![]() Upon acquiring the franchise in 1966, Salomon then spent several million dollars on extensive renovations for the 38-year-old arena, expanding it from 12,000 seats to 15,000.īeginnings and Stanley Cup Finals' appearances (1967–1970) 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. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial and Musial's business partner Julius "Biggie" Garagnani were also members of the 16-man investment group that made the initial formal application for the franchise. Sid Salomon III convinced his initially wary father to make a bid for the team. Wolfson, who were granted the franchise in 1966. The team's first owners were insurance tycoon Sid Salomon Jr., his son, Sid Salomon III, and Robert L. Louis because of the city's geographical location and the fact that it has an adequate building." NHL president Clarence Campbell said during the 1967 expansion meetings, "We want a team in St. The Black Hawks owners felt they could establish a "lovable loser" (much like the Cubs) with the St. Louis, which had not submitted a formal expansion bid. 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. Nevertheless, the Black Hawks owners still owned the St. Louis was no longer useful as a secondary market. Following the Black Hawks' championship in 1961, the team became much more successful at the box office in Chicago, thus St. Louis was the last of the six expansion teams to gain entry into the League the market was chosen over Baltimore at the insistence of the Black Hawks owners, James D. ![]() The Blues were one of the six teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion, along with the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and California Seals. Louis during the 1950's while the team still struggled to sell tickets at Chicago Stadium. Louis as a secondary market, placing minor league affiliates there and even playing a few NHL games in St. Louis Arena came under the control of the owners of the Chicago Black Hawks. ![]() During this period, the NHL rebuffed attempts at further expansion. The team finished last in the division and disbanded after one season.įollowing further contraction, the league stabilized at six teams after 1942. Their situation was not helped by the decision to keep the Eagles in the Canadian Division to keep the divisions balanced, which left the team with unaffordable travel expenses to games in Toronto and Montreal. The move proved both ill-conceived and ill-timed, as the renamed St. Louis soon began to attract the interest as a potential NHL market, eventually leading the owners of the moribund Ottawa Senators to relocate there for the 1934-35 season. After an ice plant was installed, the minor league St. Louis Arena was not originally designed with hockey in mind, it met NHL standards of the era for size and had good sight lines for the game. The Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL) is the team's minor league affiliate.įranchise history Hockey in St. The Blues have a rivalry with the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom they have shared a division since 1970. With the Blues' victory in their fourth Stanley Cup Finals, 49 years after their last appearance and in their 52nd year of existence, they became the final active team from the 1967 expansion to win their first Stanley Cup. Although perennial postseason contenders for most of their history, the franchise frequently struggled in the playoffs, including consecutive Stanley Cup Finals defeats at the end of their first three seasons. The Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019 and have the most Stanley Cup playoff appearances outside of the Original Six. Louis, which has been their arena since moving from St. They play their home games at the 18,096 seat Enterprise Center in downtown St. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the six teams from the 1967 NHL expansion and is named after the W. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St.
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