A St. Louis Blues come the National Hockey League (NHL) team based inside Saint Louis, Missouri. It is known as fallowing a famous W. C. Handy tune "St. Louis Blues".

Franchise history
A Blues were one of a sextuplet teams added to the NHL in the 1967, along with a Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Oakland Seals, when a league doubled around size. A newcomers were, even so, hampered by restrictive system that saved most a top players by having a existent teams. Although a Blues, originally coached by Lynn Patrick, and then Scotty Bowman, made the Stanley Ventral suction cup finals around both of their number 1 3 years of being, it failed to win a game. It should become noted that a revised playoff format laid completely hexad expansion teams in a equivalent section, forcing one of the freshly teams to face an Original Six team in the finals. Within people 3 series, a Blues wasted twice to the Montreal Canadiens and once to the Boston Bruins. A number 1 Blues teams involved senescent recap such as Doug Harvey, Jacques Plante, and Dickie Moore, in addition to immature talent rather Red Berenson and Bob and Barclay Plager. St. Louis hwhen non been back to a finals since, sole twice running when far as the Conference Finals.

Through the 1970s, the Blues, swimming mostly sub-.Five hundred hockey, were on the brink of fiscal collapse. Ralston Purina invested in the team, and by 1980 they were the 2nd-right team in the league in the regular year, by owning Berenson when coach, Wayne Babych scoring 54 goals, and Bernie Federko leading the team inside scoring. A Blues fell flat around the playoffs that month, losing in sextuplet games to the New York Rangers in the second around.

A Blues quietly slid back beneath .D, however it however mass produced a playoffs within 1982 (and own done and then yearly since 1980). A team was however faltering off a ice. Purina had away from its investment by using a team & padlocked a arena. the team seemed destined for a move to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1983 before the league blocked a low to a class action of investors led by Bill Hunter, and ended higher getting to require all over a team itself.

Logo used (1985-1997)

When Harry Ornest ended up purchasing a team, it became competitory each off and on a ice. Doug Gilmour, drafted by St. Louis inside 1982, emerged as a superstar. By 1986, they reached a league semi-semi against a Calgary Flames. Doug Wickenheiser's overtime goal around punt sextet to cap a furious comeback remains one of the greatest moments in team history, however it misused game seven Two-One.

A Blues saved chugging along through the late 1980s and early 1990s. General Manager Ron Caron was one of the thomas more shrewd in the league, landing Brett Hull, Adam Oates, Curtis Joseph, Brendan Shanahan, and Al MacInnis, among others. Universally a rival when you took this period, it never passed the 2nd spherical of the playoffs.

Hull remained one of a league's top star, scoring 86 goals inside 1990-91 - second only to Wayne Gretzky (who himself played around St. Louis briefly within 1995-96) inside goals scored inside the year in NHL history. Gretzky hang on to a top 2 spots at 92 & 87. A Blues were a 2nd-right team in the regular month survive year, however another-spherical kill to the Minnesota North Stars was exemplary of their playoff woes.

Mike Keenan was hired as each general manager & coach before a 1994-95 NHL season, lauded as a "playoff coach" that can guide a postseason turmoil Blues fans got endured for years. He quickly instituted major changes, among a babies trades that sent away fan favorites Brendan Shanahan & Curtis Joseph, besides when the acquisition of the legendary however senescent Wayne Gretzky (world health organization left for the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent following the year). Around spite of everthing he was prophesized to accomplish, his playoff resume using St. Louis involved the 1st circular exit acircular 1995 & another round exit around 1996. Neither a fans nor a team ownership was fond of what he did, & he was fired in December 19, 1996.

Caron wwhen reinstated as general manager, however possibly he may not prevent a tide of loose professional. Hull left for the Dallas Stars inside 1998 and won a Stanley Ventral suction cup in his number one season in the Single Star State.

Defenseman Chris Pronger (acquired from a Hartford Whalers in 1995), Pavol Demitra, Pierre Turgeon, Al MacInnis, and goalie Roman Turek, continued to make the Blues a competition. Within 1999-2000, they overcome record in a NHL when you took a regular year, earning the Presidents' Trophy, but were stunned per San Jose Sharks within the first spherical in septenary games.

Around 2001 the Blues advanced to the Western Conference Finals prior to bowing call at 5 games to the eventual prizewinning Colorado Avalanche.

Despite years of mediocrity & a stigma of never existence suspire to "take the next step", a Blues stand been a playoff presence annually since the 1979-80 NHL season. around point of fact, a team experienced just missed a playoffs 3 days in franchise history & presently hang on to a active record for even virtually all sequentially playoff appearances by any NHL, MLB, NFL, or NBA team.

Walmart heir Bill Laurie purchased the Blues within 1998, but in June 17, 2005 announced that he would sell the team. In September 29, 2005 it was announced that that a Lauries has signed an agreement to sell a St. Louis Blues to Dave Checketts.

Players
Current squad
''When of October 5, 2005

Goaltenders: 40 - Patrick Lalime *50 - Reinhard Divis

Defensemen: 4 - Eric Brewer *5 - Barret Jackman *6 - Eric Weinrich *20 - Adam Roach *27 - Bryce Salvador *28 - Matt Walker *29 - Jeff Woywitka *55 - Christian Backman

Forwards: 7 - Keith Tkachuk *9 - Jay McClement *10 - Dallas Drake *17 - Ryan Johnson *18 - Mike Sillinger *21 - Jamal Mayers *23 - Trent Whitfield *26 - Petr Cajanek *33 - Eric Boguniecki *37 - Dean McAmmond *39 - Doug Weight *42 - Mark Rycroft *47 - Aaron Downey *48 - Scott Young *59 - Jeff Hoggan *65 - Lee Stempniak

Team captains
Al Arbour 1967-70 Red Berenson & Barclay Plager 1970-71 Barclay Plager 1971-76 no captain 1976-77 Red Berenson 1977-78 Barry Gibbs 1978-79 Brian Sutter 1979-88 Bernie Federko 1988-89 Rick Meagher 1989-90 Scott Stevens 1990-91 Garth Butcher 1991-92 Brett Hull 1992-95 Brett Hull & Shayne Corson & Wayne Gretzky 1995-96 no captain 1996-97 Chris Pronger 1997-2003 Al MacInnis 2003-05 Dallas Drake 2005- present

Hall of Famers
Glenn Hall ('75) Jacques Plante ('78) Joe Mullen ('00) Bernie Federko ('02) Grant Fuhr ('03)

Not to be forgotten
16 Brett Hull 2 Al MacInnis 5 Bob Plager 44 Chris Pronger 14 Doug Wickenheiser

Retired Numbers
2 Al MacInnis 3 Bob Gassoff 8 Barclay Plager 11 Brian Sutter 24 Bernie Federko 99 Wayne Gretzky (retired League-wide) ''Note: Bob Plager's number Fivesome & Doug Wickenheiser's number Xiv come honored per club by having banners however are non officially retired. Fallowing Wickenheiser's demise around 1999, a total was unofficially retired: a go streaming video player to put on it was Geoff Courtnall.''