina to buy the team, arena, and the $8.8 million debt. 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. Initially, the front of the jersey featured the team name above the crest logo, but was removed in 1987. The NHL also said that Ralston broke a league rule that an owner had to give two years' notice before dissolving a franchise. The next few seasons became like a broken record. A corresponding blue jersey was introduced the following season, thus retiring the previous set. On June 13, 2016, it was announced that Mike Yeo would replace Hitchcock as head coach of the Blues following the 201617 season. Only Wayne Gretzky found the net more than Hull during any given three-year period. The remaining staff included the accounting department, scouting staff, and coach Barclay Plager. The standard for other teams was 60 players. Chris Kerber and Joe Vitale are the current radio broadcast 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.". To this day, in terms of contention, the Salomon group remains the most successful of the Blues owners. 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. St. Louis Blues (1958) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb Following the Black Hawks' championship in 1961, the team became much more successful at the box office in Chicago, thus St. Louis was no longer useful as a secondary market. St. Louis Blues. List of former Blues players set to return to St. Louis before the end of the season . [41] However, during the 2019 playoffs, Laura Branigan's "Gloria" was played first before The Urge song. [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. However, as the season was put on pause due to the pandemic, no team would play the full 82 games. Jeremy Rutherford is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the St. Louis Blues. Hull, nicknamed the "Golden Brett" (a reference to his father, NHL legend Bobby Hull, who was nicknamed the "Golden Jet"), became one of the League's top stars and a scoring sensation, netting 86 goals in 199091 en route to earning the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player. [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. They treated the players to all-expenses-paid Florida vacations when seasons ended and bought them gold wristwatches for scoring hat tricks, etc. Attendance had gone from a peak of 18,601 a game in 1972-73 to 10,130. Before the 199798 season, the Blues introduced a new alternate white jersey. 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. St. Louis Blues: Directed by Raoul Walsh. Caron was reinstated as interim general manager for the rest of the season, and general manager Larry Pleau was hired on June 9, 1997. 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. st louis blues - $75 (Saint Louis) wednesday 2023-03-01. number available: 4 venue: enterprise center. 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 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. 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. KSDK history: Mike Bush, Art Holliday start traditions | ksdk.com - FOX61 In 19992000, the team notched a franchise-record 114 points during the regular season, earning the Presidents' Trophy for the League's best record. In fact, they made it to the conference finals only two times in their streak (1986 and 2001). Under new management, the Blues promptly installed John Davidson as president of hockey operations, moving Pleau to a mostly advisory role. On October 2, 2007, the Blues finalized the season-starting roster, which included rookies David Perron, Steven Wagner and Erik Johnson. Doug Wickenheiser's overtime goal in Game 6 to cap a furious comeback remains one of the greatest moments in team history (known locally as the "Monday Night Miracle"), but the Blues lost Game 7, 21. 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. 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 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. 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. 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 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. Why A Stanley Cup Would Mean Big Money For St. Louis Blues Owner Tom [7] Emile Francis would call it quits on May 2, leaving for the Hartford Whalers to become president and general manager. [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. Following their playoff exit, Ralston authorized the deal to Hunter's renamed company Coliseum Holdings, Ltd. for $12 million on April 21. Off the ice, the cash-poor Checketts operated with an Ornest-like budget; on the ice the team continued to stockpile picks and promise. 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 joined the league in 1967, one of six expansion teams that doubled the size of the NHL from six to 12. [55] The seven individuals recognized as builders by the Hall of Fame includes former Blues executives, general managers, head coaches, and owners. On April 12, the Blues clinched the sixth seed in the West with a 10 win against the Colorado Avalanche. 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. Years later, Sutter argued that had the Blues made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, they would have likely beaten the Canadiens, having won two out of three games against the Habs in the regular season. In between seasons and during trade deadlines, the Blues became a must-see attraction. Blues Jump Blues/Piano Blues St. Louis Blues. 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. 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. [17] During the 2011 NHL offseason, the team signed many key free agents, including Brian Elliott, Scott Nichol, Kent Huskins, Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner. However, they were swept in the Stanley Cup Finals by the Montreal Canadiens in 1969 and then by the Boston Bruins in 1970. [25] This all but assured that Berube would have the "interim" tag removed from his title, which occurred two weeks after their Cup victory. Buck elected to leave the booth after one season, though, and was replaced by another famed announcer in Dan Kelly. Ultimately, Keenan's playoff resume with St. Louis included a first-round exit in 1995 and a second-round exit in 1996, and he was fired on December 19, 1996. 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. The Salomons sold the Blues to Ralston on July 27, 1977. In the midst of it, in 1999, the Clark Enterprises consortium of 19 St. Louis companies that owned the franchise sold it to Bill Laurie and his wife, Nancy, daughter of Wal-Mart co-founder Sam Walton. Louis Post-Dispatch, Ruth and Harry Ornest, holding court during their reign with the St. Louis Blues, on July 12, 1985. The team did not even participate in the 1983 NHL draft, forfeiting all of its picks. In each instance, the Blues were swept in four games, twice by the Montreal Canadiens and lastly by the Boston Bruins. 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. 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. Jeremy Rutherford is the lead Blues beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Most NHL teams during the mid-1980s had over 60 players under contract. Buck elected to leave the booth after one season, though, and was replaced by another famed announcer in Dan Kelly. Steward, minority owner of Blues, vows to promote diversity in hockey Ornest had made plans to buy the team as early as March, but built up his efforts in late June to have enough money. While there were a number of interested parties, none had enough cash to meet Ralston's asking price. The navy blue third jersey was kept without any alterations, before it was retired prior the 201617 season. Tom Stillman takes over as new, local Blues owner - St. Louis Business On November 14, 2005, the Blues announced that SCP Worldwide had officially withdrawn from negotiations to buy the team. As the team lingered on the shelf, management further demoralized the fan base by streamlining the books and trading its high-salaried players. 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 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. Attendance plummeted, from 18,560 a game in 2003-04 to 12,520 in 2006-07. This third jersey was unveiled on September 21, 2008, and debuted during a Blues' home game against the Anaheim Ducks on November 21, 2008. The latest STL Blues hockey news, NHL headlines, scores, standings and rosters. The Black Hawks owners felt they could establish a "lovable loser" (much like the Cubs) with the St. Louis hockey team. Albums. Meet the Thunderbirds | NHL.com The broadcasts failed to produce a profit and then returned to KPLR for the 1982 NHL playoffs and the 198283 season before returning to KDNL (currently St. Louis' ABC affiliate) for the 198384 season, the first under the ownership of Harry Ornest. Hi I have 4 tickets to the blues game tonight vs the San Jose sharks. 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. 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 move proved both ill-conceived and ill-timed, as the renamed St. Louis Eagles continued to lose money. 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? It has been called the "Fan Salute" by some. The Blues have a tradition of live organ music. Original Blues owner fondly remembers the early days - STLtoday.com [55] Dan Kelly, the Blues' radio play-by-play announcer, was awarded the first Blues broadcaster to receive the award in 1989. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. Baie-Comeau Drakkar Players Bakersfield Condors Players Barrie Colts Players Barys Astana Players Belarusian Hockey Players Belleville Senators Players Bemidji State Beavers Players Bentley Falcons. However, they were stunned by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2000 playoffs in seven games. During the 3rd Period, The Blues were winning by a large margin against the visiting Nashville Predators. 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. In 201213, the Blues completed the lockout-shortened season in fourth place in the Western Conference. The arena was previously known as Scottrade Center, the Savvis Center, and before that as the Kiel Center. The jersey brought back the contrasting shoulder yoke and returned to the lighter blue of previous eras. Blues Acquire Vrana From the Red Wings In 1985, Ornest, wanting more broadcast revenue, put the radio rights up for bid. St. Louis Blues - Owners | RetroSeasons.com The Blues took on the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first-round series. The team slipped under .500 the following season and managed just 65 points in 1982-83. 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. Ryan O'Reilly won the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. SLB Acquisition Holdings LLC - Wikipedia However, longtime Ralston Purina chairman R. Hal Dean said that he only intended to keep the Blues as a Ralston subsidiary only temporarily until a more stable owner could be found who would keep the team in St. Louis. And within two years, Hull also was gone, left unsigned to continue a Hall of Fame career with Stanley Cup championships in Dallas and Detroit. 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. 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. The Blues got off to a slow start in their initial season. Indeed, many of the Blues' players liked the fact that their families could hear the games on KMOX. The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. 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. St. Louis Blues (1958) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Former Blues forward David Perron was brought back on a free agent deal, while defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was named team captain. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. 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. John Kelly (son of Dan) and Darren Pang are the current team for television coverage, while Scott Warmann, Alexa Datt, Bernie Federko, and Jamie Rivers present the pre-game and post-game shows. The Blues simplified their design, with only the blue note logo on the front; there were no third jerseys for the season. Incensed, Ralston Purina sued the NHL, padlocked the Checkerdome and abandoned the franchise, leaving a mess for the league to sort out. The Blues remain 0-12 in Stanley Cup finals play. While the disappointment of that series loss is still fresh, hope springs eternal with the announcement that a new ownership group is in place. For the full season-by-season history, see List of St. Louis Blues seasons, Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against. They also had strong goaltending led by Mike Liut. Tom Stillman becomes the eighth owner in Blues franchise history. The Blues were one of the six teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion, along with the . They also provided the capital to build the Kiel Center (now the Enterprise Center), which opened in 1994. St. Louis Blues Music Genre Overview | AllMusic After each goal, a bell is rung and each of the goals are counted by the crowd. 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.