When the Blues Go Marching In

For half a century, the National Hockey League had spread its influence across North America as an organized hockey association, and its greatest prize, the Stanley Cup, had been the most coveted trophy in all professional sports for 75 years.

Six teams made up the NHL: the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks.

1967 marked the NHL’s first 50 years of existence, and likewise to the NFL, it was time for an expansion.

The National Football League had added eight teams to the sport’s first expansion in its history in 1959, beginning play between two separate but equal leagues comprising of eight teams each. Hockey initiated play between two separate conferences for the 1967-68 season with each conference consisting of six teams, the Eastern and Western Conference.

Hockey’s first expansion included the Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, California Seals, and the St. Louis Blues. The city of St. Louis had won over the city of Baltimore in their bid for a hockey team and were the last of the six expansion teams to enter the NHL.

“Bill Wirtz had lobbied the other five NHL owners to accept St. Louis’ bid over Baltimore’s application for a reason. Since 1947, Wirtz and James Norris had owned the St. Louis Arena, which had been built in 1929 for the annual National Dairy Show. Sensing an opportunity to unload the neglected and run-down 37-year-old structure, Wirtz agreed to sponsor Salomon’s St. Louis bid in exchange for their purchase of the Arena as the hockey team’s home for $4 million. In addition, Salomon’s syndicate needed to post a $10,000 application fee and a $2 million expansion franchise fee to the NHL that entitled the Blues to 20 players.”

-       St. Louis Gametime

The first owners of the blues were insurance tycoons Sid Salomon Jr., his son Sid the third, and Robert L. Wolfson, who were granted the franchise in 1966. After acquiring the franchise, Salomon Jr. spent millions to renovate the cherished St. Louis Arena, that had broken ground in 1929, expanding the seating capacity from 12,000 to 15,000.

Salomon Jr. had gained a strong reputation from the NHL as the top player’s owner, and with all the support that he had given to his players, anyone who played for him would pay him back by simply giving it their all day in and day out on the ice.

The Blues played their first game on October 11, 1967; the day before the Cardinals won the World Series over the Red Sox. The result ended in a 2-2 tie against the Minnesota North Stars in the St. Louis Arena with left wing Larry Keenan scoring the first ever goal in franchise history. What unfolded was a three-year period where the Blues set the bar for all teams competing in the newly expanded western division.

“During those first three years in the league the Blues, thanks to a strong defense and the goaltending of future Hall of Famers Glen Hall and Jacques Plante, were a battering ram against their fellow expansion teams and compiled a 75-32-23 record against them in the regular season, never losing a playoff series to any of them. The Blues are also one of just six teams in the expansion era to have ever played in three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals.”

-       Adam Gretz, NBC Sports

In 1968, 1969, and 1970 the Blues showed their superiority in their early years as the strongest expansion team from the class of ’67, defeating their western division foes in six consecutive playoff series to reach the Stanley Cup Final in their first three seasons in existence.

The St. Louis Blues had only been around for two full seasons at the end of the 1960s, but they set a precedent unmatched in the NHL since the expansion class of 1967, they made three straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances in as many years of their existence. They were led by their head coach Scotty Bowman and general manager Lynn Patrick, and put the saddle on their goaltender, Glenn Hall.

Glenn Hall played for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks for the majority of his career and was 36 years old when he joined the Blues for the 1967 season. He had started 502 consecutive games in goal and earned himself the nickname the Iron Man.

“What particularly distinguishes Hall’s Iron Man mark was the quality of his play throughout it. In ’55-56 he was NHL’s rookie of the year. In ’60-61 he led the Hawks to an unexpected Stanley Cup championship. During those seven seasons Hall was named to the first or second All-Star team six times – a feat made more amazing by the competition, given that it was the golden age for goalies back then.”

-       Sports Illustrated

It’s also believed that his streak of playing in 502 consecutive games will never be matched again because of how teams now operate with at least two goalies.

Hall helped guide the Blues to the NHL playoff in 1968 after a red-hot second half. The Blues beat the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round and then eclipsed the Minnesota North Stars in a seven-game double-overtime thriller to reach the Stanley Cup Finals against the powerful Montreal Canadiens.

Despite the Blues being swept in four straight as overwhelming underdogs against the Canadiens, they played them tough in every game, sending two of the contests into overtime and losing each game by just one goal, a feat that earned Glenn Hall the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 1968 playoffs.

A year later, the Blues had another stellar season. They finished first in the western division with a 37-25-14 record and humiliated their playoff opponents, sweeping both the Flyers and Los Angeles Kings to make their second straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance against the Canadiens. Unfortunately for the Blues, 1969 was a repeat of the year before as the Canadiens swept their way to victory to earn their second straight Stanley Cup.

Over the years, the St. Louis Blues have built a legacy of excellence, earning numerous accolades and achievements. From division championships to conference titles, the Blues have consistently showcased their skill and determination on the ice. With a roster of talented players and a strong coaching staff, the team continues to strive for greatness year after year.

In 1970, Scotty Bowman coached the Blues to another first-place finish in the western division. Left-handed center Red Berenson led the team with 33 goals scored that season, and Glenn Hall, who had retired at the end of the 1969 playoffs, was talked back into returning to the Blues to see if he could help them make one more run, and he did. After finishing the regular season with 86 points, the Blues blew through their early playoff foes for the third straight year, upending both the North Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins to reach their third straight Stanley Cup Final.

This time, they faced the Boston Bruins. In the fourth game at the Boston Garden with the Blues trailing 3-0 in the series, the game went to overtime, and just a few seconds later, the Blues hopes were dashed by one infamous goal, Bobby Orr.

Bobby Orr’s goal would haunt Blues fans for nearly half a century, and the Blues would wait 49 years to reach another Stanley Cup Final.

The St. Louis Blues and their fans had much to be proud of in their early years of the franchise, but still yearned for total victory.

“Our Father, who art in St. Louis, hockey be thy name. Thy will be done, the Cup will be won, on ice as well as the stands. Give us this day our hockey sticks, and forgive us our penalties, as we forgive those who have cross-checked against us, lead us not into elimination, but deliver us to VICTORY! In the name of the fans, Lord Stanley, and the St. Louis Blues.”

-       All of Blues Nation