So, I’m not from St. Louis, but my dad was raised there, and since my state doesn’t have a Hockey team and the Blues were the first ones I saw in person, I feel very loyal to the Blues, at least as much as a new Hockey fan can be.

I became a fan last season when I saw Brayden Schenn’s 1000th game when they went up against the Capitals in person and it pretty much hooked me on the sport. I immediately got into the crowds energy and even bought some merch for the team which I’ve never done for any other sport. Since then I’ve been watching as many games as I can while being busy in college (god, that game against the Krakens really pissed me off).

The thing is, as we’re going into the next season, I’ve sort of realized that due to how new I am to the team and the sport in general, I don’t have a ton of context on the history of the team itself. I know recent stuff like the Stanley Cup win, but not a ton otherwise and I really want to change that for when I’m starting to watch these upcoming games. I also don’t want to read a Wikipedia article cause I feel like doing that doesn’t give me a good passionate retelling of the events of the last few decades that a lifelong fan could give me. So please, tell me as much as you can about the most important moments and details of the Blues history, cause I’m desperate to learn as much as I can on the team!

7 comments

  3. Ayyy a fellow “my parent grew up in or near STL but I grew up somewhere else where there’s no hockey” fan! I was at that game too. I’m about in the middle of the Caps and Canes and go when the Blues play them.

  4. Lord where to start. I would suggest looking into the alumni of the Blues. That right there alone will give you a feel as to how this franchise runs. This team is based on blue collar hard working meat and potatoes yet classy players. If you look at who we had leading our teams over the years youll see thats always been a trend.

    Every team has its ups and downs but the one thing this team is known for has been consistent success. There has been some absolutely amazing teams full of legends over the years. Id dare to say the Blues are one of the most winning teams in the regular season since 67 and the most unlucky team in the post season. I grew up in the early 2000s and watched the team turn into the 2010s which was amazing. I swear we were always right there and would’ve probably went far if not win the cup if we didnt run into absolute wagons. Every year it seemed we were going to play Chicago or the Kings and you knew it was going to be a brutal series. You can refer to the “wakey wakey Backes” incident from fuckhead Seabrook.

    I could go on and on but ill let someone else give you some more backstory 😊 have fun learning and welcome! LGB!!

  5. Not sure if it is still available anywhere but the Note by Note book the team put out in the 2000’s is a great visual history of the team in addition to JR’s book.

  6. If you want to get into the details of the team, this is a good place to start: https://www.nhl.com/blues/team/history/

    In addition to Rutherford’s “100 Things” book, check out Bobby Plager’s book, “Tales from the St Louis Blues Locker Room”, in which he tells often hilarious stories of the first decade or so of the team. Bernie Federko also wrote a book which I have not yet read, but he’s another one with a great deal of Blues stories. Bernie was drafted in 1976 and holds a number of Blues records. All books are available on Amazon. (If you are as broke as I was when I was in college, these would make great Christmas presents.)

    Also, check out the “Life as a Blue” interviews on the Blues YouTube channel. If I recall correctly, all of the people interviewed are now in the Blues Hall of Fame.

    Welcome to the fandom!

  7. I just found this video on YouTube about the history of the St Louis Blues 1967 to 1980s. I haven’t watched the whole thing yet, but it is a collection of photos, video, and interviews from those early years. It even includes some calls from the great Dan Kelly.

    https://youtu.be/IF-VjmofmA4?feature=shared

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