A PGP Guide to: the St. Louis Blues

A PGP Guide to: the St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are one of those franchises where the history is both extremely successful and painful. They’ve been around since 1967, made the playoffs basically forever, have had some of the greatest players in hockey history wear the Blue Note and somehow still had to wait 51 seasons to actually win the Stanley Cup. Then, when they finally did win it, they did it by going from dead last in the entire NHL in January to Stanley Cup champions in June because apparently doing things normally has never interested this franchise.

Now the Blues are entering another major transition. The remaining 2019 championship core is getting smaller, former captain Brayden Schenn is gone, Jordan Kyrou is gone, Robert Thomas is the new captain, former Blues player Alexander Steen is the new general manager, and St. Louis spent the summer adding a bunch of young players who are supposed to turn this back into a consistent playoff team. 

The Basics

Team: St. Louis Blues

Conference: Western Conference

Division: Central Division

Home Arena: Enterprise Center

Location:St. Louis, Missouri

Franchise Founded: 1967

Team Colors:  Blue, yellow & white

Stanley Cups: 1 – 2019

Biggest Rivals: Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings (historic), Dallas Stars

The Origin Story

The Blues arrived during the 1967 NHL expansion, when the league doubled from six teams to twelve. St. Louis joined alongside the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota North Stars and California Seals, while the existing Original Six teams stayed together in the other division. That setup becomes important in approximately thirty seconds.

Original owner Sid Salomon Jr. named the franchise after W.C. Handy's 1914 song “St. Louis Blues.” The Blues are the only NHL franchise literally named after a song, and the musical identity has remained part of basically everything they do, from the Blue Note logo to “When the Blues Go Marching In” after goals.

Because all six expansion teams were placed together in the new West Division, one of them was guaranteed to reach the Stanley Cup Final. St. Louis took full advantage and reached the Final in each of its first three seasons: 1968, 1969 and 1970. They lost all three, the first two times to Montreal, then the third time to Boston, with Bobby Orr's famous flying through the air OT goal ending the series. Within three years of existing, the Blues had already played in three Stanley Cup Finals and won zero Cups. This franchise established its emotional theme VERY early.

The Vibe Check

The Blues are a very Midwestern hockey team. Historically, their identity has been built around physicality, defense, toughness, annoying people, very passionate fans and a collection of extremely talented players who somehow spent decades producing great regular seasons without winning the trophy everyone actually cared about.

Their aesthetic is also incredible. The Blue Note is one of those logos that does not need to be messed with, their throwbacks are elite, and St. Louis has leaned even harder into the franchise's musical roots with its updated branding.

On the ice, the traditional idea of “Blues hockey” is pretty simple – work hard, defend, forecheck, make the game miserable and do not get pushed around. Jim Montgomery has literally described the team's identity as blue collar hockey. The current team is becoming a little different. There is still size and physicality everywhere, but the new core has much more speed and skill with Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, Mason McTavish, Connor McMichael, Philip Broberg and Dalibor Dvorsky. They aren’t rebuilding in the traditional sense of being ignored until they get good, they’re really just trying to get younger while still trying to win.

The History You Need to Know

As we just discussed, St. Louis reached the Stanley Cup Final in each of its first three seasons and lost all three. Legendary goaltenders Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante were part of the early Blues teams, and Hall actually won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1968 despite St. Louis losing the Final. Hall and Plante later shared the 1969 Vezina Trophy. Then the NHL realigned, the Blues stopped receiving the benefit of an expansion-only division, and suddenly getting back to the Final became significantly more difficult. Like… 49 years more difficult.

St. Louis began one of the most ridiculous consistency streaks in NHL history in 1980. From 1979-80 through 2003-04, the Blues reached the playoffs 25 consecutive seasons. Only Boston and Chicago have ever had longer NHL playoff streaks. The fun part is that the franchise almost disappeared in the middle of it! In 1983, owner Ralston Purina wanted out, and a group attempted to purchase the Blues and move them to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The NHL rejected the relocation. The franchise came dangerously close to folding before Harry Ornest purchased the team and kept it in St. Louis. The mess happened late enough that the Blues didn’t even participate in the 1983 NHL Draft…

Three years later came one of the most famous games in franchise history – “the Monday Night Miracle”. In Game 6 of the 1986 Campbell Conference Final against Calgary, the Blues trailed 5-2 in the third period, somehow tied the game and then won 6-5 in OT on a Doug Wickenheiser goal. Calgary ultimately won Game 7, because again, happiness can never arrive without additional suffering here.

In 1988, St. Louis acquired Brett Hull from Calgary, paired him with elite playmaker Adam Oates, and hockey got ridiculous. Hull scored 72 goals in 1989-90, 86 in 1990-91 and 70 in 1991-92. His 86 goal season remains one of the highest single season totals in NHL history, and he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Ted Lindsay Award in 1991. Oates recorded 90 assists that season, still the Blues' single season record, and assisted on an absurd number of Hull's goals. Hull ultimately scored 527 goals as a Blue, still the most in franchise history, but they didn’t win a Cup.

Then came what I like to call the Wayne Gretzky Fever Dream. Yes, Wayne Gretzky played for the St. Louis Blues, for about five minutes! St. Louis acquired Gretzky from the Los Angeles Kings on February 27, 1996, putting him on a team that already included Brett Hull, Chris Pronger, Al MacInnis and Grant Fuhr. Gretzky played just 18 regular season games with St. Louis and added 16 points in the playoffs. Their season ended in Game 7 of the second round against Detroit when Steve Yzerman stole the puck from Gretzky and scored one of the most famous goals in Red Wings history in double overtime. Gretzky signed with the Rangers that summer.

The late-90s/early-2000s Blues were loaded with guys like Chris Pronger, Al MacInnis, Pavol Demitra, Keith Tkachuk, and Pierre Turgeon. In 1998-99, MacInnis won the Norris Trophy. The following year, Pronger somehow went even crazier and won both the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman and the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Only Bobby Orr had previously won both in the same season! That 1999-2000 team finished with the best record in hockey and won the franchise's first Presidents' Trophy, but still no Cup.

The Blues' 25-season playoff streak finally ended after the 2004-05 lockout. They eventually rebuilt around players like David Backes, Alex Pietrangelo, T.J. Oshie, Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk and later Colton Parayko. By the early 2010s, St. Louis was excellent again. They won the Central Division in 2011-12 and remained one of the Western Conference's stronger teams for much of the decade. The problem was the playoffs, especially Chicago. In 2014, St. Louis went up 2-0 against the Blackhawks and then lost four straight. In 2016, they finally got their revenge, beating the defending Stanley Cup champions in a seven-game first-round series. Troy Brouwer scored the Game 7 winner, and the Blues eventually advanced to their first Western Conference Final since 2001 before losing to San Jose in six.

The Blues opened the 2018-19 season badly. Head coach Mike Yeo was fired in November and replaced by Craig Berube, but things still didn’t improve. On January 2, 2019, St. Louis was last in the entire NHL, then rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington arrived, the team caught fire and everything became completely insane. Around the same time, several Blues players had been at a bar in Philadelphia where the DJ kept playing Laura Branigan's “Gloria.” They adopted it as their victory song! The city adopted it, radio stations started playing it, bars played it, fans screamed it after wins, and it became the soundtrack of the entire run. St. Louis beat Winnipeg in 6 games, Dallas in 7, and San Jose in 6 to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1970. The same franchise who beat them in 1970, the Boston Bruins, were waiting for them. The series reached Game 7 in Boston and the Blues won 4-1, captain Alex Pietrangelo lifted the Cup, and after 51 seasons the St. Louis Blues were finally Stanley Cup champions!! Ryan O'Reilly won the Conn Smythe Trophy. They went from last place in the NHL in January to champions in June!!

The championship core slowly started breaking apart. Pietrangelo left for Vegas in 2020, Jaden Schwartz eventually left, Vladimir Tarasenko was traded in 2023, Ryan O'Reilly was traded, David Perron moved on, and Ivan Barbashev moved on. For a while, the organization tried to retool without completely rebuilding. In 2024, the Blues hired Jim Montgomery shortly after Boston fired him. He took over during the 2024-25 season and St. Louis went on an absurd late run, including a franchise record 12-game winning streak, to return to the playoffs. They drew Winnipeg in the first round. The home team won every game of the series until the final one, and St. Louis' season ended with a 4-3 double-overtime Game 7 loss in Winnipeg. Pain! Tradition!

The following year didn't go nearly as smoothly. St. Louis finished fifth in the Central, and missed the playoffs for the 3rd time in 4 seasons. Their offense struggled for stretches, Robert Thomas missed time and Jordan Binnington had a particularly difficult season in net, but the year also made the direction of the franchise clearer. Jimmy Snuggerud broke out with 51 points as a rookie, Dylan Holloway continued developing into a major piece, Philip Broberg established himself as a top defenseman and Joel Hofer posted a 24-13-5 record with six shutouts.

The transition really began at the 2026 trade deadline. Longtime captain Brayden Schenn was traded to the New York Islanders, veteran defenseman Justin Faulk was moved to Detroit and those deals gave St. Louis extra first-round picks heading into the draft. The Blues traded Jordan Kyrou to Washington for Connor McMichael, prospect Milton Gastrin and the 16th pick in the 2026 Draft. St. Louis sent 2 1st rounders to Anaheim for Mason McTavish, then acquired defenseman Brandon Carlo from Toronto for 2 3rd round selections. Former Blues forward and 2019 Stanley Cup champion Alexander Steen officially became general manager, with Doug Armstrong moving into the President of Hockey Operations role. Then in September, St. Louis named Robert Thomas the 25th captain in franchise history.

The Players You Need to Know

Robert Thomas

the new captain & the face of the new era

Thomas is the guy now. He was drafted by St. Louis in 2017, won the Stanley Cup as a 19-year-old rookie in 2019 and has developed into an elite playmaking center. He led the Blues with 64 points in only 64 games in 2025-26, including a team high 25 goals, and was officially named captain in September 2026. 

Dylan Holloway

the former Oiler becoming a star in St. Louis

The Blues famously stole Holloway from Edmonton with an offer sheet in 2024, and that decision looks increasingly smart. He had 51 points in 59 games in 2025-26 and was one of the hottest players in hockey after the Olympic break. He's fast, physical, skilled and now part of the leadership group.

Jimmy Snuggerud

the kid who immediately looked like he belonged

Snuggerud was drafted 23rd overall in 2022, developed at the University of Minnesota and arrived in St. Louis at the end of 2024-25. His first full NHL season was excellent with 21 goals and 51 points in 70 games, earning him a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team! He finished fourth among NHL rookies in goals, assists and points.

Mason McTavish

the VERY expensive new center

St. Louis gave Anaheim two first round picks for McTavish during the 2026 Draft, so expectations are not exactly subtle. The former 3rd overall pick is only 23 and brings size, scoring ability and the kind of physical center play the Blues historically love. He recorded 41 points for Anaheim in 2025-26 and is starting his Blues career in the top six.

Connor McMichael

the guy they got for Jordan Kyrou

McMichael arrived from Washington in the Kyrou trade after recording 46 points in 2025-26. St. Louis then immediately committed to him with a six-year, $40.5 million contract. He's another young-ish skilled forward the Blues clearly believe can be part of this core for years.

Pavel Buchnevich

the veteran skill guy

Buchnevich is one of the remaining veterans bridging the old Blues into the new version. He can play center or wing, contributes in every situation and has consistently been one of St. Louis' more skilled offensive players since arriving from the Rangers.

Dalibor Dvorsky

the top prospect becoming a real NHL player

St. Louis drafted Dvorsky 10th overall in 2023, and he spent much of 2025-26 learning at the NHL level, finishing with 12 goals and 21 points in 71 games. He's a big, intelligent center with a strong shot and still has significant room to grow.

Jake Neighbours

the human wrecking ball who can also score

Neighbours is basically built for the historical Blues identity. He hits everything, lives around the net and scored 27 goals back in 2023-24. He is also now one of the team's alternate captains.

Philip Broberg

the $48 million defenseman

Another player St. Louis stole from Edmonton with an offer sheet. Broberg broke out after arriving and signed a six-year, $48 million extension in January 2026. He played more than 23 minutes per game in 2025-26 and finished with 34 points and a +14 rating. At only 25 entering this season, he's supposed to anchor this defense for years.

Colton Parayko

the giant remaining piece of 2019

Parayko is 6'6", has spent his entire NHL career in St. Louis and is one of the few players remaining from the Stanley Cup team. He's the veteran anchor of an increasingly young defense and part of Thomas' leadership group.

Cam Fowler

the smooth veteran defenseman

After spending basically his entire career in Anaheim, Fowler arrived in St. Louis during the 2024-25 season and has become one of the experienced voices on the blue line. He played all 82 games in 2025-26 and recorded 30 points.

Adam Jiricek

the defenseman arriving ahead of schedule

The Blues selected Jiricek 16th overall in 2024. After posting 59 points in 55 OHL games last season, he played his way onto the Opening Night roster and is beginning the year beside Philip Broberg while Logan Mailloux is injured.

Joel Hofer

the goalie who may be taking over

Jordan Binnington will forever be a St. Louis legend because of 2019, but Hofer was significantly better in 2025-26, going 24-13-5 with a 2.61 goals-against average, a .909/.910 save percentage depending on official stat rounding, and six shutouts. Binnington went 13-20-7 with a 3.33 GAA and .873 save percentage. Hofer received the opening night start on October 2.

Jordan Binnington

the 2019 hero who will never be normal

No matter what happens now, Binnington's place in Blues history is permanent. He arrived as a rookie during the 2019 disaster, helped completely transform the season and won Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in Boston. He's also one of hockey's most… emotionally expressive goaltenders. There have been scrums, penalties, chirping, attempted fights and enough strange moments to fill an entire separate article.

The Controversies

Dillon Dubé

Dillon Dubé is one of five former members of Canada's 2018 World Junior team charged in 2024 with sexual assault in connection with an alleged 2018 incident in London, Ontario. All five players pleaded not guilty, and all five were acquitted in July 2025. In September 2025, the NHL announced that although the players had been found not guilty, its own review concluded their conduct did not meet the standards expected by the League. The NHL imposed additional discipline before making them eligible to sign contracts and eventually return to NHL games.

Dubé initially joined the Blues organization on a professional tryout with AHL Springfield in December 2025. After producing 20 goals and 37 points in 46 regular season games there, St. Louis signed him to a one year, $850,000 NHL contract on July 1, 2026.

On August 12, 2026, Hockey Canada announced that an independent appeal board had upheld a finding that all five players breached Hockey Canada's code of conduct. Dubé remains suspended from Hockey Canada sanctioned programs until November 10, 2028. That Hockey Canada suspension does not prevent him from playing in the NHL, which operates separately.

Logan Mailloux

The Blues also employ defenseman Logan Mailloux, whose controversy goes back to before he entered the NHL. While playing in Sweden in 2020, Mailloux photographed a woman during a consensual sexual encounter without her consent to the photograph and later distributed an intimate image to teammates. He was fined in Sweden for offensive photography and defamation. Before the 2021 NHL Draft, Mailloux publicly asked teams not to select him because he did not believe he had demonstrated the maturity or character necessary to deserve being drafted at that time. Montreal selected him 31st overall anyway, a decision that received extensive criticism.

The Blues acquired Mailloux from Montreal for Zack Bolduc on July 1, 2025. He became an NHL regular during 2025-26, playing 67 games and recording 13 points. He is currently on injured reserve after undergoing surgery.

The Icons

Bernie Federko

Bernie was the original franchise superstar. Federko spent 13 seasons with St. Louis and recorded 1,073 points as a Blue. He entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002. If you are learning Blues history before Brett Hull, start here.

Brett Hull

This is THE name. Hull scored 527 goals for St. Louis, including the absurd 86-goal MVP season in 1990-91. He remains one of the most recognizable people ever associated with the franchise.

Al MacInnis

One of the greatest offensive defensemen ever. MacInnis won the Norris Trophy with St. Louis in 1999 and still holds the franchise records for goals and points by a defenseman. His slapshot was genuinely terrifying!

Chris Pronger

Mean, enormous and insanely good. Pronger won both the Hart and Norris in 2000 and captained St. Louis for five seasons.

Vladimir Tarasenko

For most younger Blues fans, Tarasenko was the guy before 2019. He developed into one of the NHL's elite goal scorers, helped drag the Blues through years of playoff heartbreak and then finally got to lift the Cup with them.

Alex Pietrangelo

Drafted by St. Louis, developed in St. Louis, became captain in St. Louis and became the first Blues captain ever to lift the Stanley Cup. That alone makes him permanent!

Ryan O'Reilly

O'Reilly arrived in 2018 and one year later won the Selke Trophy, Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy.

Alexander Steen

Steen played 765 games over 12 seasons with St. Louis, served as an alternate captain for a decade and won the Stanley Cup in 2019. Now he is literally the team's general manager. The Blues love keeping their people around.

The Rivalries

Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago and St. Louis have shared a division for almost their entire coexistence, the cities are only a few hundred miles apart and the franchises have spent decades genuinely annoying each other. The Blues spent years running into Chicago during the Blackhawks' dynasty. Chicago eliminated St. Louis in 2014 after the Blues won the first two games. St. Louis finally got revenge in 2016, eliminating the defending champions in Game 7 on Troy Brouwer's third period goal. They have also played multiple outdoor games against each other, including the 2017 Winter Classic in St. Louis and the 2024 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. If you're a new Blues fan and want one simple rule – you do not like the Blackhawks.

Colorado Avalanche

This has become one of the Blues' biggest modern rivalries. St. Louis and Colorado have shared the Central Division since 2013, but the real problem for St. Louis is the playoffs because the Avalanche have eliminated the Blues every single time the franchises have met in a postseason series. The first came in the 2001 Western Conference Final when Colorado beat the Blues on their way to the Cup, then twenty years later, they met again in the first round in 2021 and Colorado swept the Blues in four games. Then came the much nastier 2022 second-round series, when St. Louis was trying to defend its place among the Western Conference's contenders and Colorado was chasing a Cup. The Avalanche won that series in six and once again went on to become Stanley Cup champions.

That 2022 matchup also gave the rivalry some genuine bad blood. Blues goalie Jordan Binnington suffered a series ending injury after a crease collision involving Nazem Kadri and St. Louis defenseman Calle Rosen in Game 3. The situation escalated afterward, although Binnington later said he did not believe Kadri intentionally tried to injure him. Kadri then received racist and threatening messages serious enough that additional security was put in place before he responded by scoring a hat trick in Game 4.

Colorado has basically become the team standing in the way whenever modern St. Louis starts dreaming about another deep playoff run. They're still division opponents, they see each other constantly, and the Avalanche are 3-0 in playoff series against the Blues.

Detroit Red Wings

This one is more historical now because Detroit moved to the Eastern Conference in 2013, but older Blues fans absolutely remember it. For decades, St. Louis and Detroit shared the Norris/Central Division, meaning the Blues repeatedly ran into the powerhouse Red Wings teams of the 1990s and 2000s. The most painful moment is unquestionably Steve Yzerman's double-overtime Game 7 goal in 1996, which eliminated a Blues team that had literally just acquired Wayne Gretzky to chase a championship.

Dallas Stars

This is the Central Division rivalry that keeps producing meaningful hockey. St. Louis and Dallas have played each other a ridiculous number of times and repeatedly crossed paths in the playoffs. Most importantly for modern Blues history, the teams met in the second round in 2019, and St. Louis needed double overtime in Game 7 to eliminate Dallas before eventually winning the Stanley Cup.

The Fanbase

Blues fans have been through enough that they are allowed to be slightly insane. This is a franchise that made the playoffs for 25 straight years without reaching the Final, nearly moved to Saskatchewan, watched generations of Hall of Famers come through town without winning a championship and then finally watched a last place team win the Stanley Cup.

Hockey is also deeply woven into St. Louis sports culture. The 2019 Cup parade drew an estimated more than one million people!

Now, a few traditions you should know!

“When the Blues Go Marching In” plays on the organ after Blues goals, adapted from “When the Saints Go Marching In.” It has been part of the team's identity for decades.

“Take Me Home, Country Roads” became an Enterprise Center tradition in 2019. The arena cuts the recording and fans continue singing the song on their own while play resumes, which is honestly one of the better NHL crowd traditions.

“Gloria” will forever belong to 2019. It’s no longer the regular victory song, but you can’t talk about the Stanley Cup run without it.

The Retired Numbers

The Blues have officially retired eight player numbers

#2 — Al MacInnis

the slapshot king & Norris winner

#3 — Bob Gassoff

the beloved defenseman whose career and life ended tragically in a 1977 motorcycle accident

#5 — Bob Plager

the original Blue, enforcer & franchise lifer

#8 — Barclay Plager

another member of the legendary Plager family and an early Blues captain

#11 — Brian Sutter

the heart-and-soul captain of the late 1970s and early 1980s

#16 — Brett Hull

the greatest goal scorer in franchise history

#24 — Bernie Federko

the franchise's first true offensive superstar

#44 — Chris Pronger

the Hart + Norris-winning monster on defense

Wayne Gretzky's #99 is also unavailable because the NHL retired it league-wide.

The Team Identity

The Blues are a franchise named after a song, dressed in one of hockey's best logos, historically obsessed with big defensemen and miserable playoff hockey, blessed with decades of incredible players, cursed with decades of playoff disappointment and forever defined by one of the greatest championship runs the NHL has ever seen. They spent more than half a century waiting for a Stanley Cup, then they won one after being last in the league in January, and now the players who survived that era are slowly disappearing while a new generation — Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, Philip Broberg, Mason McTavish, Connor McMichael, Dalibor Dvorsky, Joel Hofer and company — tries to figure out what Blues hockey looks like next.

Why You Should Watch Them

This is a team that has accumulated a ridiculous number of former first-round picks, already has established stars, just installed a former Stanley Cup winning player as GM and clearly believes it can get back into the postseason now, not someday. The organization entered 2026-27 with 17 former first round picks across its system and has deliberately stacked young players at different stages of development. You have the new captain in Robert Thomas, you have Snuggerud becoming a star, and you have Holloway looking like one of the league's better offer-sheet heists. You have two major new centers in McTavish and McMichael with Broberg anchoring the blue line. You have Jiricek and Dvorsky arriving and Hofer pushing a franchise legend for the net.

Somewhere in the background, a city that waited 51 seasons for one Cup is watching to see whether the next version of the St. Louis Blues can give it another one. Welcome to St. Louis! Play “Country Roads,” remember “Gloria,” learn to hate Chicago and prepare to suffer just enough.