He had 70 or more goals in three consecutive seasons, including 1990-91 when he scored 86 and the team finished with 105 points. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Boyer also plays the latter song on the organ after Blues goals, with fans replacing the word "Saints" with "Blues. Weight was again traded in December 2007 to the Anaheim Ducks, along with a minor league player, in exchange for Andy McDonald. On January 12, 1983, Batoni-Hunter Enterprises Ltd., led by WHA and Edmonton Oilers founder Bill Hunter, tendered an offer to buy the team. [5] 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. Following the Black Hawks' championship in 1961, the team became much more successful at the box office in Chicago, thus St. Louis was no longer useful as a secondary market. However, St. Louis was swept in their first Finals appearance by the heavily favored Montreal Canadiens. All that hardware notwithstanding, hopes for a Stanley Cup run turned to stunning disappointment. This third jersey was unveiled on September 21, 2008, and debuted during a Blues' home game against the Anaheim Ducks on November 21, 2008. In addition to players and builders, the team recognizes an affiliation with two broadcasters who were awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Blues were one of the six teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion, along with the . When the period of exclusivity expired without a deal, SCP jumped back into the picture. St Louis Blues on the Forbes The Business of Hockey List Bill Laurieis an American former basketball player and coach, and current business executive and philanthropist. Dean retired and his successor, William Stiritz, had no interest in continuing the involvement in hockey. The Blues remain 0-12 in Stanley Cup finals play. The Blues play in the 19,150 (not counting standing room) capacity Enterprise Center, where they have played since 1994. Bill Laurie, a former point guard at Memphis State University, had long desired to buy and move a National Basketball Association (NBA) team to St. Louis (coming close to achieving this in 1999, with an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the then-Vancouver Grizzlies), and it was thought that this desire caused him to neglect the Blues. While the Blues remained competitive, they were unable to keep many of their young players. Attendance had gone from a peak of 18,601 a game in 1972-73 to 10,130. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, 4 killed, 4 critically injured in crash at South Grand Boulevard and Forest Park Avenue, Parents push back on allegations against St. Louis transgender center. The Blues ended the 1990s as the only NHL team to make the playoffs for the entire decade, although a Stanley Cup title still eluded the franchise. But with former Blues goaltender and nationally renowned broadcaster John Davidson at the point, they turned the worm. 27 febrero, 2023 . On April 12, the Blues clinched the sixth seed in the West with a 10 win against the Colorado Avalanche. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. Other players like Patrik Berglund, and Alex Steen did not return in time for the season. Under Arbour, the Blues essentially matched their 1969-70 regular season performance in their fourth season, and were still the best of the expansion teams; however, it was only good enough for second place in the West as St. Louis finished twenty points behind Chicago. The Checkerboard Square chief even re-painted the fading Arena and re-dubbed it the Checkerdome. [58] Gretzky had previously played for the Blues in 1996, although the Blues did not retire his number prior to its league-wide retirement. tickets - by owner. Because they were not required to participate in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, they did not send a representative, which led the Blues to forfeit their picks. [26] Shortly after the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, Karla May of the Missouri Senate introduced a bill which would officially designate several items as state symbols of Missouri; including the Blues being as the state's official hockey team. However, injuries plagued the team all season, and the lack of a bona fide scorer hampered them as well. He made his debut two days later, wearing number 55 against the Phoenix Coyotes. The Blues would underachieve greatly the following year as they posted a 32408, but they beat the Winnipeg Jets 31 in the Norris Division Semi-Finals before dropping to the Chicago Black Hawks in the Norris Division 24. The sale price for the team and building lease was reported to be $100 million. The Blues lost more players as Jay Bouwmeester suffered a season-ending injury, and Jaden Schwartz missed a large portion of the season. St. Louis businessman Tom Stillman and his band of investment brothers will announce today they have closed a deal to purchase the Blues. The Blues had remained in strong form throughout the season, finishing first in the Western Conference and second in the NHL. The St. Louis Blues are one of the more successful NHL teams in terms of attendance. [13] After that season, Ornest sold the team to a group led by St. Louis businessman Michael Shanahan. st louis blues - $75 (Saint Louis) wednesday 2023-03-01. number available: 4 venue: enterprise center. Hull's 86 goals set the record for most goals in a single season by a right-winger (and the third-most overall at the time). The season of 200809 saw the Blues play their last game on KPLR, which had the rights since the 198687 season (except for the 199697 season on CBS affiliate KMOV), electing to move all their games to FS Midwest, starting with the 200910 season. The logo used on the Blues' jerseys from 1967 to 1984. Follow Jeremy P. Rutherford One of them was Emile Francis, who served as team president, general manager and head coach. In the first round of the playoffs, they faced the Vancouver Canucks, to whom they lost in six games. The Blues are still looking for their first Stanley Cup. The Blues took on the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first-round series. Arbour, who officially retired as a player after the 197071 season, would remain behind the Blues' bench for the next two seasons. The Blues also won the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals (165) in the NHL, as netminder Roman Turek finished with a 1.95 goals-against average. The Blues averaged more than 41 wins but could not get though the conference playoffs. In 201213, the Blues completed the lockout-shortened season in fourth place in the Western Conference. KXOK backed out of the contract after just 2 years, and the Blues immediately went back to KMOX, who held the rights until 2000. SLB Acquisition Holdings LLC - Wikipedia On March 17, 2012, the Blues became the first team to reach 100 points and clinch a playoff berth in the 201112 season under Hitchcock, qualifying for their first playoffs since 200809. During the 2012 playoffs, they won their first playoff series since 2002, eliminating the San Jose Sharks in five games. A new company who had purchased KXOK won the bid for a three-year contract and Kelly moved over from KMOX to do the games on KXOK. Buck elected to leave the booth after one season, though, and was replaced by another famed announcer in Dan Kelly. St. Louis Blues, official state hockey team", "Allen traded to Canadiens by Blues for draft picks", "2014-2015 NHL Attendance National Hockey League", "Blues unveil new adidas jersey for 2017-18 season", "Blues pay tribute to team heritage with third jersey", "Blues reveal 2022 NHL Winter Classic jersey", "Reverse Retro alternate jerseys for all 31 teams unveiled by NHL, adidas", "NHL Reverse Retro jerseys for all 32 teams unveiled by adidas", "St Louis Blues Community Name the Mascot", "Blues partner with The Urge for new goal song", "Free speech in the 'Home of the Blues,' singing over 'the brave' in national anthem disrespects veterans more than silently kneeling", "Ranking the top goal songs in the NHL - Sportsnet.ca", "Woo-hoo! After an early-season coaching change brought Ken Hitchcock aboard, the Blues broke through this season with 109 points, two points removed from the best record in the NHL. Dean was the key figure in Ralston Purina's takeover of the St. Louis Blues after the 1976-77 season. In 1984, the Blues drastically redesigned their look, adding red and darkening the shade of blue. The Blues were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings, in the following round. The elder Salomon was not enthralled with the idea of owning a hockey team initially, but his son persuaded him to take the plunge. Nonetheless, the team remained competitive for the next three years, despite never advancing beyond the second round. On June 13, 2016, it was announced that Mike Yeo would replace Hitchcock as head coach of the Blues following the 201617 season. He was replaced by assistant coach Scotty Bowman, who thereafter led the team to a winning record for the rest of the season. The Keenan coup wound up being a catastrophe. The remaining staff included the accounting department, scouting staff, and coach Barclay Plager. san jose sharks vs . According to Sutter, they wanted to stay in St. Louis because it reminded them of the rural Canadian towns where many of them grew up. Mike Keenan was hired as both general manager and coach before the abbreviated 199495 season, with the hope that he could end the postseason turmoil that Blues fans had endured for years. An updated version of the blue sweater, produced by Adidas, was brought back in 2019 as their 90s Vintage Jersey.. The team finished last in the division and disbanded after one season. Despite years of mediocrity and the stigma of never being able to "take the next step," the Blues were a playoff presence every year from 1980 to 2004 the third-longest streak in North American professional sports history (all three of which being held by NHL teams). While the first Blues teams included fading veterans like Doug Harvey, Don McKenney and Dickie Moore, the goaltending tandem of veterans Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante proved more durable, winning a Vezina Trophy in 1969 behind a sterling defense that featured players like skilled defensive forward Jim Roberts, team captain Al Arbour and hardrock brothers Bob and Barclay Plager. [32], When Adidas became the uniform provider before the 201718 season, the Blues kept most of the same template, with the exception of the home jersey numbers changing from gold to white. The latest STL Blues hockey news, NHL headlines, scores, standings and rosters. A look at the ownership lineage: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Ornest had made plans to buy the team as early as March, but built up his efforts in late June to have enough money. Blues' inaugural Hall of Fame class has stature that 'no one can touch' Only Wayne Gretzky found the net more than Hull during any given three-year period. Under the expansion playoff format, Bowman's leadership was enough as the Blues qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural season. Tom Stillman becomes the eighth owner in Blues franchise history. Keenan instituted major changes, including trades that sent away fan favorites Brendan Shanahan and Curtis Joseph, as well as the acquisition of the legendary-but-aging Wayne Gretzky and goaltender Grant Fuhr, both from the declining Los Angeles Kings. For the first time in five years (that is, since the lockout), the Blues were in the playoffs. [33] For the 201819 season, the Blues added a third jersey based on the one worn during the 2017 NHL Winter Classic. These are the top-ten point-scorers, goal scorers, and assist leaders in franchise regular-season history. "We've given them the extreme honor, so it's. The Blues' successes in the late 1960s, however, did not continue into the 1970s. Category:St. Louis Blues owners Pages in category "St. Louis Blues owners" The following 5 pages are in this category, out of 5 total. Former St. Louis Blues owner Mike Shanahan dies at 78 - USA TODAY [7] Emile Francis would call it quits on May 2, leaving for the Hartford Whalers to become president and general manager. [21] On March 29, 2019, the Blues became the seventh team in NHL since the 196768 season to qualify for the playoffs after being placed last after January 1. General manager Ron Caron made astute moves, landing forwards Brett Hull, Adam Oates and Brendan Shanahan, defenseman Al MacInnis and goaltender Curtis Joseph, among others. Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Most Popular Video Games Most Popular Music Videos Most Popular Podcasts. Here is a list of the team's owners since its inception: -Sidney Salomon Jr. -Ralph Sauer -Harry Ornest -Michael Shanahan -Dave Checketts -Tom Stillman. [45], The Blues were one of the last teams to add a goal horn, doing so during the 199293 season at the St. Louis Arena. He also purchased the Checkerdome from Ralston Purina for $5 million, then raised $3 million in operating expenses. Baie-Comeau Drakkar Players Bakersfield Condors Players Barrie Colts Players Barys Astana Players Belarusian Hockey Players Belleville Senators Players Bemidji State Beavers Players Bentley Falcons. Ten players reached at least 20 goals, including Wayne Babych, future Hall of Famer Bernie Federko, and team captain Brian Sutter. Soon after, Ornest sold the Blues to a group led by Michael Shanahan, head of Engineered Support Systems Inc. From 1967 until 1994, the team played in the St. Louis Arena (known as The Checkerdome from 1977 until 1983), where the old St. Louis Eagles played, and which the original owners had to buy as a condition of the 1967 NHL expansion. The arrangement made the Blues the only major sports team in North America to be owned by a private equity firm. Following their playoff exit, Ralston authorized the deal to Hunter's renamed company Coliseum Holdings, Ltd. for $12 million on April 21. The following numbers have been retired from use within the St. Louis Blues: In addition to the aforementioned numbers, the NHL also retired Wayne Gretzky's number 99 from use for all of its members teams, including the Blues, at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game. After missing the playoffs for the first time in 197374, the Blues ended up in the Smythe Division after a League realignment. This setupKelly as commentator, with either Kyle, Bob Plager, or Noel Picard (whose heavy French-Canadian . Jeremy P. Rutherford Sep 29, 2013 Sep 29, 2013; 0; Facebook . Gary Bettman -- St. Louis Blues' future 'bright' with new owners But things began to turn around as Francis drafted players like Bernie Federko, Brian Sutter, Wayne Babych and Perry Turnbull. However, St. Louis ended their first-round losing streak by beating Chicago 32 in game 7 of the series. The team made headlines with free-agent signings and trades that landed stars like Brett Hull, Adam Oates, Brendan Shanahan, Scott Stevens, Grant Fuhr, Phil Housley and Al MacInnis. Blues Jump Blues/Piano Blues St. Louis Blues. Jeremy Rutherford is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the St. Louis Blues. . Jeremy Boyer, the Blues organist, plays a Glenn Miller arrangement of W. C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues" in its entirety before games and a short version at the end of every period, followed by "When the Saints Go Marching In." [17] During the 2011 NHL offseason, the team signed many key free agents, including Brian Elliott, Scott Nichol, Kent Huskins, Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner. The Blues have worn blue and white jerseys with the famous "Blue Note" crest and gold accents since their inception in 1967. It was loud enough, TV cameras picked up the song loud and clear. Blues Director of Entertainment, Jason Pippi, commented that they played Country Roads by John Denver, "was a bit of an mistake because people love to sing along to that song". #19 St Louis Blues Team Value 1 $880M Calculated December 2022 Owner (s) Tom Stillman Championships 1 Year Purchased 2012 Price Paid $180M Revenue 2 $180M Operating Income 3 $56M Debt/Value 4. He saw the Blues as just another money-bleeding division, and put the team on the market. Last chance! Aside from Stillman, the ownership group includes Jerald Kent, Donn Lux, James Cooper, Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, Steve Maritz, Edward Potter, Andrew Taylor, David Steward, Jim Kavanaugh, John Danforth,. Nevertheless, the Black Hawks owners still owned the St. Louis Arena. These distractions would greatly affect their performance as they squeezed into the playoffs with a 254015 record in the 1983 season, good enough for 65 points. [46] All of these traditions carried over to the Kiel Center (now known as Enterprise Center) in 1994. He is the former owner of the St. Louis Bluesand is the co-chairman of Paige Sports Entertainment. New Blues ownership group Tom Stillman, chairman and CEO of Summit Distributing Donn Lux, Luxco chairman and CEO Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, president of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation Steve. The navy blue third jersey was kept without any alterations, before it was retired prior the 201617 season. Ultimately, it was the Blues who prevailed by winning in seven games each over the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota North Stars to reach the 1968 Stanley Cup Finals. St. Louis Blues (1939) - IMDb Since the St. Louis Blues were founded in 1967, the team has had a number of owners. David Backes was also announced as the new team captain. During that time, Salomon gained a reputation throughout the NHL as the top players' owner. 0. The following season, 201314, the team hit the 100-point mark for the sixth time in franchise history, and gained a franchise record of 52 wins. Steward, minority owner of Blues, vows to promote diversity in hockey Gretzky, whose wife is a native St. Louisan, personally approved the trade and was prepared to finish his illustrious career with the Blues. Louis Post-Dispatch, R. Hal Dean, chief executive officer and board chairman of the Ralston Purina Co., gestures as he delivers his state of the company addressSept. 30, 1971, at the annual checker day rally. During the 2007 off-season, the Blues signed free agent Paul Kariya to a three-year contract worth $18million, re-signed defenseman Barret Jackman to a one-year contract, lost their captain Dallas Drake to the Detroit Red Wings, and traded prospect Carl Soderberg to the Bruins in exchange for yet more depth in the goal crease, Hannu Toivonen. With Dorothy Lamour, Lloyd Nolan, Tito Guzar, Jerome Cowan. Fan support was sluggish during the first half of the campaign, and the end of the calendar year was capped by an 11-game losing streak. The group spent $2 million to buy the franchise, $4 million to purchase the 38-year-old Arena on Oakland Avenue from Chicago's Bill Wirtz and $2.5 million more to renovate the building. For the full season-by-season history, see List of St. Louis Blues seasons, Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against. The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. st louis blues traditions. Maybe eight will be worth the wait. They also provided the capital to build the Kiel Center (now the Enterprise Center), which opened in 1994. The Blues also dealt away Paul Stastny to the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline for their 1st round pick as they won only 23 games of their remaining 51, but they still had a chance to get into the playoffs on the last day of their season against the Colorado Avalanche. The team made headlines with free-agent signings and trades that landed stars like Brett Hull, Adam Oates, Brendan Shanahan, Scott Stevens, Grant Fuhr, Phil Housley and Al MacInnis. The cash-poor Ornest then ran the franchise on a skeletal budget. As the Blues faced the Oilers on December 7, 1982; brochures were distributed saying "Saskatchewan in the NHL". Ornest immediately reverted the name of the team's home venue to the St. Louis Arena. However, despite the music stopping, the loyal Blues fans in attendance continued to sing loudly. In late September, 2005, the Lauries signed an agreement to sell the team to SCP Worldwide, a consulting and investment group led by Dave Checketts, former president of New York's Madison Square Garden. They would also pick up Brayden Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers by giving away Jori Lehtera. Two-year process yields the most desirable outcome in terms of the city's best interest. Blues games, many of which were crucial to playoff berths, would often be pre-empted for spring training coverage. St. Louis Blues tends to be a variation on jump blues or piano blues, featuring solo singers or a pianist performing with small combos or large bands. Years later, Sutter argued that had the Blues made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, they would have likely beaten the Canadiens, having won two out of three games against the Habs in the regular season. MLS in July 2020 pushed the expansion schedule back by a year for both St. Louis and the Charlotte, North Carolina, team that began play last year, saying the Covid-19 pandemic had led to delays . After an ice plant was installed, the minor league St. Louis Flyers began play there in 1929. She runs into the skipper of a showboat who befriends her, and they make plans to put together a musical revue. They moved on to the next round, where they defeated the Dallas Stars in another seven-game series to advance to their first Western Conference Finals since 2001. During the late 1990s, the Blues nurtured a new identity. The song has since been retired; the last time they played it was during the raising of the Stanley Cup Championship banner ceremony on October 2, 2019. On September 29, 2005, it was announced that the Lauries had signed an agreement to sell the Blues to SCP Worldwide, a consulting and investment group headed by former Madison Square Garden president Dave Checketts. Contact Information: print. ST. LOUIS (AP) Mike Shanahan, who owned the St. Louis Blues from 1986-91 and oversaw the acquisition of Hall of Famer Brett Hull, has died. Blues Acquire Vrana From the Red Wings Photo by Scott C. Dine/St. He returned to California with $3.4 million in profit on the sale of the Blues and $8.2 million in profit on the sale of the Arena. Sid Salomon III convinced his initially wary father to make a bid for the team. The game against Anaheim was suspended during the first period and postponed to March 11. He went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Stars the next year, scoring a controversial goal on the Buffalo Sabres' Dominik Hasek to clinch the Cup for Dallas. On November 14, 2005, the Blues announced that SCP Worldwide had officially withdrawn from negotiations to buy the team. From 1979 to 1981, the radio and television broadcasts were separated for the first time since the inaugural season, with Kelly doing the radio broadcasts and Eli Gold hired to do the television. In 19992000, the team notched a franchise-record 114 points during the regular season, earning the Presidents' Trophy for the League's best record. For the song, see. On December 11, 2006, the Blues fired head coach Mike Kitchen and replaced him with former Los Angeles Kings head coach Andy Murray. During most of Ornest's tenure, the Blues had only 26 players under contract23 in St. Louis, plus three on their farm team, the Montana Magic. New owners take over Blues - STLtoday.com They missed the playoffs for only the fourth time in franchise history. The NHL also said that Ralston broke a league rule that an owner had to give two years' notice before dissolving a franchise. [38] Louie is a blue polar bear and wears a Blues jersey with his name on the back, and the numbers "00". Additionally, fans complained they could not hear the station at night (it had to readjust its coverage due to a glut of clear channels on adjacent frequencies). St. Louis Blues Music Genre Overview | AllMusic After a strong second-half run, the Blues made the 2009 playoffs on April 10, 2009, after defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 31. Phil Goyette won the Lady Byng Trophy for the Blues in 1970 and New York Rangers castoff Red Berenson became the expansion team's first major star at center. St. Louis Blues (1958) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The original owners were successful insurance executive Sid Salomon Jr., his son Sid Salomon III and Robert Wolfson. [12] To date, this is the closest that an NHL team has come to folding since the Cleveland Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars after the 197778 season. In each instance, the Blues were swept in four games, twice by the Montreal Canadiens and lastly by the Boston Bruins. The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis. Despite an impressive run into the end of the season, when they gained most points in the league from February 1, when Hitchcock was fired, to the end of the season,[18] the Blues were eliminated in the second round by the Nashville Predators in six games.[19]. Albums. The Blues announced plans for a navy third jersey featuring a new logo, with the Gateway Arch with the Blue Note superimposed over it inside a circle with the words "St. Louis" above and "Blues" below. Despite defeating the Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Winter Classic by the score of 41, the Blues fired Hitchcock and promoted Yeo to head coach on February 1, 2017. Team owner puts St. Louis Blues up for sale 5 is #1 Show Me 5 Sally Sally Jessy Raphael at KSDK Today In St. Louis Be the first to know Making a Difference Mike Bush Fantasy Baseball. The jersey introduced the short-lived trumpet logo on the shoulders and featured thin diagonal stripes on the tail and sleeves. The team's first owners were insurance tycoon Sid Salomon Jr., his son, Sid Salomon III, and Robert L. Wolfson, who were granted the franchise in 1966. Hitchcock is a finalist for the Jack Adams coaching award and Doug Armstrong is a contender for general manager of the year. After his death, Ron Jacober (who had left Channel 5 to be KXOK's sports director in 1985 then left for KMOX in 1987) was hired as the radio play-by-play announcer for the remainder of the season, and John Kelly succeeded in that position. He intended to build a $43 million 18,000-seat arena in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in time for the 1983-84 season. Blues current owner Tom Stillman (left) and Carol Salomon, the former wife of original owner Sid Salomon III. He has covered the team since the 2005-06 season, including a dozen years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 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. Louis, which had not submitted a formal expansion bid. With his aging father stepping back, Sid Salomon III took a more prominent role in running the franchise and upheaval became the order of the day. The team would dominate the postseason awards, as Pronger earned a Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player, Pavol Demitra got the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play and Quenneville was named coach of the year. After two awful years, including what is still a franchise-worst 185012 record with 48 points in 1979, the Blues made the playoffs the following year, the first of 25 consecutive postseason appearances. St. Louis kept chugging along through the late 1980s and early 1990s. After each Home win, the entire St Louis Blues team skates to center ice and in unison, raise their sticks and clap while the goal horn blares, to thank the Blues fans in attendance and watching on TV. On November 3, 2007, the fans voted on his name on the Blues' web site. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the six teams from the 1967 NHL expansion and is named after the W. C. Handy song "Saint Louis Blues". He purchased the team and its player contracts for $3 million in cash and $9 million in two notes. Blues owners. "[50][51] And it did take them to the Stanley Cup. On February 8, 2008, it was announced that, after going much of the season without a captain, defenseman Eric Brewer was chosen as the team's 19th captain. Among the first things Ornest did during his three-year tenure was change the name of the building back to the "Arena." As general manager and coach, Keenan traded away the popular Brendan Shanahan, tested patience with other curious transactions and cultivated a toxic relationship with Hull. The St Louis Blues: A History Of The Hockey Team