St. Louis Blues (1967-Present)

Historical Moments:
1967/68: The NHL decided to double the number of teams from 6 to 12 and St. Louis who flirted with the NHL 42 years earlier got one of the 6 new expansion teams. Taking inspiration from a famous song the team was named the Blues. The Blues played their first game on October 11th and the old St. Louis Arena skating to 2-2 draw against the Minnesota North Stars. The first year Blues were able to coax a former top NHL stars like Dickie Moore out of retirement to help guide the young team. After initial struggled under Lynn Patrick the coaching reigns were handed over to Scotty Bowman who was getting his first head coaching job in the NHL. The Blues would go on to finish the season on a strong note finishing 3rd in the all expansion Western Division with a 27-31-16 record. In the playoffs the Blues would get off to a fast start jumping out to a 3-1 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers would rebound to force a 7th game with an overtime win in St. Louis in Game 6. However the Blues would recover to take Game 7 in Philadelphia by a score of 3-1. In the Western Division Finals the Blues again need 7 games to beat the Minnesota North Stars, which included 3 wins in overtime capped by Ron Schock goal in overtime of Game 7. The expansion Blues would go on to face the legendary Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Blues would be swept however all 4 games were decided by 1 point including 2 in overtime. Despite being swept in the finals goalie Glenn Hall would earn the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP.

1968/69: The Blues continued to sign legendary players as Jacques Plante and Glenn Hall shared the goaltending duties. Plante and Hall would go on to win the Vezina Trophy as the Blues finished in first place with a solid record of 37-25-14, as they were helped by the blueline play of the Plager Brothers, Barclay and Bob who became instant fan favorites. However, the highlight of the season came on November 7th when Red Berenson scored 6 goals in an 8-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. In the playoffs the Blues would dominate the West sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, once again in the finals the Blues would be no match for the Montreal Canadiens who swept their way to a 2nd straight Stanley Cup out scoring the Blues 12-3.

1969/70: In their 3rd season the Blues continued to be the best of the expansion teams winning the Western Division again with a record of 37-27-12. In the playoffs the Blues would need 6 games to beat the Minnesota North Stars to reach the Western Finals where they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in 6 games for a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, playing an established team in the Finals again the Blues are swept this time the sweep comes at the hands of the Boston Bruins.

1970/71: The Blues continued to play strong hockey as they finished in 2nd place with a record of 34-25-19, as the Chicago Blackhawks are relocated into the Western Division. However, there would be no return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals as the Blues are beaten by the Minnesota North Stars in 6 games.

1971/72: Sidney J. Salomon III take a more active role in the running of the franchise owned by his father, as Scotty Bowman the clubs GM and Coach departs to lead the Montreal Canadiens, he would go on to become the winningest coach in NHL history. In the make of the departure of Bowman the Blues go through 3 coaches while posting a disappointing record of 28-39-11. However, they would still sneak into the playoffs by finishing in 3rd place. In the playoffs the Blues would make some noise stunning the Minnesota North Stars in 6 games to reach the semifinals. However, in the semis they would be swept by the Boston Bruins in 4 straight.

1972/73: The Blues make the playoffs for the 6th straight season. However, it is a struggle all the way as they held off the Pittsburgh Penguins by 3 points to make the playoffs with a mediocre record of 32-34-12. In the playoffs the Blues would make a quick exit as they are beaten by the Chicago Blackhawks in 5 games. In the middle of the season Coach Al Arbour is fired and replaced by Jean-Guy Talbot. Arbour would land a job with New York Islanders and would go on to become the 3rd winningest coach in NHL history.

1973/74: The Blues begin to struggle on and off the ice as the team begins to feel the financial pinch from the WHA while missing the playoffs for the first time with a record of 26-40-12. Garry Unger would provide the only excitement for Blue fans as he led the team in goals and assists, while taking home MVP honors from the All-Star Game.

1974/75: Despite continue financial troubles the Blues make it back into the playoffs by finishing in 2nd place in the Smythe Division with a record of 35-31-14. However, the Blues appearance in the playoffs would be brief as they lose 2 straight to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

1975/76: Despite a poor record of 29-37-14 the Blues are able to sneak into the playoffs. However, in the playoffs the Blues would drop a 3-game series to the Buffalo Sabres losing the last 2 games in overtime. However, financially hardship continues to take a toll on the Blues as the team is put up for sale while their front office staff was cut to three employees.

1976/77: While new owners were sought Emile Francis is brought in as General Manage and Coach to keep the Blues alive. In his first draft Francis makes 3 key picks selecting Bernie Federko, Brian Sutter and Mike Liut who will all go on to become key players for the Blues. Under Francis the Blues would make the playoff again while finishing in first place in the mediocre Smyth Division with a less then stellar record of 32-39-9. However, in the playoffs the Blues would be exposed, as they are swept by the Montreal Canadiens in 4 straight. Following the season the Blues would be hit hard by tragedy as defenseman Bob Gassoff is killed in a motorcycle accident.

1977/78: The Blues finally get secure financially backing as the team is purchased by Ralston Purina who renames the old St. Louis Arena the Checkerdome. While Emile Francis leaves the bench to concentrate on running the team as General Manger the Blues struggle missing the playoff while finishing in 4th place with a terrible 20-47-13 record.

1978/79: The remade Blues continue to struggle as they miss the playoffs for the second straight season while finishing in 3rd place with a franchise worse record of 18-50-12.

1979/80: The young Blues begin to show some promise nearly doubling their win total while finishing in 2nd place with a 34-34-12 record, as Bernie Federko leads the team in points with 94. However, in the playoffs the Blues would be swept in 3 straight games by the Chicago Blackhawks.

1980/81: Just 2 years after being one of the worst teams in the NHL the Blues solidify themselves as one of the best teams as they win the Smythe Division with an impressive record of 45-18-7, finishing just 3 points behind the New York Islanders for the best overall mark in the league. In the playoffs the Blues would be tested right away, as they needed a Mike Crombeen goal in overtime to take the series in 5 games. However, in the second round the Blues would not be bailed out as they are beaten by the New York Rangers in 6 games.

1981/82: Under geographical realignment the Blues are shifted to the Norris Division. However just a year after a promising 107-point season the Blues struggle as Coach of the Year Red Berenson is fired in the middle of the season as GM Emile Francis takes over to salvage the season. The Blues would go on to post a disappointing record of 32-40-8, but it was good enough for 3rd place and a playoff spot. In the playoffs the Blues would have a strong early showing as they upset the Winnipeg Jets in 4 games. However, in the Norris Finals they would be upended by the Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games.

1982/83: Just 5 years after they rescued the franchise Ralston Purina puts the Blues up for sale claiming they were losing $1.8 million a year. A group wanting to move the team to Saskatoon agreed to purchase the team. However, the NHL refused to allow the Blues to move. While uncertainty was surrounding the future of the franchise the Blues struggled posting a record of terrible 25-40-15 record. However, the Blues would get into the playoffs by finishing in 4th place. In the playoffs the Blues would make a quick exit as they are beaten by the Chicago Blackhawks in 4 games.

1983/84: After the NHL blocks the Blues move to Saskatoon, the team's new owners padlock the doors to the Checkerdome, while turning over the team to the NHL. With the Blues future in doubt the team is not allowed to participate in the draft. Before the season started the Blues are sold to entrepreneur Harry Ornest, who hired a new General Manager Ron Caron and a new Coach Jacques Demers. Under new management the Blues would finish in 2nd place with a record of 32-41-7. In the playoffs the Blues would knock off the Detroit Red Wings in 4 games as they won the final 2 games at the newly renamed St. Louis Arena in overtime. In the Norris Division Finals the Blues would put up a string fight before falling to the Minnesota North Stars in overtime of Game 7.

1984/85: After 3 straight loosing seasons the Blues post a winning record of 37-31-12 while winning the Norris Division. However, in the playoffs the success would not carry over, as the Blues are swept by the Minnesota North Stars in 3 straight.

1985/86: The Blues make the playoffs for the 7th straight season by finishing in 3rd place with a 37-34-9 record. In the playoffs the Bleus would get a measure of revenge as they beat the Minnesota North Stars in a hard fought 5 game series stealing the final game on the road by a score of 6-3. In the Norris Division Finals the Blues are pushed to the limit again as the edge the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 2-1 to reach the Campbell Conference Finals, where they were a huge underdog facing the Calgary Flames. After taking Game 1 in Calgary, the Blue struggled and found themselves needing a home won in Game 6 to force a 7th game. Down 5-2 with less the 9 minutes left all hope looked lost for the Blues. However, a goal by Brian Sutter, and a pair of goals by Greg Paslawski sent the game to overtime where Doug Wickenheiser completed the Monday Night Miracle by knocking a rebound past Mike Vernon. However, the jubilation would not last as the Blues are beaten by the Flames in Game 7 at Calgary 2-1.

1986/87: The Bleus are sold again as a local ownership group led by Michael Shanahan purchases the team from Harry Ornest, while Coach Jacques Demers leaves for the Detroit Red Wings. Under new Coach Jacques Martin the Blues would go on to with Norris Division despite a losing record of 32-33-15. However, in the playoffs the Blues weaknesses are exposed as they are beaten by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 6 games.

1987/88: The Blues make the playoffs for the 9th straight season despite a less then stellar record of 34-38-8, which was good enough for 2nd place in the mediocre Norris Division. As the season wound down the Blues would pull off a major steal by acquiring Brett Hull and Steve Bozek from the Calgary Flames for Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley. In the first round the Blues would have no problem getting past the Chicago Blackhawks in 5 games. However, in the Norris Division Finals the Blues would be beaten by the Detroit Red Wings in 5 games.

1988/89: In his first full season with the Blues, Brett Hull has a breakout season scoring 41 goals as the Blues finish in 2nd place again with a 33-35-12 record. In the playoffs the Blues would get off to a fast start taking the first 2 games in overtime on the way to beating the Minnesota North Stars in 5 games. However, in the Norris Division Finals the Blues would be knocked out by the Chicago Blackhawks in 5 games.

1989/90: With Brett Hull leading the NHL with 72 goals the Blues make the playoffs for the 11th straight year by finishing in 2nd place with a record of 37-34-9. In the playoffs the Blues would have no problem beating the Toronto Maple Leafs in 5 games. However, once again the Blues would fall in the Norris Division Finals as they lose a 7-game heartbreaker to the Chicago Blackhawks.

1990/91: Led by Brett Hull who captures the Hart Trophy with a NHL leading 86 goals the Blues finish in 2nd place with a solid 47-22-11, finishing just 1-point behind the Chicago Blackhawks for the best record in the NHL. In the playoffs the Blues would struggle early as they fell behind the Detroit Red Wings 3 games to 1. However, the Blues would rebound to force a 7th game which the won 3-2 to make it back to the Norris Division Finals. In the Norris Division Finals the Blues would fall behind3-1 again facing the Minnesota North Stars. However, there would be no comeback this time as they are beaten in 6 games.

1991/92: Brett Hull continues to be the top goal scorer in the NHL notching another 70 as the Blues finish in 3rd place with a record of 36-33-11. However, in the playoffs the Blues would be frustrated by the Chicago Blackhawks again as they are knocked off in 6 games.

1992/93: The Blues play mediocre hockey all season as they barley make the playoffs for the 14th straight season by finishing in 4th place with a 37-36-11 record, holding off the Minnesota North Stars by 3 points. In the playoffs the Blues would end several years of frustration by stunning the first place Chicago Blackhawks in a 4 game sweep. However, the Blues would fall in the Norris Division Finals again as they are beaten by the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 7-game series.

1993/94: Brett Hull and Brendan Shanahan each top the 50-goal mark as the Blues make the playoffs for the 15th straight year by finishing in 4th place in the newly renamed Central Division with a record of 40-33-11. However, in the playoffs the Blues would make a quick exit as they are swept in 4 straight by the Dallas Stars. Following the season the Blues would sign Mike Keenan to be the team's new Coach and General Manger as he had a falling out with New York Rangers management after guiding the team to the Stanley Cup.

1994/95: In addition to a new Coach in Mike Keenan the Blues had a new arena as they left the old St. Louis Arena for the brand new Kiel Center. However, the start of the new era was delayed as the NHL endured a 4-month lockout that wiped out half of the season. When the season finally started in late January the Blues were one of the strongest teams again, finishing in 2nd place with a solid record of 28-15-5. However, in the playoffs the Blues would be stunned in 7 games by the Vancouver Canucks. Following the Mike Keenan would anger many loyal Blues fans by trading away Brendan Shanahan.

1995/96: Feeling they needed an extra push to make the playoffs the Blues acquire Wayne Gretzky from the Los Angeles Kings for Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat and draft picks. In 18 games with the Blues Gretzky notches 21 points as the Blues make it into the playoffs for the 17th straight year with a record of 32-34-16. In the playoffs Gretzky would provide a spark as the Blues overcame an injury to goalie Grant Fuhr in Game 1 to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in 6 games. Backup goalie John Casey continued to keep the Blues hopes alive as they jumped out to a 3-2 series lead against the Detroit Red Wings. However, the Wings would rally and win the series in double overtime in Game 7 on Steve Yzerman's goal. Following the season the Blues would lose Gretzky as he signed a free agent deal with the New York Rangers.

1996/97: After losing Wayne Gretzky the Blues were in turmoil as an ugly public feud between Brett Hull and Coach Mike Keenan developed, as the Blues got off to a slow start. On December 19th the Keenan era would come to a sudden end as he is fired as GM and Coach. Eventually he would be replaced by Joel Quenneville behind the bench as the Blues recovered and made the playoffs for the 18th straight season with a 36-35-11 record. However, once again the Blues would make a quick exit in the playoffs as they are beaten by the Detroit Red Wings in 6 games.

1997/98: In his first full season as Coach Joel Quenneville decided to employ a defensive formula. The move worked wonders as even Brett Hull brought into the new system as the Blues finished in 3rd place with a solid 45-29-8 record. In the playoffs the Blues would dominate the Loa Angeles Kings sweeping them in 4 straight. However, in the 2nd round the Blues would be upended by the Detroit Red Wings in 6 games. The season would mark an end of an era as Brett Hull is not resigned following the season as he sign a free agent deal with the Dallas Stars.

1998/99: Despite the loss of Brett Hull the Blues made the playoffs for the 20th straight season by finishing in 2nd place with a record of 37-32-13. Helping to keep the Blues playoff streak alive was Al MacInnis who won the Norris trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL, while Pavol Demitra provided the scoring touch with 37 goals. In the playoffs the Blues would find themselves in a quick hole as they trailed the Phoenix Coyotes 3 games to 1. However the Blues would rally and take the series in 7 games. However, in the 2nd round the Bleus would be knocked off again as they are beaten by the Dallas Stars led by Brett Hull in 6 games. Hull would go on to score the Stanley Cup Clinching goal for the Stars.

1999/00: The Blues get another ownership change as heirs to the Wal-Mart Family fortune purchase the team and the arena, which is, renamed the Savvis Center. In addition to new ownership the Blues land a new goalie trading for Roman Turek who had been a back up on the Dallas Stars. In Turek's first season with Blues he led the NHL in shutouts with 7 while posting a league best 1.95 GAA, as the Blues allowed just 165 goals on the season as team. Leading the way for the Blues tough defense was Chris Pronger who would earn the Norris and Hart Trophies, as the Blues won the President's Trophy for the best record in the NHL at 51-20-11-1. However, in the playoffs the Blues would suffer a major let down as they dropped 3 straight after taking Game 1 against the San Jose Sharks. The Blues appeared to be on the way to another comeback as they won the next to o force a 7th game. However in Game 7 the Blues would become the first team with best overall record to lose a first round series in 9 years as they are beaten 3-1 by the Sharks at home.

2000/01: After their disappointing first round ouster the Blues got off to a fast start. However, in the second half they would be slowed by a string of injuries to Pavol Demitra, Al MacInnis, Tyson Nash and Chris Pronger. The Blues managed to stay near the top of the Central Division, thanks to a career-high 40 goals from Scott Young. As the season wound down most of the Bleu injured stars returned. However, not satisfied they went out and acquired Scott Mellanby, Cory Stillman and Keith Tkachuk and the trade deadline. With the new additions the Blues would finish in 2nd place with a strong 43-22-12-5 record, marking the Blues 22nd straight trip to the playoffs. In the playoffs the Blues would get a measure of revenge by beating the San Jose Sharks in 6 games. In the 2nd round Blues pulled played their best hockey as they easily swept the defending conference champion Dallas Stars in 4 straight. For the Blues it was their first trip to the Conference Finals in 15 years as end a string of 1st and 2nd round losses. However, the Blues would fall short in their quest to make the Stanley Cup Finals as they are beaten by the Colorado Avalanche in 5 games.

2001/02: The Blues remained one of the top teams in the Western Conference despite instability in goal after Roman Turek is traded in the off-season, finishing in 2nd place with a solid record of 43-27-8-4. In the playoffs the Blues tough defense would help shutdown the Chicago Blackhawks in 5 games. However, in the 2nd round the Blues are beaten by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings in 5 games. It marked the 5th time in 6 years that the Blues are eliminated by the eventual Cup winners.

2002/03: With Chris Pronger missing most of the season due to injury and a seemingly endless carousel in goal one could expect the Blues to have failed and miss the playoffs. However the old veteran Al MacInnis and the Rookie Barret Jackman, who won the Calder Trophy more then picked up the slack as the Blues made the playoffs for the 24th straight season with a solid record of 41-24-11-6. In the playoffs the Blues got off to a fast start winning Game 1 against the Vancouver Canucks on the road 6-0. After losing Game 2 the Blue came home and continued to play solid hockey winning Games 3 and 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. However, with a chance to close things out on the road in Game 5 the Blues fell behind early 4-1, before losing 5-3. The Blues would have a second chance to close things out at home in Game 6. However, once again the Blues saw a rally fall short as they lost 4-3 and were pushed to a 7th game. In Game 7 in Vancouver there would be no rally as the Blues lost 4-1 blowing a 3-1 series lead.

2003/04: Injuries played havoc with the Blues from the start of the season as veteran defenseman Al MacInnis was lost after just 3 games to an eye injury, while a shoulder injury limited Calder winning defenseman Barrett Jackman to 15 games. Despite the loss of two key players the Blues got off to a solid start as they held a 21-9-4-1 record on January 1st. However the injuries caught up to the Blues as they won just 7 of their next 24 games costing Coach Joel Quenneville his job on February 24th. With Mike Kitchen behind the bench the Blues did not play any better as they went winless in their first 5 games under their new coach. The Blues would eventually get things righted and would finish March strong losing just 2 of their next 12 games as the Blues made the playoffs for the 25th straight season with a record of 39-30-11-2. However in the playoffs the Blues would struggle as they were quickly dispatched by the San Jose Sharks in 5 games. Following the playoffs the Blues would get a black eye as enforcer Mike Danton was arrested after trying to hire a hitman to murder his agent. Danton would eventually plead guilty and would be sentenced to seven and a half years for murder conspiracy charges.

2004/05: Season Cancelled Due to Lock Out

2005/06: Coming out of the Lock Out Blues fans continued to feel the Blues, as the team was up for sale, while fan favorites Al MacInnis retired, and Chris Pronger was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. When the season began it went bad to worse as Keith Tkachuk showed up in training camp out of shape, and was benched until he got back to his playing weight. As expected the Blues would get off to a bad start as they won just 2 of their first 17 games. As the Blue struggled attendance became sporadic with the Blues at the bottom of the league in attendance. The Blues would remain in last place all season with one of the worst seasons in franchise history as they posted a league worst mark of 21-46-15. When the season was over the Blues would finally have new owners as former President of Madison Square Garden Dave Checketts led a group to buy the struggling franchise, installing longtime Broadcaster John Davidson as the teams new General Manager.

2006/07: Coming off their worst season in franchise history, the Blues were a team just getting set to start over again as they had a new ownership, and a new front office, and soon they would have a new coach as Mike Kitchen was fired on December 11th after a 7-17-4 start. Under new Coach Andy Murray things were slow to improve as the Blues were in the middle of an 11-game losing streak. However, as December came to a close the Blues started to show signs of life winning 5 of 6 games. The Blues would continue to play well in January winning 7 games in an 8 game stretch where their only loss came in a shoot out. However, what was more impressive was who the Blues beat over that period as they won road games elite teams like the New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks. Despite their turn around the focus was still on the future, and at the trade deadline the Blues away Bill Guerin and Keith Tkachuk for prospects. The Blues would go on to finish in 3rd Place with a 34-35-13 record, missing the playoffs for the second straight season.