St. Louis Blues Tickets

The Blues were one of the six teams that joined the NHL when the league expanded prior to the 1967-68 season. In the seasons immediately following the expansion, the playoff format ensured that an expansion team would play against an Original Six team in the Stanley Cup Final. In 1968, the Blues became the first expansion team to play for the Stanley Cup. The Blues were at a significant disadvantage—most of the league’s best players were still playing on Original Six teams—and were swept by the Montreal Canadiens. The Blues reached the Stanley Cup Final again in the next two seasons but did not fare any better.

In 1976, the Blues drafted Bernie Federko, who helped lead the team to the playoffs throughout the 1980s. Federko is the Blues’ all-time leader in points with 1073.

In 1988, the Blues acquired right winger Brett Hull from the Calgary Flames. Even though he was the son of hall of famer Bobby Hull, Brett was not a highly-regarded prospect and was not drafted until the 117th pick of the 1984 draft. Hull proved his doubters wrong and became one of the best goal scorers in NHL history. Hull is one of just a handful of players who has scored 50 goals in 50 games (he did it twice: once in 49 games and once in 50). In the 1990-91 season, while playing on a line with Adam Oates, Hull scored 86 goals. Only Wayne Gretzky has scored more goals in a single season.

The Blues remained competitive even after Hull left the team. Defenseman Chris Pronger became the team’s captain and led the Blues to their first first place finish in the 1999-2000 season. Pronger won the Hart trophy as the league’s MVP—a rare feat for a defenseman.