The St. Louis Blues were established as one of the six new franchises added during the historic 1967 NHL expansion, doubling the league's size. 1)
Owner Sid Salomon Jr. named the team the “Blues” after the famous 1914 song “St. Louis Blues,” written by W.C. Handy. 2)
The franchise was originally purchased by insurance tycoon Sid Salomon Jr. and his son, Sid Salomon III, who were eager to bring hockey to Missouri. 3)
The Blues originally played their home games at the massive St. Louis Arena, a historic building that would later be affectionately known as the Checkerdome. 4)
Legendary hockey mind Scotty Bowman took over as head coach early in the franchise's history, helping instantly legitimize the expansion team. 5)
The Blues played their first regular-season NHL game on October 11, 1967, resulting in a 2-2 tie against the fellow expansion Minnesota North Stars. 6)
Benefitting from a playoff format that guaranteed an expansion team would make the final, the Blues reached the Stanley Cup Final in each of their first three seasons. 7)
In the 1968-69 season, the legendary goaltending duo of Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante shared the Vezina Trophy while playing for St. Louis. 8)
Brothers Barclay, Bob, and Bill Plager became fan favorites in the early years for their incredibly physical, bruising style of defensive play. 9)
In 1977, the Ralston Purina pet food company purchased the St. Louis Blues and the arena to keep the financially struggling team in the city. 10)
In 1983, Ralston Purina essentially abandoned the team, almost resulting in the franchise moving to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, before the NHL intervened. 11)
Businessman Harry Ornest purchased the Blues in 1983 for significantly less than their estimated value, saving the franchise from relocation. 12)
The Blues selected dynamic forward Doug Gilmour in the seventh round of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, discovering one of the biggest steals in team history. 13)
Brian Sutter defined the gritty identity of the Blues throughout the 1980s, serving as the team's heart, soul, and captain for nine seasons. 14)
Hall of Famer Bernie Federko became the first player in NHL history to record at least 50 assists in 10 consecutive seasons. 15)
In 1988, the Blues acquired rising star Brett Hull from the Calgary Flames in a multi-player trade that completely reshaped the franchise. 16)
In Game 6 of the 1986 Campbell Conference Finals, the Blues executed a stunning multi-goal, late-game comeback against Calgary known as the “Monday Night Miracle.” 17)
Former Blues player Red Berenson returned as head coach and won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach in 1981. 18)
During the 1990-91 season, sniper Brett Hull scored an astonishing 86 goals, the third-highest single-season goal total in NHL history. 19)
Following his incredible 86-goal campaign, Brett Hull was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player in 1991. 20)
The incredibly successful pairing of elite playmaker Adam Oates and elite goal-scorer Brett Hull earned the popular nickname “Hull and Oates.” 21)
In 1994, the Blues hired the notoriously demanding Mike Keenan as both head coach and general manager, leading to a highly turbulent era. 22)
In February 1996, the Blues made international headlines by acquiring Wayne Gretzky from the Los Angeles Kings in a major trade deadline deal. 23)
Gretzky's brief stint in St. Louis is often remembered for a critical turnover in double-overtime of Game 7 against Detroit in the 1996 playoffs. 24)
When the Blues signed restricted free agent Brendan Shanahan in 1991, an arbitrator controversially awarded their captain, Scott Stevens, to New Jersey as compensation. 25)
In 1995, the Blues traded fan-favorite Brendan Shanahan to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for young defenseman Chris Pronger. 26)
The Blues signed Hall of Fame defenseman Al MacInnis in 1994, bringing one of the most feared and powerful slapshots in hockey history to St. Louis. 27)
During the 1999-2000 season, Chris Pronger became the first defenseman since Bobby Orr to win both the Hart Trophy (MVP) and the Norris Trophy in the same year. 28)
Just one year prior, in 1999, veteran Al MacInnis captured the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most outstanding defenseman. 29)
The Blues finished the 1999-2000 regular season with 114 points to win the first and only Presidents' Trophy in franchise history. 30)
Goaltender Roman Turek backstopped the Blues' incredibly stingy defense to win the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed in 2000. 31)
The Blues qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for 25 consecutive seasons from 1980 to 2004, one of the longest streaks in North American sports. 32)
In 1994, the team left the aging St. Louis Arena and moved into the state-of-the-art Kiel Center, which is now known as the Enterprise Center. 33)
The Blues drafted prolific Russian sniper Vladimir Tarasenko 16th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, securing a future offensive cornerstone. 34)
Elite two-way defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was named the 21st captain in St. Louis Blues history prior to the 2016-17 season. 35)
The Blues hosted the 2017 NHL Winter Classic at Busch Stadium, defeating their fierce divisional rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-1. 36)
On January 3, 2019, the St. Louis Blues were mathematically in last place in the entire NHL standings before embarking on a historic turnaround. 37)
Craig “Chief” Berube took over as the team's interim head coach midway through the season and completely changed the team's struggling culture. 38)
The team's turnaround was heavily catalyzed by the mid-season call-up of rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington, who went on a massive winning streak. 39)
Laura Branigan's 1982 pop hit “Gloria” randomly became the team's official victory song and the beloved anthem of the entire city during the run. 40)
Laila Anderson, a young fan battling a rare immune disease, became a powerful inspirational figure for the team and was brought onto the ice to lift the Cup. 41)
St. Louis native Pat Maroon scored a thrilling double-overtime game-winning goal in Game 7 of the second round to eliminate the Dallas Stars. 42)
The 2019 championship run culminated in the St. Louis Blues winning the absolute first Stanley Cup title in their 52-year franchise history. 43)
First-year Blues center Ryan O'Reilly won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, incredibly scoring goals in four consecutive Stanley Cup Final games. 44)
The Blues officially clinched the 2019 Stanley Cup on the road, defeating the highly favored Boston Bruins 4-1 in a decisive Game 7 at TD Garden. 45)