list of st louis blues owners

Under the expansion playoff format, Bowman's leadership was enough as the Blues qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural season. On May 21, the Blues advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1970, defeating the San Jose Sharks in a six-game Western Conference Finals series. These distractions would greatly affect their performance as they squeezed into the playoffs with a 254015 record in the 1983 season, good enough for 65 points. Maybe eight will be worth the wait. 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. Despite years of mediocrity and the stigma of never being able to "take the next step," the Blues were a playoff presence every year from 1980 to 2004 the third-longest streak in North American professional sports history (all three of which being held by NHL teams). The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey . 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. Albums. [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. This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Blues. C Dave Checketts D John Danforth L Bill Laurie O Harry Ornest S SLB Acquisition Holdings LLC After an ice plant was installed, the minor league St. Louis Flyers began play there in 1929. QR Code Link to This Post. 27 febrero, 2023 . A corresponding blue jersey was introduced the following season, thus retiring the previous set. By accident", "Pronger steps aside as captain; MacInnis steps in", "Blues retire Plager's No. A look at the ownership lineage: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The bottom of the numbers taper off to give way to the aforementioned stripes. 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. He gave his players cars, signed them to deferred contracts and treated them to vacations in Florida. The game against Anaheim was suspended during the first period and postponed to March 11. At one point, the Salomons cut the team's staff down to three employees. General manager Ron Caron made astute moves, landing forwards Brett Hull, Adam Oates and Brendan Shanahan, defenseman Al MacInnis and goaltender Curtis Joseph, among others. san jose sharks vs . Bill Laurieis an American former basketball player and coach, and current business executive and philanthropist. The Blues have a rivalry with the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom they have shared a division since 1970. Instead, a Return to Play tournament was organized, starting in August 2020. "[50][51] And it did take them to the Stanley Cup. Minority owner Wolfson and Blues president Emile Francis persuaded Ralston Purina executive R. Hal Dean to invest in the franchise. That was the highlight of the Ornest years; the bottom fell out soon after. In each instance, the Blues were swept in four games, twice by the Montreal Canadiens and lastly by the Boston Bruins. Follow Jeremy P. Rutherford 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. A third-round loss to Colorado in 2000-01 was especially deflating. Steve Ott also left the team, signing a free-agent deal with the Red Wings. KMOX is a 50,000-watt clear-channel station that reaches almost all of North America at night, allowing Kelly to become a celebrity in both the United States and Canada. Goaltending anchors Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante retired, Berenson was traded and "Sid III" began changing coaches and general managers like it was a court order. This third jersey was unveiled on September 21, 2008, and debuted during a Blues' home game against the Anaheim Ducks on November 21, 2008. Like the other five expansion teams, the Blues' roster consisted primarily of castoffs from the Original Six and players who had previously never managed to break out of the minor leagues. 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. On January 12, 1983, Batoni-Hunter Enterprises Ltd., led by WHA and Edmonton Oilers founder Bill Hunter, tendered an offer to buy the team. In 1986, the team reached the Campbell Conference finals and produced one of its signature moments, a "Monday Night Miracle" comeback victory in Game 6. The Blues will receive 27-year-old forward Jakub Vrana . [30] In 201011, the team sold out every home game. After missing the playoffs for the first time in 197374, the Blues ended up in the Smythe Division after a League realignment. Nevertheless, the Black Hawks owners still owned the St. Louis Arena. [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. Despite defeating the Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Winter Classic by the score of 41, the Blues fired Hitchcock and promoted Yeo to head coach on February 1, 2017. In addition to players and builders, the team recognizes an affiliation with two broadcasters who were awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Buck elected to leave the booth after one season, though, and was replaced by another famed announcer in Dan Kelly. St. Louis has a record of 2-3 in games when bookmakers list them +180 or longer on the moneyline. 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, St. Louis was swept in their first Finals appearance by the heavily favored Montreal Canadiens. The jersey introduced the short-lived trumpet logo on the shoulders and featured thin diagonal stripes on the tail and sleeves. Despite an impressive run into the end of the season, when they gained most points in the league from February 1, when Hitchcock was fired, to the end of the season,[18] the Blues were eliminated in the second round by the Nashville Predators in six games.[19]. On October 2, 2007, the Blues finalized the season-starting roster, which included rookies David Perron, Steven Wagner and Erik Johnson. [7] Emile Francis would call it quits on May 2, leaving for the Hartford Whalers to become president and general manager. 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. They would also pick up Brayden Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers by giving away Jori Lehtera. The Blues have a tradition of live organ music. Originally, the Blues aired their games on KPLR-TV and KMOX radio, with team patron Gus Kyle calling games alongside St Louis broadcasting legend Jack Buck. Disillusioned by Keenan's contentious style, Gretzky became a free agent and departed for New York. Dean was the key figure in Ralston Purina's takeover of the St. Louis Blues after the 1976-77 season. However, injuries plagued the team all season, and the lack of a bona fide scorer hampered them as well. Before the season began, the Blues were hit hard with injuries as they lost Robby Fabbri before the season began. Veteran player Al Arbour hastily stepped in to coach the team. Im baffled., Suspect charged in fatal shooting in downtown St. Louis, Former Sweetie Pies TV star Tim Norman gets two life sentences in nephews death, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol slams ump C.B. But the roller coaster started to descend in the mid-1970s. However, the station was never financially competitive in the market. Soon after, Ornest sold the Blues to a group led by Michael Shanahan, head of Engineered Support Systems Inc. The Blues simplified their design, with only the blue note logo on the front; there were no third jerseys for the season. In each of its first three seasons, the team advanced through the expansion side of the NHL playoff bracket to the Stanley Cup finals. "[40] On October 1, 2018, it was reported that, for the upcoming season, a new goal song recorded by St. Louis-based band The Urge, "The Blues Have The Urge," would be played after Blues goals, immediately following the traditional organ music. In response, the Blues moved back to KMOX starting in the 200607 season. Attendance went from 8,897 in 1967-68 to 18,238 in 1970-71. But with Ron Caron as the general manager and Jacques Demers as the coach, with Federko and Sutter as the foundation, the Blues were competitive. Wal-Mart heir Nancy Walton Laurie and her husband Bill purchased the Blues in 1999. NHL president Clarence Campbell said during the 1967 expansion meetings, "We want a team in St. Louis because of the city's geographical location and the fact that it has an adequate building."[4]. Two months later, they traded Doug Weight, a 38-year-old four-time All-Star center, to the Anaheim Ducks as part of a package to acquire 30-year-old center Andy McDonald. Blues Director of Entertainment, Jason Pippi, commented that they played Country Roads by John Denver, "was a bit of an mistake because people love to sing along to that song". Early in the morning of trade deadline day, the St. Louis Blues and the Detroit Red Wings agreed to a deal. They missed the playoffs for only the fourth time in franchise history. In 201213, the Blues completed the lockout-shortened season in fourth place in the Western Conference. While the Blues contended during this time period, they never passed the second round of the playoffs. [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. Photo by Scott C. Dine/St. In the first round of the playoffs, they faced the Vancouver Canucks, to whom they lost in six games. The St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history later that season. The Blues got off to a slow start in their initial season. They sought to unload what was then a decrepit facility which had not been well-maintained since the 1940s, and thus pressed the NHL to give the franchise to St. Louis, which had not submitted a formal expansion bid. However, they were stunned by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2000 playoffs in seven games. Photo by UPI, St. Louis Blues chairman Mike Shanahan at a game in January of 1987, agonizing from the owner's box. Brandon Saad and Robert Thomas both recorded a goal and an assist, helping the Blues earn a 5-2 win over the Predators at home 04:56 January 19, 2023 ST. LOUIS -- Brandon Saad and Robert. The Blues had remained in strong form throughout the season, finishing first in the Western Conference and second in the NHL. Former Blues forward David Perron was brought back on a free agent deal, while defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was named team captain. The cash-poor Ornest then ran the franchise on a skeletal budget. When Red Berenson scored six goals in a game on Nov. 7, 1968, ownership presented the outdoor enthusiast with a new station wagon, a canoe attached to the top and a Browning 20-gauge shotgun inside. There is a lot of money riding on Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals for St. Louis Blues owner Tom Stillman. Caron was reinstated as interim general manager for the rest of the season, and general manager Larry Pleau was hired on June 9, 1997. Hitchcock is a finalist for the Jack Adams coaching award and Doug Armstrong is a contender for general manager of the year. This setupKelly as commentator, with either Kyle, Bob Plager, or Noel Picard (whose heavy French-Canadian . 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. During this period, the NHL rebuffed attempts at further expansion. 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. The mistake was that play resumed before the chorus was over and the music had to stop. He returned to California with $3.4 million in profit on the sale of the Blues and $8.2 million in profit on the sale of the Arena. Nonetheless, the team remained competitive for the next three years, despite never advancing beyond the second round. Especially galling were the frequent blown leads after two periods, and with the worst home record (6133) posted in the entire NHL. [47], The team also has a long tradition of fan-produced programs, sold outside the arena and providing an often biting, sarcastic, humor-filled alternative to team- and League-produced periodicals. ST. LOUIS (KTVI) - There's been talk that the Rams move is great news for the St. Louis Blues: freeing up more money for St. Louis sports fans to spend on hockey. [46] All of these traditions carried over to the Kiel Center (now known as Enterprise Center) in 1994. Blues current owner Tom Stillman (left) and Carol Salomon, the former wife of original owner Sid Salomon III. Aside from Stillman, the ownership group includes Jerald Kent, Donn Lux, James Cooper, Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, Steve Maritz, Edward Potter, Andrew Taylor, David Steward, Jim Kavanaugh, John Danforth,. [12] To date, this is the closest that an NHL team has come to folding since the Cleveland Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars after the 197778 season. Contact Information: print. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the six teams from the 1967 NHL expansion and is named after the W. C. Handy song "Saint Louis Blues". The Blues play in the 19,150 (not counting standing room) capacity Enterprise Center, where they have played since 1994. However, despite the music stopping, the loyal Blues fans in attendance continued to sing loudly. [55] The seven individuals recognized as builders by the Hall of Fame includes former Blues executives, general managers, head coaches, and owners. The original owners were successful insurance executive Sid Salomon Jr., his son Sid Salomon III and Robert Wolfson. In the offseason for the 201718 season, the Blues would lose David Perron to the Vegas Golden Knights via an expansion draft.