St. Louis Blues facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St. Louis Blues
Conference	Western
Division	Central
Founded	1967
History	St. Louis Blues 1967–present
Home arena	Enterprise Center
City	St. Louis, Missouri
Colors	Royal blue, gold, navy blue, white
Media	FanDuel Sports Network Midwest 101 ESPN
Owner(s)	SLB Acquisition Holdings LLC (Tom Stillman, chairman and governor)
General manager	Doug Armstrong
Head coach	Jim Montgomery
Captain	Brayden Schenn
Minor league affiliates	Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) Florida Everblades (ECHL)
Stanley Cups	1 (2018–19)
Conference championships	1 (2018–19)
Presidents' Trophies	1 (1999–00)
Division championships	10 (1968–69, 1969–70, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1999–00, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2019–20)

The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team from St. Louis, Missouri. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL) as part of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The team started in 1967 as one of six new teams in the NHL. They are named after the famous song "Saint Louis Blues" by W. C. Handy. The Blues play their home games at the Enterprise Center in downtown St. Louis. They moved there in 1994 from the St. Louis Arena.

The Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019. They have made the playoffs more often than any team outside the "Original Six" (the first six NHL teams). For many years, they struggled to win in the playoffs. They lost in the Stanley Cup Finals three times in their first three seasons. When they won in 2019, it was 49 years after their last Finals appearance. They became the last of the 1967 expansion teams to win their first Stanley Cup.

The Blues have a big rivalry with the Chicago Blackhawks. They have been in the same division since 1970. Their minor league teams are the Springfield Thunderbirds (in the AHL) and the Florida Everblades (in the ECHL).

History of the St. Louis Blues

Early Hockey in St. Louis (Before 1967)

Hockey was played in St. Louis even before the Blues. The St. Louis Arena was built in 1929 and hosted a minor league team called the St. Louis Flyers. The city even had an NHL team for one season, the St. Louis Eagles, in 1934–35. However, the Eagles lost a lot of money and stopped playing after just one year.

Later, the owners of the Chicago Black Hawks (now Blackhawks) bought the St. Louis Arena. They used St. Louis as a place for their minor league teams. They even played a few NHL games there in the 1950s.

Joining the NHL in 1967

The Blues became one of six new teams to join the NHL in the 1967 expansion. Other teams included the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and California Seals. St. Louis was chosen because of its location and the arena. The Black Hawks owners pushed for St. Louis because they owned the old arena and wanted to sell it.

The team's first owners were Sid Salomon Jr., his son Sid Salomon III, and Robert L. Wolfson. They bought the team in 1966. Sid Salomon Jr. spent millions of dollars to fix up the old arena. He made it bigger, from 12,000 seats to 15,000.

Early Success and Stanley Cup Finals (1967–1970)

Jim Roberts was one of the first players picked by the Blues in the 1967 NHL expansion draft. He played for the Blues from 1967 to 1972.

The Blues' first general manager and coach was Lynn Patrick. He left early in the first season. Assistant coach Scotty Bowman took over and led the team to a winning record. The NHL put all the new teams in a new "Western Division." This meant all new teams had a fair chance to make the playoffs.

Under Bowman, the Blues made the playoffs in their first year. They won two seven-game series against the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota North Stars. This led them to the 1968 Stanley Cup Finals. However, they lost to the strong Montreal Canadiens.

The Blues continued to be strong in the Western Division for the next two seasons. They were the only expansion team to have a winning record. But they lost in the Stanley Cup Finals again, swept by the Canadiens in 1969 and by the Boston Bruins in 1970.

Key players from these early teams included goalies Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante. They won a Vezina Trophy in 1969. Defensemen like Jim Roberts, Al Arbour, and brothers Bob and Barclay Plager were also important. Red Berenson became the team's first big star. The arena became known as one of the loudest in the NHL.

The owner, Sid Salomon Jr., was known for treating his players very well. He gave them cars and vacations. Players felt they had to play their best for him.

Financial Troubles and Playoff Streak (1970–1987)

The Blues' early success didn't last into the 1970s. The playoff rules changed, and stronger teams like the Chicago Black Hawks moved into their division. Coach Scotty Bowman left in 1970. Many key players retired or were traded.

Bernie Federko was drafted by the Blues in 1976. He played for the team until 1989 and holds the record for most games played with the Blues.

The team started having big money problems. The owners, the Salomons, sold the team to Ralston Purina in 1977. Ralston Purina renamed the arena the "Checkerdome." After two tough years, the Blues made the playoffs in 1980. This started a streak of 25 straight playoff appearances!

In 1981, the Blues had their best record ever at the time. They had 107 points, the second-best in the league. Many players scored over 20 goals, including Wayne Babych, Bernie Federko, and Brian Sutter. Goalie Mike Liut was also a star. Coach Red Berenson won an award for best coach. But they lost in the second round of the playoffs.

Ralston Purina lost money on the team. In 1983, they decided to sell the Blues. A man named Bill Hunter wanted to buy the team and move it to Saskatoon, Canada. The NHL said no because they thought Saskatoon was too small. Ralston Purina then said they would shut down the team. The NHL took over the team and looked for a new owner.

Just ten days before the team would have been dissolved, a businessman named Harry Ornest bought the team and the arena. He changed the arena name back to St. Louis Arena. This was the closest an NHL team had come to shutting down since 1978.

Ornest ran the team very cheaply. Players sometimes had to wait for their pay, but they always got it. They stayed in St. Louis because they liked the city. Even with a small budget, the Blues stayed competitive. Star player Doug Gilmour emerged during this time.

The Blues often lost their young stars to other teams. But they still made it to the Campbell Conference Finals in 1986. They lost a tough Game 7 to the Calgary Flames. After that season, Ornest sold the team to a group led by Michael Shanahan.

The Brett Hull Era (1988–1998)

Brett Hull joined the Blues in 1988. He holds the team record for most goals scored.

The Blues continued to be a strong team in the late 1980s and early 1990s. General manager Ron Caron made great trades. He brought in stars like Brett Hull, Adam Oates, Brendan Shanahan, Al MacInnis, and goalie Curtis Joseph. Even with these great players, the Blues couldn't get past the second round of the playoffs.

The team's success helped them build a new arena, the Kiel Center (now Enterprise Center), which opened in 1994.

Brett Hull, known as "the Golden Brett," became one of the NHL's top scorers. He scored 86 goals in 1990–91, winning the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's best player. Only Wayne Gretzky scored more goals than Hull in any three-year period. Despite a great regular season in 1990–91, the Blues lost in the second round of the playoffs.

Mike Keenan was hired as general manager and coach in 1994. He made many changes, trading away popular players like Brendan Shanahan and Curtis Joseph. He also brought in the famous but older Wayne Gretzky. Keenan and Gretzky didn't get along, and Gretzky left after one season. Keenan was fired in 1996. Brett Hull, who also had problems with Keenan, left for the Dallas Stars in 1998. He won the Stanley Cup with the Stars the next year. The Blues made the playoffs every year in the 1990s, but still didn't win the Cup.

End of the Playoff Streak and Rebuild (1998–2011)

Players like Chris Pronger, Keith Tkachuk, Pavol Demitra, Pierre Turgeon, Al MacInnis, and goalie Roman Turek kept the Blues competitive. In 1999–2000, the team had a record 114 points in the regular season. They won the Presidents' Trophy for the best record in the league. But they were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the San Jose Sharks. In 2001, the Blues reached the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Colorado Avalanche.

The Blues made the playoffs every year from 1980 to 2004. This was the third-longest playoff streak in North American sports history. However, they never reached the Stanley Cup Finals during this time.

After the 2004–05 NHL lockout, the Blues had their worst record in 27 years in 2005–06. They missed the playoffs for only the fourth time. Fan attendance also dropped. The team's owners, Nancy and Bill Laurie, decided to sell the team. In 2006, SCP Worldwide and TowerBrook Capital Partners bought the Blues.

Keith Tkachuk with the Blues. He was the third American player to score 500 goals and the sixth American player to reach 1,000 points.

The new owners focused on rebuilding the team. They hired John Davidson to lead hockey operations. The team made trades and signed new players. They drafted promising young players like T. J. Oshie, Erik Johnson, and David Perron. In 2006–07, injuries hurt the team, and they missed the playoffs again.

In 2007, the Blues signed free agent Paul Kariya. They also introduced a new mascot, Louie, on October 10, 2007. In 2008, defenseman Eric Brewer became the team's 19th captain.

In 2008–09, the Blues started slowly but had a strong second half. They made the playoffs for the first time in five years. However, they lost in the first round to the Vancouver Canucks. The Blues fired coach Andy Murray in 2010 and hired Davis Payne.

Winning the Stanley Cup (2011–Present)

In 2011, the Blues signed important free agents like Brian Elliott and Jason Arnott. They fired coach Davis Payne and hired Ken Hitchcock in November 2011. David Backes was named the new team captain.

David Backes was the Blues' 20th team captain, serving until 2016.

In 2011–12, the Blues were the first team to reach 100 points and make the playoffs. They finished second in the Western Conference. They won their first playoff series since 2002, beating the San Jose Sharks. But they were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings, in the next round.

In 2012–13, the Blues made the playoffs again but lost to the Kings in the first round. The next season, 2013–14, they had a franchise-record 52 wins. But they lost their last six games and fell to second in their division. They then lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs.

In 2014–15, the Blues won their division but lost in the first round of the playoffs for the third year in a row. Player T. J. Oshie was traded to the Washington Capitals.

In 2015–16, the Blues finished second in their division. They beat the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks in a tough seven-game series. They then beat the Dallas Stars in another seven-game series to reach their first Western Conference Finals since 2001. Their season ended when they lost to the San Jose Sharks.

In 2016, Mike Yeo was named the next head coach. Captain David Backes left the team. Goalie Brian Elliott was traded. Alex Pietrangelo was named the new team captain.

The Blues played against the Chicago Blackhawks at Busch Stadium for the 2017 NHL Winter Classic.

The Blues started the 2016–17 season well at home. They beat the Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Winter Classic. But coach Hitchcock was fired in February 2017, and Yeo took over early. The Blues played very well after that but lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Nashville Predators.

In 2017–18, the Blues had many injuries to key players. They missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

In the 2018 off-season, the Blues got Ryan O'Reilly in a trade. They also brought back David Perron and signed Tyler Bozak and St. Louis native Patrick Maroon. On November 19, 2018, the Blues fired coach Mike Yeo. Craig Berube became the interim coach. The team was in last place in the league in January 2019. But they had an amazing comeback, winning eleven games in a row. This was thanks to rookie goalie Jordan Binnington.

Patrick Maroon with the Stanley Cup at the Blues' victory parade after winning the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals.

On May 21, 2019, the Blues reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1970. They beat the San Jose Sharks. On May 29, they won their first-ever Stanley Cup Finals game. On June 12, 2019, the Blues defeated the Boston Bruins 4–1 in Game 7 to win their first Stanley Cup! Ryan O'Reilly won the award for playoff MVP. The Blues were the oldest team to never win the Stanley Cup before this. After their win, the Blues were officially named the state's official hockey team in Missouri.

In the 2019–20 season, star player Vladimir Tarasenko was injured. But the team still played well and was at the top of the Western Conference. The season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blues finished first in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, they lost to the Vancouver Canucks.

Team Information

Arena

The Blues play their games at the Enterprise Center. It holds 19,150 fans. They have played there since 1994. Before that, they played at the St. Louis Arena from 1967 to 1994.

Attendance

The St. Louis Blues usually have many fans at their games. After a dip in attendance in the mid-2000s, it has gotten better every year. In 2009–10, almost all home games were sold out. In 2010–11, every home game was sold out.

Jerseys

Before the 2014–15 season, the team released new home and away jerseys. T. J. Oshie (left) models the blue home jersey, and Alex Pietrangelo models the white road jersey.

The Blues have always worn blue and white jerseys with their famous "Blue Note" logo and gold colors since 1967. Over the years, they have changed their jersey designs. Sometimes they used a lighter blue, sometimes a darker blue. They also added red or navy blue as accent colors.

In 1994, they had a new design with more red. In 1997, they brought back a lighter blue and navy accents. In 2007, they simplified their jerseys. In 2008, they added a new navy blue third jersey with the Gateway Arch in the logo.

For the 2014–15 season, they went back to a look similar to their 1998–2007 jerseys. In 2017, when Adidas became the jersey maker, they kept a similar style. In 2018, they added a third jersey based on their 2017 NHL Winter Classic uniform.

They have also released "Reverse Retro" jerseys. One in 2020 was red, based on a 1990s design. Another in 2022 was gold, based on a very early prototype design from 1966. For the 2025 NHL Winter Classic, they will wear vintage white uniforms with light blue and gold stripes.

The logo used on the Blues' jerseys from 1967 to 1984. The current logo (shown in the infobox) is similar, but with a darker blue.

The logo used on the Blues' jerseys from 1987 to 1998.

Mascot

Louie the Bear is the mascot for the St. Louis Blues. He was introduced in October 2007.

Louie is the mascot of the St. Louis Blues. He was introduced on October 10, 2007. Fans voted on his name. Louie is a blue polar bear who wears a Blues jersey with "Louie" and the number "00" on the back.

Radio and Television

The Blues games are broadcast on radio and television. For many years, Dan Kelly was the famous radio announcer. His voice reached almost all of North America at night. Many players liked that their families could hear the games.

Today, WXOS (101 ESPN) is the main radio station for the Blues. Chris Kerber and Joe Vitale are the current radio announcers. John Kelly (Dan's son) and Jamie Rivers are the television announcers.

Team Traditions

The Blues have many fun traditions.

• Organ Music: The Blues organist, Jeremy Boyer, plays a special version of "St. Louis Blues" before games. He also plays a short version at the end of each period, followed by "When the Saints Go Marching In." After Blues goals, he plays "When the Saints Go Marching In," and fans sing "the home of the Blues."
• National Anthem: At the end of the national anthem, fans shout "the home of the Blues" instead of "the home of the brave."
• Goal Horn and Bell: The Blues got a goal horn in 1992. After each goal, a bell is rung, and fans count the goals. A fan known as the "Towel Man" or "Towel Guy" (Ron Baechle) has thrown a towel into the crowd after each goal since 1990.
• "Gloria" Song: During their 2019 Stanley Cup run, the song "Gloria" by Laura Branigan became a huge fan favorite. It was played after every home win. It was retired after they won the Stanley Cup.
• "Country Roads" Sing-Along: Since 2019, fans sing John Denver's "Country Roads" during the third period of every home game. This tradition started by accident but became very popular.
• Fan Salute: After every home win, the entire team skates to center ice. They raise their sticks and clap to thank the fans.

Season-by-Season Record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Blues. 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

Players

Current Roster

Updated January 2, 2023

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
52		Acciari, NoelNoel Acciari	C	R	33	2022	Johnston, Rhode Island
49		Barbashev, IvanIvan Barbashev	C	L	29	2014	Moscow, Russia
50		Binnington, JordanJordan Binnington	G	L	31	2011	Richmond Hill, Ontario
41		Bortuzzo, RobertRobert Bortuzzo	D	R	36	2015	Thunder Bay, Ontario
22		Brown, LoganLogan Brown	C	L	27	2021	Raleigh, North Carolina
89		Buchnevich, PavelPavel Buchnevich	LW	L	30	2021	Cherepovets, Russia
72		Faulk, JustinJustin Faulk	D	R	33	2019	South St. Paul, Minnesota
1		Greiss, ThomasThomas Greiss	G	L	39	2022	Füssen, West Germany
47		Krug, ToreyTorey Krug	D	L	34	2020	Royal Oak, Michigan
25		Kyrou, JordanJordan Kyrou	C	R	27	2016	Toronto, Ontario
4		Leddy, NickNick Leddy	D	L	34	2022	Eden Prairie, Minnesota
17		Leivo, JoshJosh Leivo	LW	R	32	2022	Innisfil, Ontario
77		Mikkola, NikoNiko Mikkola	D	L	29	2015	Kiiminki, Finland
63		Neighbours, JakeJake Neighbours	LW	L	23	2020	Airdrie, Alberta
90		O'Reilly, RyanRyan O'Reilly (C)	C	L	34	2018	Clinton, Ontario
55		Parayko, ColtonColton Parayko (A)	D	R	32	2012	St. Albert, Alberta
48		Perunovich, ScottScott Perunovich	D	L	26	2018	Hibbing, Minnesota
9		Pitlick, TylerTyler Pitlick	C	R	33	2022	Minneapolis, Minnesota
43		Rosen, CalleCalle Rosen	D	L	31	2021	Växjö, Sweden
20		Saad, BrandonBrandon Saad	LW	L	32	2021	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
6		Scandella, MarcoMarco Scandella	D	L	35	2020	Montreal, Quebec
10		Schenn, BraydenBrayden Schenn (A)	C	L	33	2017	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
91		Tarasenko, VladimirVladimir Tarasenko (A)	RW	L	33	2010	Yaroslavl, Soviet Union
18		Thomas, RobertRobert Thomas	C	R	26	2017	Aurora, Ontario
13		Toropchenko, AlexeiAlexei Toropchenko	RW	L	26	2017	Moscow, Russia
75		Tucker, TylerTyler Tucker	D	L	25	2018	Longlac, Ontario
26		Walker, NathanNathan Walker	LW	L	31	2019	Cardiff, United Kingdom

Team Captains

Hockey Hall of Fame Members

The St. Louis Blues have many players and team builders in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Two broadcasters have also received awards from the Hall of Fame: Dan Kelly in 1989 and John Davidson in 2009.

Players

Builders (Coaches, Managers, Owners)

St. Louis Blues Hall of Fame

The Blues started their own team Hall of Fame in 2023.

2023 Inductees

2024 Inductees

• Pavol Demitra
• Mike Liut
• Keith Tkachuk

Retired Numbers

Bob Plager's number was retired by the Blues on February 2, 2017. He played for the team from 1967 to 1978.

The Blues have retired these numbers, meaning no player on the team will wear them again:

The NHL also retired Wayne Gretzky's number 99 for all teams in 2000. Gretzky played for the Blues in 1996.

Numbers Honored

• 7 – Garry Unger, Red Berenson, Joe Mullen and Keith Tkachuk are honored with a mural.
• 14 – Doug Wickenheiser, LW, 1984–1987, his number is honored and not used. A banner hangs in the arena rafters.
• Dan Kelly, broadcaster, 1968–1989, is honored with a shamrock banner in the rafters.

First-Round Draft Picks

Top Scorers in Regular Season History

Brett Hull has scored the most goals in Blues history. He is also second in points and assists, behind Bernie Federko.

These are the top players in Blues history for points, goals, and assists during the regular season.

•  *  – current Blues player

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Top Scorers in Playoff History

These are the top players in Blues history for points, goals, and assists during the playoffs.

•  *  – current Blues player

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

NHL Awards and Trophies

Team Records

Brian Elliott set Blues records for shutouts, best save percentage, and lowest goals-against average in the 2011–12 season.

Here are some of the St. Louis Blues' all-time individual records for a single season:

• Most goals in a season: Brett Hull, 86 (1990–91)
• Most assists in a season: Adam Oates, 90 (1990–91)
• Most points in a season: Brett Hull, 131 (1990–91)
• Most penalty minutes in a season: Bob Gassoff, 306 (1975–76)
• Most points in a season by a defenseman: Jeff Brown, 78 (1992–93)
• Most points in a season by a rookie: Jorgen Pettersson, 73 (1980–81)
• Most wins in a season by a goalie: Roman Turek, 42 (1999–2000)
• Most shutouts in a season by a goalie: Brian Elliott, 9 (2011–12)
• Lowest goals-against average (GAA) in a season (minimum 30 games): Brian Elliott, 1.56 (2011–12)
• Best save percentage (SV%) in a season (minimum 30 games): Brian Elliott, .940 (2011–12)

Images for kids

• 

  "Saskatchewan's Got The Blues!" hockey puck from around 1983. This was when the team almost moved to Saskatoon.

See also

In Spanish: St. Louis Blues para niños

• List of St. Louis Blues general managers
• List of St. Louis Blues head coaches
• Sports in St. Louis