Florida Panthers
St. Louis Has a Long History Of Hockey. Even Before the Blues
The city of St. Louis has its share of hockey memories. Of course, none will match the Blues unlikely rise from last place in the NHL to the Stanley Cup in 2018-19.
When the NHL doubled in size for the 1967-68 season, St. Louis was one of six new franchises.
Original owners Sid Salomon, Jr. and his investors paid a tidy $2 million to own a team and another $4 million to purchase the ancient but functional St. Louis Arena.
The Blues were the most successful of the early expansion teams, both on the ice and at the box office.
Because the original expansion alignment had the new teams in a separate division, assuring ascension for one team to the Stanley Cup final, the Blues made the final round in their first three seasons.
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Despite a lineup filled with big-name stars such as Glenn Hall, Jacques Plante, and Dickie Moore, younger stars such as Red Berenson and Gary Sabourin, and legendary coach Scotty Bowman, they were no match for any Original Six team.
Berenson, a journeyman before landing with the expansion Blues, stunned the hockey world in the first season by scoring six goals in a single game.
Hockey was not uncharted territory for local fans.
The St. Louis Arena, known as The Old Barn and later the Checkerdome, opened in 1929 with the St. Louis Flyers as its first hockey tenant, initially in the American Hockey Association and later the American Hockey League.
The team had its most significant artistic and financial success in the pre-war years, capturing five league titles.
In his 1972 book, Saga of the St. Louis Blues, Stan Fischler reported, “Hockey was so popular in St. Louis that the AHL club actually outdrew the major league Browns of the American Baseball League.”
The Flyers remained until 1953.
There was a void until 1962-63, when the St. Louis Braves, a Chicago farm team of the Central Professional Hockey League, came to St. Louis. The franchise had shifted from Syracuse when the Eastern Professional Hockey League folded.
Future stars Phil Esposito, Dennis Hull, and Denis DeJordy honed their skills with the Braves
With the arrival of the new NHL team in 1967-68, the parent Blackhawks shifted the Braves to Dallas.
The St. Louis Eagles were the first NHL team in St. Louis.
The charter Ottawa Senators were struggling financially, so they moved to St. Louis for the 1934-35 season, after which the team was taken over by the NHL and dispersed.
That team featured future Hall of Famers Syd Howe and Bill Cowley.
During the 1954-55 and 1955-56 seasons, the Chicago Black Hawks played 11 home games in St. Louis. At the time, The Arena was still owned by the owners of the Hawks.
When the Blues arrived in St. Louis the fans were ready.
The Old Barn became alive again.
In the early 70s, after their three Stanley Cup Final appearances, the Blues led the NHL in attendance.
Garry Unger, soon to be crowned NHL Ironman, became the face of the team in that decade.
He was followed by stalwarts such as Brian Sutter and Joey Mullen.
The St. Louis Arena rivaled the old Chicago Stadium as the loudest of NHL arenas.
A typical evening in the first few seasons began with a self-styled showman organist, Norm Kramer, revving up the crowd with a rousing rendition of “St. Louis Blues” when the team came on the ice.
Fans would sing, stomp their feet, and clap their hands.
The Arena’s blue lights created a science fiction-like atmosphere.
Each St. Louis goal was followed by a raucous rendition of “When the Saints (Blues) Go Marching In,” which, despite the decibel level of the organ, was barely audible over the roaring crowd.
When he was coaching Pittsburgh, Red Kelly once took his position behind the bench wearing earmuffs to dampen the boisterous acoustics of the Arena.
Since the inaugural expansion season, the Blues have had their share of ups and downs.
There have been seven ownership changes. One owner, Ralston Purina, abandoned the franchise in 1983 when the NHL blocked a sale that would have moved the team to Saskatoon.
Eventually, Harry Ornest came to the rescue.
He kept the team afloat by the thinnest of margins before eventually selling to a group led by Michael Shanahan. With the acquisition of players like Brett Hull, Phil Housley, Adam Oates, and Scott Stevens, the team was once again competitive.
In 1994, the team moved to what is now known as the Enterprise Center. The St. Louis Arena was imploded, taking years of history with it.
Over the next quarter century, the team continued to have financial problems and endured four more ownership changes.
They had a few good seasons on ice, especially during the Joel Quenneville years when they were graced with talent such as Keith Tkachuk, Pavol Demitra, Al MacInness, and Chris Pronger.
But after the 2004-05 lockout, the Blues missed the playoffs five of the next six years.
Their fortunes changed when current owner Tom Stillman and his investors bought the team in 2012.
He already had a base of talent, with players like Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko previously acquired in the draft.
The Blues’ fortunes have gone downhill since their Cup season.
They are in a rebuild mode now, having missed the playoffs in the past two seasons.
ON DECK: GAME No. 56
FLORIDA PANTHERS at ST. LOUIS BLUES
- When: Thursday, 8 p.m.
- Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
- Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
- This Season (Panthers Lead 1-0) — At Florida: Panthers 2, Blues 1 (Dec. 20). At St. Louis: Thursday.
- Last Season: Even 1-1
- All-time Regular Season Series: St. Louis leads 27-14-1, 3 ties
- Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs. Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
