1968–69 St. Louis Blues season

1968–69 St. Louis Blues
West Division champions
Division1st West
1968–69 record37–25–14
Team information
General managerScotty Bowman
CoachScotty Bowman
CaptainAl Arbour
ArenaSt. Louis Arena
Team leaders
GoalsRed Berenson (35)
AssistsRed Berenson (47)
PointsRed Berenson (82)
Penalty minutesNoel Picard (131)
WinsGlenn Hall (19)
Goals against averageJacques Plante (1.96)

The 1968–69 St. Louis Blues season was the second in the history of the franchise. The Blues won the NHL's West Division title for the first time in their history. In the playoffs, the Blues swept the Philadelphia Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings, winning both series four games to none, before losing the Stanley Cup Finals in four straight to the Montreal Canadiens for the second straight season.

Regular season

On November 7, 1968, Red Berenson scored six goals in a road game versus the Philadelphia Flyers. He became the first player to score a double hat trick on a road game.[1] Goaltenders Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante shared the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie tandem for that season, and set the Blues' record (broken in 2011–12) of 13 shutouts. For Hall, it was his third Vezina, while Plante, who had come out of retirement during the summer of 1968, took home his seventh. It was the second major award that an NHL expansion team has earned. Hall also earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL Playoffs MVP the previous season.

Final standings

West Division[2]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 St. Louis Blues 76 37 25 14 204 157 +47 88
2 Oakland Seals 76 29 36 11 219 251 −32 69
3 Philadelphia Flyers 76 20 35 21 174 225 −51 61
4 Los Angeles Kings 76 24 42 10 185 260 −75 58
5 Pittsburgh Penguins 76 20 45 11 189 252 −63 51
6 Minnesota North Stars 76 18 43 15 189 270 −81 51

Record vs. opponents


Schedule and results

No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 L October 11, 1968 3–4 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1968–69) 0–1–0
2 W October 12, 1968 6–0 Los Angeles Kings (1968–69) 1–1–0
3 L October 16, 1968 2–4 Montreal Canadiens (1968–69) 1–2–0
4 W October 19, 1968 4–1 Oakland Seals (1968–69) 2–2–0
5 L October 23, 1968 4–6 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1968–69) 2–3–0
6 W October 24, 1968 2–1 @ Boston Bruins (1968–69) 3–3–0
7 L October 26, 1968 2–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1968–69) 3–4–0
8 W October 30, 1968 4–1 Philadelphia Flyers (1968–69) 4–4–0
9 L November 2, 1968 0–2 Minnesota North Stars (1968–69) 4–5–0
10 T November 3, 1968 4–4 @ Detroit Red Wings (1968–69) 4–5–1
11 W November 6, 1968 3–1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1968–69) 5–5–1
12 W November 7, 1968 8–0 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1968–69) 6–5–1
13 L November 9, 1968 1–4 @ Montreal Canadiens (1968–69) 6–6–1
14 T November 10, 1968 1–1 @ Boston Bruins (1968–69) 6–6–2
15 W November 13, 1968 3–1 @ New York Rangers (1968–69) 7–6–2
16 T November 16, 1968 1–1 Detroit Red Wings (1968–69) 7–6–3
17 T November 17, 1968 3–3 Minnesota North Stars (1968–69) 7–6–4
18 W November 20, 1968 7–0 Oakland Seals (1968–69) 8–6–4
19 W November 23, 1968 1–0 Chicago Black Hawks (1968–69) 9–6–4
20 T November 27, 1968 4–4 Boston Bruins (1968–69) 9–6–5
21 W November 28, 1968 3–1 @ Detroit Red Wings (1968–69) 10–6–5
22 W November 30, 1968 1–0 Philadelphia Flyers (1968–69) 11–6–5
23 T December 4, 1968 3–3 Chicago Black Hawks (1968–69) 11–6–6
24 T December 7, 1968 1–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (1968–69) 11–6–7
25 T December 8, 1968 4–4 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1968–69) 11–6–8
26 L December 11, 1968 3–6 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1968–69) 11–7–8
27 L December 12, 1968 4–5 @ Montreal Canadiens (1968–69) 11–8–8
28 L December 14, 1968 2–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1968–69) 11–9–8
29 W December 15, 1968 3–1 Los Angeles Kings (1968–69) 12–9–8
30 W December 20, 1968 1–0 @ Oakland Seals (1968–69) 13–9–8
31 T December 21, 1968 2–2 New York Rangers (1968–69) 13–9–9
32 W December 25, 1968 2–0 @ Minnesota North Stars (1968–69) 14–9–9
33 W December 26, 1968 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1968–69) 15–9–9
34 L December 28, 1968 2–6 Boston Bruins (1968–69) 15–10–9
35 T January 1, 1969 0–0 @ Los Angeles Kings (1968–69) 15–10–10
36 W January 3, 1969 3–1 @ Oakland Seals (1968–69) 16–10–10
37 W January 4, 1969 3–1 Detroit Red Wings (1968–69) 17–10–10
38 W January 7, 1969 5–0 Los Angeles Kings (1968–69) 18–10–10
39 L January 8, 1969 1–3 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1968–69) 18–11–10
40 W January 11, 1969 6–1 Chicago Black Hawks (1968–69) 19–11–10
41 W January 12, 1969 2–0 @ Minnesota North Stars (1968–69) 20–11–10
42 W January 15, 1969 4–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1968–69) 21–11–10
43 T January 18, 1969 2–2 New York Rangers (1968–69) 21–11–11
44 W January 19, 1969 3–1 @ Minnesota North Stars (1968–69) 22–11–11
45 L January 23, 1969 2–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1968–69) 22–12–11
46 L January 25, 1969 0–4 @ Boston Bruins (1968–69) 22–13–11
47 W January 26, 1969 3–1 Oakland Seals (1968–69) 23–13–11
48 W January 29, 1969 2–1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1968–69) 24–13–11
49 L January 30, 1969 3–4 New York Rangers (1968–69) 24–14–11
50 W February 1, 1969 2–0 @ Detroit Red Wings (1968–69) 25–14–11
51 W February 2, 1969 5–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1968–69) 26–14–11
52 L February 4, 1969 2–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1968–69) 26–15–11
53 W February 6, 1969 3–1 Boston Bruins (1968–69) 27–15–11
54 L February 8, 1969 0–2 @ New York Rangers (1968–69) 27–16–11
55 T February 9, 1969 4–4 Montreal Canadiens (1968–69) 27–16–12
56 W February 12, 1969 2–0 Pittsburgh Penguins (1968–69) 28–16–12
57 W February 13, 1969 2–1 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1968–69) 29–16–12
58 W February 15, 1969 4–1 Los Angeles Kings (1968–69) 30–16–12
59 W February 16, 1969 6–0 Minnesota North Stars (1968–69) 31–16–12
60 W February 19, 1969 3–1 Philadelphia Flyers (1968–69) 32–16–12
61 L February 21, 1969 2–3 @ Oakland Seals (1968–69) 32–17–12
62 W February 22, 1969 3–1 @ Los Angeles Kings (1968–69) 33–17–12
63 L February 26, 1969 2–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1968–69) 33–18–12
64 L March 1, 1969 0–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1968–69) 33–19–12
65 L March 2, 1969 1–2 @ New York Rangers (1968–69) 33–20–12
66 L March 5, 1969 2–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1968–69) 33–21–12
67 W March 8, 1969 5–2 Oakland Seals (1968–69) 34–21–12
68 T March 9, 1969 2–2 @ Minnesota North Stars (1968–69) 34–21–13
69 L March 11, 1969 0–3 Montreal Canadiens (1968–69) 34–22–13
70 W March 15, 1969 3–2 Detroit Red Wings (1968–69) 35–22–13
71 L March 16, 1969 2–3 Minnesota North Stars (1968–69) 35–23–13
72 T March 19, 1969 1–1 Toronto Maple Leafs (1968–69) 35–23–14
73 L March 22, 1969 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1968–69) 35–24–14
74 L March 23, 1969 3–4 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1968–69) 35–25–14
75 W March 26, 1969 5–3 @ Oakland Seals (1968–69) 36–25–14
76 W March 29, 1969 3–1 @ Los Angeles Kings (1968–69) 37–25–14
  • Green background indicates win.
  • Red background indicates regulation loss.
  • White background indicates tie.

Playoffs

Stanley Cup Finals

Main article: 1969 Stanley Cup Finals

Claude Ruel became the eleventh rookie coach to win the Stanley Cup. Montreal goaltender Rogie Vachon limited St. Louis to three goals in four games and his first career playoff shutout.

Montreal Canadiens vs. St. Louis Blues

Date Visitors Score Home Score Notes
April 27 St. Louis 1 Montreal 3
April 29 St. Louis 1 Montreal 3
May 1 Montreal 4 St. Louis 0
May 4 Montreal 2 St. Louis 1

Montreal wins the series 4–0.

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Red Berenson C 76 35 47 82 43 7 1 6
Gary Sabourin RW 75 25 23 48 58 3 0 3
Ab McDonald LW 68 21 21 42 12 2 0 4
Camille Henry C 64 17 22 39 8 7 0 1
Ron Schock C 67 12 27 39 14 4 0 3
Frank St. Marseille RW 72 12 26 38 22 3 0 3
Tim Ecclestone LW 68 11 23 34 31 1 0 4
Jim Roberts D/RW 72 14 19 33 81 2 1 1
Bill McCreary LW 71 13 17 30 50 3 1 4
Barclay Plager D 61 4 26 30 120 0 0 1
Noel Picard D 67 5 19 24 131 0 0 1
Doug Harvey D 70 2 20 22 30 1 0 0
Craig Cameron RW 72 11 5 16 40 2 0 1
Terry Crisp C 57 6 9 15 14 1 1 0
Larry Keenan LW 46 5 9 14 6 0 0 2
Jean-Guy Talbot D 69 5 4 9 24 0 0 1
Al Arbour D 67 1 6 7 50 0 0 1
Bob Plager D 32 0 7 7 43 0 0 0
Terry Gray RW 8 4 0 4 4 2 0 1
Glenn Hall G 41 0 2 2 20 0 0 0
Myron Stankiewicz LW 16 0 2 2 11 0 0 0
Ray Fortin D 11 1 0 1 6 0 0 0
Norm Dennis C 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Gary Edwards G 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Robbie Irons G 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ted Ouimet G 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bill Plager D 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Jacques Plante G 37 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Glenn Hall 2354 41 19 12 8 85 2.17 8
Jacques Plante 2139 37 18 12 6 70 1.96 5
Gary Edwards 4 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 0
Robbie Irons 3 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 0
Ted Ouimet 60 1 0 1 0 2 2.00 0
Team: 4560 76 37 25 14 157 2.07 13

Playoffs

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Gary Sabourin RW 12 6 5 11 12 1 0 2
Red Berenson C 12 7 3 10 20 2 0 1
Larry Keenan LW 12 4 5 9 8 1 0 2
Terry Crisp C 12 3 4 7 20 0 0 2
Camille Henry C 11 2 5 7 0 1 0 0
Frank St. Marseille RW 12 3 3 6 2 0 0 0
Bill McCreary LW 12 1 5 6 14 1 0 1
Terry Gray RW 11 3 2 5 8 1 0 0
Noel Picard D 12 1 4 5 30 0 0 0
Jim Roberts D/RW 12 1 4 5 10 0 0 0
Tim Ecclestone LW 12 2 2 4 20 0 0 0
Barclay Plager D 12 0 4 4 31 0 0 0
Bob Plager D 9 0 4 4 47 0 0 0
Ab McDonald LW 12 2 1 3 10 0 0 0
Ron Schock C 12 1 2 3 6 0 0 0
Jean-Guy Talbot D 12 0 2 2 6 0 0 0
Jacques Plante G 10 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Al Arbour D 12 0 0 0 10 0 0 0
Craig Cameron RW 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Glenn Hall G 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bill Plager D 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO
Jacques Plante 589 10 8 2 14 1.43 3
Glenn Hall 131 3 0 2 5 2.29 0
Team: 720 12 8 4 19 1.58 3

[4]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

  • Red Berenson, most goals in one road game (6), achieved on November 7, 1968, vs. Philadelphia[5]

Draft picks

St. Louis's picks at the 1968 NHL entry draft.

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 6 Gary Edwards Goaltender  Canada Toronto Marlboros (OHA)
2 16 Curt Bennett Left Wing  United States Brown Bears (NCAA)

References

  1. ^ Hockey's Book of Firsts, p. 27, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9.
  2. ^ "1968–1969 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  3. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "1968-69 St. Louis Blues Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  5. ^ National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 179, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5.