The '''St. Louis Blues''' are a [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) team based in [[Saint Louis, Missouri]]. They are named after the famous [[W. C. Handy]] tune "[[Saint Louis Blues (music)|St. Louis Blues]]".
:'''Founded:''' [[1967-68 NHL season|1967]]
:'''Arena:''' [[Savvis Center]] (formerly Kiel Center)
:'''Uniform colors:''' Blue, white, and gold
:'''Logo design:''' A winged musical note with lines departing to the right
:'''[[Stanley Cup]] Finals Appearances:''' 3
:'''[[Stanley Cup]]s won:''' 0
:'''Added in the NHL's [[1967]] expansion''', along with the [[Minnesota North Stars]], [[Los Angeles Kings]], [[Philadelphia Flyers]], [[Pittsburgh Penguins]], and [[Oakland Seals]].
== Franchise history ==
The Blues were one of the six teams added to the NHL in [[1967-68 NHL season|1967]] when the league doubled in size. The newcomers were hampered by restrictive rules that kept virtually all the top players with the existing teams.
[[Image:SIGordonBerensen.jpg|thumb|210px|Red Berenson led the Blues in scoring in their first two seasons]]
Although the Blues, originally coached by [[Lynn Patrick]], and then [[Scotty Bowman]], made the Stanley Cup finals in each of their first three years of existence, they failed to win a game. It should be noted that the revised playoff format placed all six expansion teams in the same division, forcing one of the new teams to face an [[Original Six]] team in the finals. In those three series, the Blues lost twice to the [[Montreal Canadiens]] and once to the [[Boston Bruins]]. The first Blues teams included aging retreads like [[Doug Harvey]], [[Jacques Plante]], and [[Dickie Moore (hockey player)|Dickie Moore]], in addition to younger talent like [[Red Berenson]] and [[Bob Plager|Bob]] and [[Barclay Plager]]. St. Louis has not been back to the finals since, only twice going as far as the Conference Finals.
Through the [[1970s]], the Blues, playing mostly sub-.500 hockey, were on the brink of financial collapse. [[Ralston Purina]] invested in the team, and by [[1979-80 NHL season|1980]] they were the second-best team in the league in the regular season, with Berenson as coach, [[Wayne Babych]] scoring 54 goals, and [[Bernie Federko]] leading the team in scoring. The Blues fell flat in the playoffs that year, losing in six games to the [[New York Rangers]] in the second round.
The Blues quietly slid back below .500, but they still made the playoffs in [[1981-82 NHL season|1982]] (and have done so every year since 1980). The team was still faltering off the ice. Purina got out of its investment with the team and padlocked the arena. The team looked destined for a move to [[Saskatoon, Saskatchewan]] in 1983 before the league blocked the sale to a group of investors led by [[Bill Hunter]], and ended up having to take over the team itself.
[[image:stlouisblueslogo90s.gif|thumb|left|200px|Logo used (1985-1997)]]
After [[Harry Ornest]] ended up purchasing the team, it became competitive both on and off the ice. [[Doug Gilmour]], drafted by St. Louis in [[1982 NHL Entry Draft|1982]], emerged as a superstar. By [[1985-86 NHL season|1986]], they reached the league semi-finals against the [[Calgary Flames]]. [[Doug Wickenheiser]]'s overtime goal in game six to cap a furious comeback remains one of the greatest moments in team history, but they lost game seven 2-1.
The Blues kept chugging along through the late [[1980s]] and early [[1990s]]. General Manager [[Ron Caron]] was one of the more astute in the league, landing [[Brett Hull]], [[Adam Oates]], [[Curtis Joseph]], [[Brendan Shanahan]], and [[Al MacInnis]], among others. Always a contender during this time period, they never passed the second round of the playoffs.
Hull remained one of the league's top superstars, scoring 86 goals in [[1990-91 NHL season|1990-91]] - second only to [[Wayne Gretzky]] (who himself played in St. Louis briefly in [[1995-96 NHL season|1995-96]]) in goals scored in a season in NHL history. Gretzky hold the top two spots at 92 and 87. The Blues were the second-best team in the regular season last year, but a second-round defeat to the [[Minnesota North Stars]] was exemplary of their playoff woes.
[[Mike Keenan]] was hired as both general manager and coach prior to the [[1994-95 NHL season]], lauded as the "playoff coach" that could cure the postseason turmoil Blues fans had endured for years. He quickly instituted major changes, among them trades that sent away fan favorites Brendan Shanahan and Curtis Joseph, as well as the acquisition of the legendary but aging Wayne Gretzky (who left for the [[New York Rangers]] as an unrestricted [[free agent]] following the season). In spite of all he was prophesized to accomplish, his playoff resume with St. Louis included a first round exit in 1995 and a second round exit in 1996. Neither the fans nor the team ownership was fond of what he did, and he was fired on December 19, 1996.
Caron was reinstated as general manager, but even he could not stop the tide of free agency. Hull left for the [[Dallas Stars]] in 1998 and won the Stanley Cup in his first year in the Lone Star State.
Defenseman [[Chris Pronger]] (acquired from the [[Hartford Whalers]] in 1995), [[Pavol Demitra]], [[Pierre Turgeon]], [[Al MacInnis]], and goalie [[Roman Turek]], continued to make the Blues a contender. In [[1999-2000 NHL season|1999-2000]], they had the best record in the NHL during the regular season, earning the [[Presidents' Trophy]], but were stunned by the [[San Jose Sharks]] in the first round in seven games.
In [[2000-01 NHL season|2001]] the Blues advanced to the Western Conference Finals before bowing out in five games to the eventual champion [[Colorado Avalanche]].
Despite years of mediocrity and the stigma of never being able to "take the next step", the Blues have been a playoff presence every year since the [[1979-80 NHL season]]. In fact, the team had only missed the playoffs three times in franchise history and currently hold the active record for most consecutive playoff appearances by any NHL, MLB, NFL, or NBA team.
[[Walmart]] heir Bill Laurie purchased the Blues in [[1998 in sports|1998]], but on [[June 17]], [[2005 in sports|2005]] announced that he would sell the team. On September 29, 2005 it was announced that that the Lauries has signed an agreement to sell the St. Louis Blues to [[Dave Checketts]].
*99 [[Wayne Gretzky]] (retired [[National Hockey League|League]]-wide)
''Note: [[Bob Plager]]'s number 5 and [[Doug Wickenheiser]]'s number 14 are honored by the club with banners but are not officially retired. After Wickenheiser's death in 1999, the number was unofficially retired: the last player to wear it was [[Geoff Courtnall]].''
==See also==
*[[List of St. Louis Blues players]]
*[[Head Coaches of the St. Louis Blues]]
*[[List of NHL seasons]]
*[[List of NHL players]]
*[[1967 NHL Expansion]]
== External Links==
*[http://www.stlouisblues.com/ St. Louis Blues official web site]
