1967–68 St. Louis Blues season

National Hockey League team season March 2026 August 2023 NHL 1967–68 1967 St. Louis Blues West 3rd 27–31–16 18–12–7 9–19–9 177 198 Lynn Patrick Lynn Patrick Scotty Bowman Al Arbour Jim RobertsNoel PicardRed Berenson St. Louis Arena Red Berenson (22) Gerry Melnyk (35) Red Berenson (51) Barclay Plager (153) Glenn Hall (19) Glenn Hall (2.48) 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 (later rebranded to the Oakland Seals during the season before the Blues had a chance to play the Seals while they used their California name). The league doubled in size from its Original Six. 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. 2 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.http://hockeydraftcentral.com/1967/67002a.html Invalid Claim by St. Louis in 1967 NHL Amateur Draft Hockey Draft Central June 2, 2015http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1967/67facts.htm 1967 NHL Amateur Draft – Quick Facts Hockey Draft Central June 2, 2015 The Blues passed on making selections in the second and third rounds. Regular season thumb|right|150px|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,http://blues.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NHLPage&bcid=his_greatmoments St Louis Blues – History 2007-12-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20080620085633/http://blues.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NHLPage&bcid=his_greatmoments 2008-06-20 dead 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 West 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 STL Record vs. opponents STL Playoffs Stanley Cup Final The Blues beat the North Stars in a game 7 double overtime and made the Stanley Cup Final. 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. Schedule and results background:#fff; border-top:#002F87 5px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 5px solid; 1967–68 regular season1967-68 St. Louis Blues Schedule https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/STL/1968_games.html Hockey-Reference.com March 26, 2025 y background:#fff; border-top:#002F87 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; October Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |1||T||October 11, 1967||2–2 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) ||0–0–1 |- |2||L||October 13, 1967||1–3 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) ||0–1–1 |- |3||W||October 14, 1967||4–2 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) ||1–1–1 |- |4||L||October 18, 1967||1–2 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) ||1–2–1 |- |5||T||October 21, 1967||3–3 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) ||1–2–2 |- |6||L||October 22, 1967||0–1 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1967–68) ||1–3–2 |- |7||L||October 25, 1967||2–3 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) ||1–4–2 |- |8||L||October 28, 1967||1–4 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1967–68) ||1–5–2 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#002F87 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; November Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |9||W||November 1, 1967||5–1 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1967–68) ||2–5–2 |- |10||W||November 4, 1967||3–2 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1967–68) ||3–5–2 |- |11||L||November 8, 1967||1–5 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) ||3–6–2 |- |12||W||November 11, 1967||5–1 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) ||4–6–2 |- |13||L||November 12, 1967||2–5 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68) ||4–7–2 |- |14||L||November 15, 1967||1–4 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68) ||4–8–2 |- |15||L||November 18, 1967||3–5 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) ||4–9–2 |- |16||L||November 19, 1967||2–3 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) ||4–10–2 |- |17||L||November 22, 1967||1–3 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1967–68) ||4–11–2 |- |18||L||November 25, 1967||1–2 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) ||4–12–2 |- |19||L||November 26, 1967||0–1 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1967–68) ||4–13–2 |- |20||W||November 29, 1967||3–2 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) ||5–13–2 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#002F87 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; December Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |21||L||December 2, 1967||1–5 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) ||5–14–2 |- |22||L||December 3, 1967||2–4 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) ||5–15–2 |- |23||L||December 6, 1967||2–3 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) ||5–16–2 |- |24||W||December 9, 1967||1–0 || align="left"| @ Oakland Seals (1967–68) ||6–16–2 |- |25||W||December 10, 1967||2–1 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68) ||7–16–2 |- |26||W||December 13, 1967||3–1 || align="left"| Oakland Seals (1967–68) ||8–16–2 |- |27||T||December 14, 1967||2–2 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) ||8–16–3 |- |28||L||December 16, 1967||0–1 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) ||8–17–3 |- |29||L||December 17, 1967||3–5 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1967–68) ||8–18–3 |- |30||W||December 20, 1967||2–1 || align="left"| @ Oakland Seals (1967–68) ||9–18–3 |- |31||L||December 23, 1967||0–4 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) ||9–19–3 |- |32||W||December 25, 1967||1–0 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) ||10–19–3 |- |33||W||December 27, 1967||4–2 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) ||11–19–3 |- |34||W||December 29, 1967||2–1 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) ||12–19–3 |- |35||L||December 30, 1967||1–8 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68) ||12–20–3 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#002F87 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; January Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |36||W||January 3, 1968||4–0 || align="left"| Oakland Seals (1967–68) ||13–20–3 |- |37||W||January 6, 1968||2–1 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) ||14–20–3 |- |38||T||January 10, 1968||2–2 || align="left"| @ Oakland Seals (1967–68) ||14–20–4 |- |39||T||January 11, 1968||2–2 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) ||14–20–5 |- |40||L||January 13, 1968||1–3 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1967–68) ||14–21–5 |- |41||T||January 14, 1968||2–2 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68) ||14–21–6 |- |42||W||January 17, 1968||5–0 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) ||15–21–6 |- |43||T||January 21, 1968||2–2 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) ||15–21–7 |- |44||W||January 24, 1968||5–2 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) ||16–21–7 |- |45||T||January 25, 1968||4–4 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1967–68) ||16–21–8 |- |46||W||January 27, 1968||4–3 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1967–68) ||17–21–8 |- |47||W||January 31, 1968||9–4 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) ||18–21–8 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#002F87 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; February Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |48||L||February 1, 1968||0–2 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) ||18–22–8 |- |49||W||February 3, 1968||4–1 || align="left"| Oakland Seals (1967–68) ||19–22–8 |- |50||L||February 7, 1968||4–6 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1967–68) ||19–23–8 |- |51||L||February 10, 1968||1–2 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) ||19–24–8 |- |52||T||February 11, 1968||3–3 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1967–68) ||19–24–9 |- |53||T||February 14, 1968||2–2 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) ||19–24–10 |- |54||W||February 16, 1968||3–1 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) ||20–24–10 |- |55||T||February 17, 1968||2–2 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) ||20–24–11 |- |56||W||February 21, 1968||5–1 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68) ||21–24–11 |- |57||L||February 22, 1968||1–2 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1967–68) ||21–25–11 |- |58||L||February 25, 1968||2–4 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) ||21–26–11 |- |59||T||February 28, 1968||3–3 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1967–68) ||21–26–12 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#002F87 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; March Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |60||T||March 2, 1968||3–3 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68) ||21–26–13 |- |61||L||March 3, 1968||3–9 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1967–68) ||21–27–13 |- |62||W||March 6, 1968||4–2 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) ||22–27–13 |- |63||W||March 9, 1968||3–1 || align="left"| Oakland Seals (1967–68) ||23–27–13 |- |64||W||March 10, 1968||1–0 || align="left"| @ Oakland Seals (1967–68) ||24–27–13 |- |65||T||March 13, 1968||3–3 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68) ||24–27–14 |- |66||T||March 15, 1968||1–1 || align="left"| Oakland Seals (1967–68) ||24–27–15 |- |67||L||March 16, 1968||3–6 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1967–68) ||24–28–15 |- |68||L||March 20, 1968||2–4 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) ||24–29–15 |- |69||L||March 22, 1968||1–6 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) ||24–30–15 |- |70||T||March 23, 1968||3–3 || align="left"| @ Oakland Seals (1967–68) ||24–30–16 |- |71||W||March 27, 1968||3–0 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) ||25–30–16 |- |72||L||March 28, 1968||0–2 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) ||25–31–16 |- |73||W||March 30, 1968||3–2 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) ||26–31–16 |- |74||W||March 31, 1968||5–3 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) ||27–31–16 |- |- | Legend: #cfc Win (2 points) 1px solid black #fcc Loss (0 points) 1px solid black #ffc Tie (1 point) 1px solid black Playoffs background:#fff; border-top:#002F87 5px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 5px solid; 1968 Stanley Cup playoffs y background:#fff; border-top:#002F87 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; Quarterfinals vs. (W1) Philadelphia Flyers – Blues win 4–3 Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- | 1 ||W|| April 4, 1968 || 1–0 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers || Blues lead 1–0 |- | 2 ||L|| April 6, 1968 || 3–4 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers || Series tied 1–1 |- | 3 ||W|| April 10, 1968 || 3–2 2OT|| align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers || Blues lead 2–1 |- | 4 ||W|| April 11, 1968 || 5–2 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers || Blues lead 3–1 |- | 5 ||L|| April 13, 1968 || 1–6 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers || Blues lead 3–2 |- | 6 ||L|| April 16, 1968 || 1–2 2OT|| align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers || Series tied 3–2 |- | 7 ||W|| April 18, 1968 || 3–1 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers || Blues win 4–3 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#002F87 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; Semifinals vs. (W4) Minnesota North Stars – Blues win 4–3 Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- | 1 ||W|| April 21, 1968 || 5–3 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars || Blues lead 1–0 |- | 2 ||L|| April 22, 1968 || 2–3 OT|| align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars || Series tied 1–1 |- | 3 ||L|| April 25, 1968 || 1–5 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars || North Stars lead 2–1 |- | 4 ||W|| April 27, 1968 || 4–3 OT|| align="left"| Minnesota North Stars || Series tied 2–2 |- | 5 ||W|| April 29, 1968 || 3–2 OT|| align="left"| Minnesota North Stars || Blues lead 3–2 |- | 6 ||L|| May 1, 1968 || 1–5 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars || Series tied 3–3 |- | 7 ||W|| May 3, 1968 || 2–1 2OT|| align="left"| Minnesota North Stars || Blues win 4–3 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#002F87 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; Stanley Cup Finals vs. (E1) Montreal Canadiens – Canadiens win 4–0 Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- | 1 ||L|| May 5, 1968 || 2–3 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens || Canadiens lead 1–0 |- | 2 ||L|| May 7, 1968 || 0–1 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens || Canadiens lead 2–0 |- | 3 ||L|| May 9, 1968 || 3–4 OT|| align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens || Canadiens lead 3–0 |- | 4 ||L|| May 11, 1968 || 2–3 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens || Canadiens win 4–0 |- |- | Legend: #cfc Win 1px solid black #fcc Loss 1px solid black Player statistics Forwards Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points Player GP G AST PTS PIM Gordon "Red" Berenson 55 22 29 51 22 Gerry Melnyk 73 15 35 50 14 Frank St. Marseille 57 16 16 32 12 Don McKenney 39 9 20 29 4 Terry Crisp 73 9 20 29 10 Bill McCreary 70 13 13 26 22 Gary Sabourin 50 13 10 23 50 Larry Keenan 40 12 8 20 4 Ron Schock 55 9 9 18 17 Tim Ecclestone 50 6 8 14 16 Ron Stewart 19 7 5 12 11 Craig Cameron 32 7 2 9 8 Dickie Moore 27 5 3 8 9 Wayne Rivers 22 4 4 8 8 Ron Attwell 18 1 7 8 6 Roger Picard 15 2 2 4 21 Gary Veneruzzo 5 1 1 2 0 Norm Beaudin 13 1 1 2 4 Claude Cardin 1 0 0 0 0 Defensemen Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points Player GP G AST PTS PIM Jim Roberts 74 14 23 37 66 Barclay Plager 49 5 15 20 153 Fred Hucul 43 2 13 15 30 Noel Picard 66 1 10 11 142 Al Arbour 74 1 10 11 50 Bob Plager 53 2 5 7 86 Jean-Guy Talbot 23 0 4 4 2 Ray Fortin 24 0 2 2 8 Gordon Kannegiesser 19 0 1 1 13 Darryl Edestrand 12 0 0 0 2 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 49 2858 19 21 9 5 2.48 Seth Martin 30 1552 8 10 7 1 2.59 Don Caley 1 30 0 0 0 0 6.00 Post-season stats Forwards Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points Player GP G AST PTS PIM Gordon "Red" Berenson 18 5 2 7 9 Gerry Melnyk 17 2 6 8 2 Frank St. Marseille 18 5 8 13 0 Don McKenney 6 1 1 2 2 Terry Crisp 18 1 5 6 6 Bill McCreary 15 3 2 5 0 Gary Sabourin 18 4 2 6 30 Larry Keenan 18 4 5 9 4 Ron Schock 12 1 2 3 0 Tim Ecclestone 12 1 2 3 2 Craig Cameron 14 1 0 1 11 Dickie Moore 18 7 7 14 15 Gary Veneruzzo 9 0 2 2 2 Defensemen Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points Player GP G AST PTS PIM Jim Roberts 18 4 1 5 20 Barclay Plager 18 2 5 7 73 Noel Picard 13 0 3 3 46 Al Arbour 14 0 3 3 10 Bob Plager 18 1 2 3 69 Jean-Guy Talbot 17 0 2 2 8 Ray Fortin 3 0 0 0 2 Doug Harvey 8 0 4 4 12 Goaltending Note: GP= Games played; MIN= Minutes; W= Wins; L= Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against; SV% = Save percentage Player GP MIN W L T SO GAA SV% Glenn Hall 18 535 8 10 – 1 2.44 .916 Awards and honors Glenn Hall, Conn Smythe Trophy 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 References External links Blues on Hockey Database Category:St. Louis Blues seasons St. Louis St St Louis St Louis