1967–68 St. Louis Blues season

The 1967–68 St. Louis Blues season was the inaugural season in the history of the franchise. The Blues were one of the six new teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion. The other franchises were the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and California Seals. The league doubled in size from its Original Six.

1967–68 St. Louis Blues
Division3rd West
1967–68 record27–31–16
Goals for177
Goals against198
Team information
General managerLynn Patrick
CoachLynn Patrick
Scotty Bowman
CaptainAl Arbour
ArenaSt. Louis Arena
Team leaders
GoalsRed Berenson (22)
AssistsGerry Melnyk (35)
PointsRed Berenson (51)
Penalty minutesGary Sabourin (50)
WinsGlenn Hall (19)
Goals against averageGlenn Hall (2.48)

St. Louis was the last of the expansion teams to officially get into the league. The Blues were chosen over Baltimore at the insistence of the Chicago Black Hawks. The Black Hawks were owned at that time by the Wirtz family, who also owned the St. Louis Arena. The team's first owners were insurance tycoon Sid Salomon Jr., his son, Sid Salomon III, and Robert L. Wolfson. Sid Salomon III convinced his initially wary father to make a bid for the team. Salomon then spent several million dollars on renovations for the 38-year-old Arena, which increased the number of seats from 12,000 to 15,000 and provided its first significant maintenance since the 1940s.

Because the playoff format required an expansion team to make it to the Stanley Cup finals, the Blues became the first expansion team to reach that mark. However, they were the last of the still operating 1967 expansion teams to win the cup, which they did in 2019.

Offseason

NHL draft

The Blues attempted to select Saskatoon Blades forward Dale Fairbrother with their first round pick, but the pick was ruled invalid since Fairbrother was on the Portland Buckaroos' sponsored list.[1][2] The Blues passed on making selections in the second and third rounds.[2]

Regular season
Original logo of the St. Louis Blues

The franchise's first game was played on October 11, 1967. The Blues and Minnesota North Stars played to a 2–2 tie at the St. Louis Arena,[3] with the Blues' first ever team goal scored by Larry Keenan of North Bay, Ontario. A St. Michaels product, Keenan had his career end prematurely due to injuries. He relocated back to North Bay where he coached a local Midget AAA team for many years.

The Blues were originally coached by Lynn Patrick who resigned in late-November and was replaced by Scotty Bowman. Although the league's rules effectively kept star players with the Original Six teams, the Blues were one of the stronger teams of the Western Division. The playoff format required an expansion team to make it to the Stanley Cup finals, and the Blues made it to the final round.

Season standings
West Division[4]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1Philadelphia Flyers74313211173179−673
2Los Angeles Kings74313310200224−2472
3St. Louis Blues74273116177191−1470
4Minnesota North Stars74273215191226−3569
5Pittsburgh Penguins74273413195216−2167
6Oakland Seals74154217153219−6647

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1TOctober 11, 19672–2Minnesota North Stars (1967–68)0–0–1
2LOctober 13, 19671–3Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68)0–1–1
3WOctober 14, 19674–2@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68)1–1–1
4LOctober 18, 19671–2Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68)1–2–1
5TOctober 21, 19673–3Los Angeles Kings (1967–68)1–2–2
6LOctober 22, 19670–1@ Detroit Red Wings (1967–68)1–3–2
7LOctober 25, 19672–3@ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68)1–4–2
8LOctober 28, 19671–4@ Montreal Canadiens (1967–68)1–5–2
9WNovember 1, 19675–1Boston Bruins (1967–68)2–5–2
10WNovember 4, 19673–2Detroit Red Wings (1967–68)3–5–2
11LNovember 8, 19671–5@ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68)3–6–2
12WNovember 11, 19675–1@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68)4–6–2
13LNovember 12, 19672–5@ Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68)4–7–2
14LNovember 15, 19671–4Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68)4–8–2
15LNovember 18, 19673–5Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68)4–9–2
16LNovember 19, 19672–3@ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68)4–10–2
17LNovember 22, 19671–3Montreal Canadiens (1967–68)4–11–2
18LNovember 25, 19671–2Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68)4–12–2
19LNovember 26, 19670–1@ New York Rangers (1967–68)4–13–2
20WNovember 29, 19673–2Los Angeles Kings (1967–68)5–13–2
21LDecember 2, 19671–5Minnesota North Stars (1967–68)5–14–2
22LDecember 3, 19672–4@ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68)5–15–2
23LDecember 6, 19672–3@ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68)5–16–2
24WDecember 9, 19671–0@ Oakland Seals (1967–68)6–16–2
25WDecember 10, 19672–1Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68)7–16–2
26WDecember 13, 19673–1Oakland Seals (1967–68)8–16–2
27TDecember 14, 19672–2@ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68)8–16–3
28LDecember 16, 19670–1Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68)8–17–3
29LDecember 17, 19673–5@ New York Rangers (1967–68)8–18–3
30WDecember 20, 19672–1@ Oakland Seals (1967–68)9–18–3
31LDecember 23, 19670–4@ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68)9–19–3
32WDecember 25, 19671–0@ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68)10–19–3
33WDecember 27, 19674–2Los Angeles Kings (1967–68)11–19–3
34WDecember 29, 19672–1Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68)12–19–3
35LDecember 30, 19671–8@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68)12–20–3
36WJanuary 3, 19684–0Oakland Seals (1967–68)13–20–3
37WJanuary 6, 19682–1Los Angeles Kings (1967–68)14–20–3
38TJanuary 10, 19682–2@ Oakland Seals (1967–68)14–20–4
39TJanuary 11, 19682–2@ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68)14–20–5
40LJanuary 13, 19681–3New York Rangers (1967–68)14–21–5
41TJanuary 14, 19682–2@ Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68)14–21–6
42WJanuary 17, 19685–0Minnesota North Stars (1967–68)15–21–6
43TJanuary 21, 19682–2@ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68)15–21–7
44WJanuary 24, 19685–2Minnesota North Stars (1967–68)16–21–7
45TJanuary 25, 19684–4@ Detroit Red Wings (1967–68)16–21–8
46WJanuary 27, 19684–3New York Rangers (1967–68)17–21–8
47WJanuary 31, 19689–4Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68)18–21–8
48LFebruary 1, 19680–2@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68)18–22–8
49WFebruary 3, 19684–1Oakland Seals (1967–68)19–22–8
50LFebruary 7, 19684–6Boston Bruins (1967–68)19–23–8
51LFebruary 10, 19681–2Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68)19–24–8
52TFebruary 11, 19683–3@ Boston Bruins (1967–68)19–24–9
53TFebruary 14, 19682–2Los Angeles Kings (1967–68)19–24–10
54WFebruary 16, 19683–1@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68)20–24–10
55TFebruary 17, 19682–2@ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68)20–24–11
56WFebruary 21, 19685–1@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68)21–24–11
57LFebruary 22, 19681–2@ Montreal Canadiens (1967–68)21–25–11
58LFebruary 25, 19682–4@ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68)21–26–11
59TFebruary 28, 19683–3Montreal Canadiens (1967–68)21–26–12
60TMarch 2, 19683–3Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68)21–26–13
61LMarch 3, 19683–9@ Boston Bruins (1967–68)21–27–13
62WMarch 6, 19684–2Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68)22–27–13
63WMarch 9, 19683–1Oakland Seals (1967–68)23–27–13
64WMarch 10, 19681–0@ Oakland Seals (1967–68)24–27–13
65TMarch 13, 19683–3Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68)24–27–14
66TMarch 15, 19681–1Oakland Seals (1967–68)24–27–15
67LMarch 16, 19683–6Detroit Red Wings (1967–68)24–28–15
68LMarch 20, 19682–4@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68)24–29–15
69LMarch 22, 19681–6@ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68)24–30–15
70TMarch 23, 19683–3@ Oakland Seals (1967–68)24–30–16
71WMarch 27, 19683–0Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68)25–30–16
72LMarch 28, 19680–2@ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68)25–31–16
73WMarch 30, 19683–2Minnesota North Stars (1967–68)26–31–16
74WMarch 31, 19685–3@ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68)27–31–16

Expansion draft
  • St. Louis Blues selections
# Player Drafted from
1.Glenn Hall (G)Chicago Black Hawks
2.Don Caley (G)Detroit Red Wings
3.Jim Roberts (D/W)Montreal Canadiens
4.Noel Picard (D)Montreal Canadiens
5.Al Arbour (D)Toronto Maple Leafs
6.Rod Seiling (D)New York Rangers
7.Ron Schock (C)Boston Bruins
8.Terry Crisp (C)Boston Bruins
9.Don McKenney (C)Detroit Red Wings
10.Wayne Rivers (RW)Boston Bruins
11.Billy Hay (C)Chicago Black Hawks
12.Darryl Edestrand (D)Toronto Maple Leafs
13.Norm Beaudin (RW)Detroit Red Wings
14.Larry Keenan (LW)Toronto Maple Leafs
15.Ron Stewart (C)Boston Bruins
16.Fred Hucul (D)Toronto Maple Leafs
17.John Brenneman (LW)Toronto Maple Leafs
18.Gerry Melnyk (C)Chicago Black Hawks
19.Gary Veneruzzo (LW)Toronto Maple Leafs
20.Max Mestinsek (RW)New York Rangers

Player statistics

Forwards

Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points

Player GP G AST PTS PIM
Gordon "Red" Berenson5522295122
Gerry Melnyk7315355014
Frank St. Marseille5716163212
Don McKenney39920294
Terry Crisp739202910
Bill McCreary7013132622
Gary Sabourin5013102350
Larry Keenan40128204
Ron Schock55991817
Tim Ecclestone50681416
Ron Stewart19751211
Craig Cameron327298
Dickie Moore275389
Wayne Rivers224488
Ron Attwell181786
Roger Picard1522421
Gary Veneruzzo51120
Norm Beaudin131124
Claude Cardin10000

Defensemen

Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points

Player GP G AST PTS PIM
Jim Roberts7414233766
Barclay Plager4951520153
Fred Hucul432131530
Noel Picard6611011142
Al Arbour741101150
Bob Plager5325786
Jean-Guy Talbot230442
Ray Fortin240228
Gordon Kannegiesser1901113
Darryl Edestrand120002

Goaltending

Note: GP= Games played; MIN= Minutes; W= Wins; L= Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against

Player GP MIN W L T SO GAA
Glenn Hall4928581921952.48
Seth Martin301552810712.59
Don Caley13000006.00

Post-season stats

Forwards

Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points

Player GP G AST PTS PIM
Gordon "Red" Berenson185279
Gerry Melnyk172682
Frank St. Marseille1858130
Don McKenney61122
Terry Crisp181566
Bill McCreary153250
Gary Sabourin1842630
Larry Keenan184594
Ron Schock121230
Tim Ecclestone121232
Craig Cameron1410111
Dickie Moore18771415
Gary Veneruzzo90222

Defensemen

Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points

Player GP G AST PTS PIM
Jim Roberts1841520
Barclay Plager1825773
Noel Picard1303346
Al Arbour1403310
Bob Plager1812369
Jean-Guy Talbot170228
Ray Fortin30002
Doug Harvey804412

Goaltending

Note: GP= Games played; MIN= Minutes; W= Wins; L= Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against

Player GP MIN W L T SO GAA
Glenn Hall

Playoffs
1968 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Western Division Quarter-finals vs. Philadelphia – Blues win 4–3
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeries
1April 4St. Louis1–0PhiladelphiaHall10,649Blues lead 1–0
2April 6St. Louis3–4PhiladelphiaHall11,111Series tied 1–1
3April 10Philadelphia2–3St. LouisOTHall10,867Blues lead 2–1
4April 11Philadelphia2–5St. LouisHall11,070Blues lead 3–1
5April 13St. Louis1–6PhiladelphiaHall10,587Blues lead 3–2
6April 16Philadelphia2–1St. LouisOTHall13,738Series tied 3–3
7April 18St. Louis3–1PhiladelphiaHall14,646Blues win 4–3

Stanley Cup Finals

The Blues beat the North Stars in a game 7 double overtime and made the Stanley Cup finals. Although they lost in four straight games, they played proudly, as all four games each were decided by just one goal (and two of the four were decided in overtime). Glenn Hall was especially noted for his goaltending, especially in game three when the Blues were outshot 46 to 15. Red Burnett, one of the most prominent hockey writers of the day, said of Hall's playing, "A number of Hall's saves were seemingly impossible. Experts walked out of the Forum convinced no other goaltender had performed so brilliantly in a losing cause." In overtime in game three, Hall made an exceptional save on Dick Duff and then, standing on his head, made another. Burnett said, "It was a heartbreaker to see. After the saves on Duff, Bobby Rousseau came and batted home the second rebound." Hall's playing won him the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

However, Montreal was not to be denied and won the Stanley Cup in game four as J. C. Tremblay fired home the winning goal. When the game ended, the fans came on the ice to celebrate, and balloons, hats and programs were thrown from the stands.

Date Visitors Score Home Score Notes
May 5Montreal3St. Louis2OT
May 7Montreal1St. Louis0
May 9St. Louis3Montreal4OT
May 11St. Louis2Montreal3

Montreal wins the series 4–0.

Awards and honors
  • Glenn Hall, Conn Smythe Trophy

References
  1. "Invalid Claim by St. Louis in 1967 NHL Amateur Draft". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  2. "1967 NHL Amateur Draft – Quick Facts". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  3. "St Louis Blues – History". Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  4. "1967–1968 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  5. "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
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