Western Conference - Central Division
St. Louis Blues
| Team's name: St. Louis Blues Conference: Western Division: Central  Location: St. Louis, Missouri Nickname: Blues Mascot: Louie Team Colors: Royal Blue, dark blue and gold Joined the Conference: 1967 General Manager: Larry Pleau Hockey Head Coach: Andy Murray Hockey Stadium: Scottrade Center Current Capacity: 19,520 First Year of Hockey: 1967 Team Titles: Stanley Cup: none Conference Champs: none Division Championships: 1968-69, 1969-70, 1976-77, 1980-81, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1999-00 |
The St. Louis Blues became part of the NHL in the 1967-68 season. They were the best of the six expansion teams added at that time. Future Hall of Famer Dickie Moore was convinced to make a comback with team, establishing himself as team leader. The Blues made it into the Stanley Cup finals, but lost in four 1-point games.
The late 1970s proved financially devastating for the Blues. A combination of playoff failures, declining revenues, increasing costs, and an escalating audience rivalry from the World Hockey Association almost led to the franchise’s ruin. But when Emile “the Cat” Francis took over, he announced that the team had been reborn: he selected strong new players, repainted to the old bandbox, and replaced the old coach –Barclay Plager, who had led the team to win just 18 games – with Red Berenson, a coach who boasted 107 points.
The 1980s, however, did not prove more fruitful. The Blues continued to decline until the team was put up for sale. Under new ownership and management, paired with dramatic changes to the roster, St. Louis entered the playoffs in 1986 and made a strong bid for the championship. But again, the team lost the series to the Calgary Flames.
The team appeared to have another turn-around when it acquired Brett Hull of the Calgary Flames. Although the Blues broke out that season with 105 points, they were unable to pass the second round of the playoffs. In the 1995-96, the acquisition of Wayne Gretzky seemed to spell success for the long-suffering club. Yet, despite Gretzky’s incredible 16 points in 13 games, the Stanley Cup remained a mirage for the team. Gretzky joined the Rangers after the end of the season.
The Blues almost recovered in the 1997-98 season. They led the NHL with 256 goals and finished with the league’s fourth-best record at 98 points, but were eliminated in the second round by the Red Wings for the second year in a row. The 1999-2000 season again brought hopes of the Stanley Cup; the acquisition of netminder Roman Turek gave the team a President’s Trophy and top seed, but St. Luis lost the first round of the playoffs to the San Jose Sharks.
This trend has continued for the franchise. The team continued to make it to the playoffs in the first decade of the 21st century, but has still failed to capture the Stanley Cup. The team saw the first round of the 2008-09 playoffs, entering at sixth seed, but the Vancouver Canucks swept the hapless team in 4 games.
Andy Murray has been the team’s coach since 2006, leading the Blues to a 60-54-22 record. Some of the team’s mentionables include: defensemen Eric Brewer, Matt Walker, Jeff Woywitka, and Jay McKee and forwards Paul Kariva, Dan Hinote, D.J. King, Brad Boynes, and David Perron.
The Blues have played their home games at the Scottrade Center located in St. Louis, Missouri since the sports facility opened its doors in 1994.
| Team History | |||||
| Year | W | L | T | OTL | PTS |
| 2008-2009 | 41 | 31 | 0 | 10 | 92 |
| 2007-2008 | 33 | 36 | 0 | 13 | 79 |
| 2006-2007 | 34 | 35 | 0 | 13 | 81 |
| 2005-2006 | 21 | 46 | 0 | 15 | 57 |
| 2004-2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003-2004 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 91 |
| 2002-2003 | 41 | 24 | 11 | 6 | 99 |
| 2001-2002 | 43 | 27 | 8 | 4 | 98 |
St. Louis Blues Current Roster
| Centers | |||||
| No. | Name | Age | HT | WT | Shot |
| 21 | Patrik Berglund | 20 | 6-4 | 187 | L |
| 18 | Jay McClement | 26 | 6-1 | 193 | L |
| 10 | Andy McDonald | 31 | 5-11 | 186 | L |
| 74 | T.J. Oshie | 22 | 5-10 | 170 | R |
| 7 | Keith Tkachuk | 37 | 6-2 | 231 | L |
| Left Wings | |||||
| No. | Name | Age | HT | WT | Shot |
| 9 | Paul Kariya | 34 | 5-10 | 176 | L |
| 19 | D.J. King | 25 | 6-0 | 185 | L |
| 57 | David Perron | 20 | 5-11 | 180 | R |
| 20 | Alexander Steen | 25 | 6-1 | 205 | L |
| 15 | Brad Winchester | 28 | 6-5 | 228 | L |
| Right Wings | |||||
| No. | Name | Age | HT | WT | Shot |
| 42 | David Backes | 25 | 6-2 | 200 | R |
| 22 | Brad Boyes | 27 | 6-1 | 195 | R |
| 26 | B.J. Crombeen | 23 | 6-2 | 212 | R |
| 13 | Dan Hinote | 32 | 6-0 | 195 | R |
| 55 | Cam Janssen | 25 | 6-0 | 210 | R |
| Defense | |||||
| No. | Name | Age | HT | WT | Shot |
| 4 | Eric Brewer | 30 | 6-3 | 220 | L |
| 28 | Carlo Colaiacovo | 26 | 6-1 | 188 | L |
| 5 | Barret Jackman | 28 | 6-0 | 209 | L |
| 6 | Erik Johnson | 21 | 6-4 | 222 | R |
| 77 | Jay McKee | 31 | 6-4 | 201 | L |
| 46 | Roman Polak | 23 | 6-1 | 198 | R |
| 62 | Tyson Strachan | 24 | 6-3 | 205 | R |
| 43 | Mike Weaver | 31 | 5-9 | 182 | R |
| 29 | Jeff Woywitka | 25 | 6-2 | 217 | L |
| Goalies | |||||
| No. | Name | Age | HT | WT | Shot |
| 30 | Ben Bishop | 22 | 6-7 | 205 | L |
| 50 | Chris Mason | 33 | 6-0 | 195 | L |