St. Louis Blues

Guide Note

The St. Louis Blues are a professional hockey team that plays in the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League. For a listing of teams and their divisions, see NHL Teams.

The Blues were originally founded in 1967 by the Salomon insurance family. After a poor start to their inaugural season, coach Lynn Patrick resigned and then assistant coach Scotty Bowman took over as their head coach.

Bowman coached the Blues for a total of five years, beginning in 1967. Their first year in the league they reached the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens. Bowman led the team to the next two consecutive Cup Finals, where they lost to the Canadiens again in 1969 then to the Boston Bruins in 1970. Bowman left the franchise in 1971 after a dispute with team management.

Red Berenson originally joined the Blues in 1967 as a player, where he was team captain until his retirement in 1978. He stayed with the Blues for the following six years as their head coach. Berenson however did not have the same success as Bowman, as the team lost in the first rounds of the playoffs five of his six years as head coach, failing to qualify for the playoffs his first season on the bench.

Since Bowman's leaving in 1971, the team has continually flopped in the regular season and the playoffs. Although they were playoff contenders each year from 1980 to 2004, the team lost in the first or second round every time. For the last three seasons, starting in 2006, the Blues did not qualify for the playoffs, most recently finishing the Central Division in last place in 2008.

Fast Facts

1. Inaugural season: 1967
2. Finals appearances: 3
3. Stanley Cups: 0
4. Home: Scottrade Center St. Louis