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Summer Series: St. Louis Blues Defining Moments

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Hockey and sports in general can be broken down into moments. Some moments are bigger than others and chart the course of a franchise and an entire league. These moments can define a team’s destiny for years to come. For this installment, we bring you the defining moments of the St. Louis Blues.

The Defining Moments of the St. Louis Blues

The Blues were one of the six teams added to the NHL as part of the expansion in 1967. The team made an immediate impact in the league, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1968, 1969, and 1970. Unfortunately for the team, they were swept each year.

Despite not winning their first Stanley Cup until 2019, the Blues have been a successful franchise. Many stars and Hall of Fame players have worn the Blue Note. The franchise has the most playoff appearances outside of the Original Six. Furthermore, they appeared in the playoffs in every season from 1980-2004.

58 seasons of memories, but which ones define the franchise?

The Scott Stevens Story

Would you believe a defenceman signed in 1990 would result in a Hart Trophy winner 10 years later and a Stanley Cup Champion 29 years later? That is the moment we start with.

The Run Up

The Blues signed Stevens to a four-year contract before the 1990-91 season. As he was a restricted free agent, his former team, the Washington Capitals, had the opportunity to match the offer, but they did not. In exchange, they received five first-round picks in exchange.

Stevens was the named the captain of the Blues. During the 1990-91 season, Stevens scored five goals and recorded 49 assists for the Blues.

The following off-season, the Blues signed Brendan Shanahan, who was also a restricted free agent. The New Jersey Devils chose to not match the offer. However, the Blues did not have the first-round picks to use for compensation. The two teams would need to work out another arrangement.

The Moment

The Blues and Devils could not agree on compensation. The Blues offered goaltender Curtis Joseph, forward Rod Brind’Amour, and two draft picks. However, the Devils declined and demanded Stevens. The Blues were unwilling to offer Stevens. As a result, the case went to arbitration.

On September 3, 1991, arbitrator Edward Houston awarded Stevens to the Devils as compensation. The Blues had lost a cornerstone defenceman.

The Aftermath

Stevens would go on to become the Devils captain. Furthermore, Stevens and the Devils would win the Stanley Cup three times.

Shanahan, meanwhile, only played two seasons with the Blues before being traded. In exchange, the Blues acquired defenceman Chris Pronger, who would go on to become an elite defenceman in the league. Pronger won the Hart Trophy during the 1999-00 season as well as the Norris Trophy. While the Blues did not win the Stanley Cup, they seemed to do just fine as a result of the Stevens situation.

But, wait! There’s more!

The Blues would trade Pronger to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenceman Eric Brewer. In 2011, Brewer would be traded for a draft pick that became goaltender Jordan Binnington, who would lead the Blues to the Stanley Cup in 2019.

In summary, had the Blues not signed Stevens, they would not have given up four first-round picks. Had they not given up four first-round picks, they would not have had to give up Stevens. Would the Shanahan side of things stayed the same? Possibly. Possibly not. What we know this, this change of events defined 19+ year of Blues history. Binnington is still a Blue and is going strong. Perhaps more is on the way.

Other Blues Defining Moments

Hull Listens to Sutter

Brett Hull scored 41 goals in his first season with the Blues in 1988-89. However, head coach Brian Sutter thought Hull could be even better. Hull was a poor skater and a liability in the defensive zone. After the season, Sutter talked to Hull about improving his conditioning that summer. At next training camp, Hull arrived in better shape, showing he had listened to Sutter’s advice.

As an improved skater, Hull scored 72 goals in 1989-90. Hull followed that up with 86 goals the next season, a Blues record that still stands today.

Between 1989 and 1992, Hull scored 228 goals, the second-highest three-season goal in NHL history, second only behind Wayne Gretzky. Furthermore, Hull became the fifth player in NHL history to score 50 goals in 50 games in 1990-91. Hull would do that again the next season.

Hull came to St. Louis as a good goal scorer. By listening to Sutter, Hull became a great goal scorer and a NHL legend and Hall of Famer.

“They Did It! It’s Over!”

Chris Kerbar’s radio call of the final seconds of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final will forever be in the memories of Blues fans. On June 12, 2019, the Blues finally reached what had been an unreachable star. With a 4-1 victory against the Boston Bruins in Game 7, the Blues were finally Stanley Cup Champions. It was the longest wait for a first title any team in the league has had.

The road to the Stanley Cup was not easy. The Blues entered the season with high expectations, but sat in last place in early January. However, the emergency of Binnington, the leadership of interim-head coach Craig Berube, and core players stepping up, the Blues finished the regular season with 99 points and entered the playoffs looking for more.

The Blues went 10-3 on the road during the 2019 postseason, losing no more than a single game in each round. Furthermore, the team only lost twice in Games 5-7. Their run to the Cup was full of memorable moments.

It took 52 years, but the Blues were, at long last, Stanley Cup Champions. Blues fans, feel free to play “Gloria” for ole time’s sake.

Main Photo: Jeff Curry- Imagn Images

The post Summer Series: St. Louis Blues Defining Moments appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.