St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup Footage from 1968, 1969, & 1970

[garylobo3]

I grew up in STL in started going to the Blues games in 1968 at 10 years old. My dad always got tickets...he didn't like hockey but valued the entertainment factor he could invite his friends into. What's most striking here, to me, is how the people used to dress up to go to the games. Today, look at a hockey crowd. Looks like most guys are dressed to go commit a felony right after the game...

[USASports4Life]

ummm i wonder if they fell on there heads or got a puck in the head

[TyCobb2010]

Why post this, then dis it as cheesy? To ensure the expansion's success, which doubled the number of teams, old and new were separated into different divisions, ensuring an immediate rooting interest for expansion team fans. Unlike the other expansion teams, the Blues were built with veterans not youth, and made a respectable showing against the powerhouse Habs. All four of the Stanley Cup games were decided by one goal, with two of the games decided in over time. Closer than the 4-0 indicates.

[chrisput1024]

Dan Kelly is the best play by play hockey announcer of all time. In Michigan I could always get the Blues games on KMOX at night. Listening to Dan anouncing a goal by Gary Sabourin was the best.

[skew06]

the best part is at 2:48 when the blues score and the dude is pissed off and breaks his stick lolll

[HUGEBULGEMAN]

larry keenan. first ever goal scorer for st.louis blues

[Forsure3333]

I"ve just finished listening to the 1970 Finals Game 4 on CD.

[ErikS1975FreeState]

The Blues were very good from the start of their existence

[alxzanki]

Man hard to imagine Bowman won a cup 2002 after seeing this footage , he was coaching in another time.

[TheTzdope]

that was a ridiculous set up in those days!

there were at least 5 teams better than st. louis at that time and the NHL waisted everyones time by setting up a western conference of the six expansion teams and allowing the blues to represent them by losing 12 straight playoff games in the finals!

[spooninspoon]

The greatest game in the world awesome footage from an old game

[waggeo99]

Plante came to the Blues in 1968-69 Scotty Bowman needed someone to help Glenn hall. Boston had the most talented player ever with Bobby Orr. Basically the expansion of 1967 gave an expansion team a shot in the finals. Bowmans NHL genius however was planted in that team after Lynn Patrick resigned

[DonQwantsyou]

It's ALL OVER, BOBBY ORR!

[clubhouseme]

St.Louis would've gone out in the first round if they were in the East Division.

[Shoknifeman]

The Blues should never have gone to the finals those 3 years, it only happened cause the league (now doubled to 12 after 1966-67) put all the "original 6" teams in one division and all the expansion teams in the other , and had the best team from each division,,,thus St Louis was really the best of the worst!

[Shoknifeman]

@Shoknifeman I meant to say that they had the best playoff team from each division play each other in the finals

[mrceebees14]

That couldn't be farther from the truth.

The reason the Flues made it to the finals was because of the goaltending tandem they had. Hall and Plante carried those teams each and every year. Plus, the Blues had a legendary coach, so to say the Blues were the best of the worst I am not buying at all.

[doran7]

Thanks Captain Obvious!

[Fishbone39]

Anyone know the name of the composition at the beginning of the video? Much obliged.

[waggeo99]

scotty bowman's first trips to the finals. I know in 68-69 Plante and Hall shared the Vezina Trophy. The Blues had a very good defensive team just couldn't match up with Montreal n Boston. Plante was playing great in 1970 n sadly a Stanfield deflection changed the series and Orr's flying goal clinched it

[DonQwantsyou]

@waggeo99 Yes your right about the Blues, though I doubt Plante not getting injured would have changed the result against Boston, the games might have been closer, like in 1968 when all four Blues-Canadiens games were decided by one goal.

[clearcoat2000]

I dont know what the N.H.L was thinking. These three finals were the worst of all time. Never a contest. Why the hell would you have a final and not have the best two best teams playing?

[HisMajestyBobbyOrr]

It happened again in 81 playoffs when the Islanders faced anemic opposition. The Isles faced sub .500 teams like the Leafs, Oilers and Rangers and beat the above .500 but average at best North Stars for the Cup. Under that ridiculous playoff system (#1 vs #16, #2 vs. #15, etc), huge upsets took place which removed many of the best teams early on (like the Habs). But with a more balanced playoff system (like in 82), the chances of weak teams sticking around by round 3 or in the finals was minimal

[ldhorricks]

I agree to some extent., however upsets are part of sports and a #1 seeded team should be able to beat #16. The raison d'etre of this system, (which I quite liked) was to avoid top teams playing and eliminating each other in early rounds. this way the better teams in theory should prevail, only an upset allowing for a weaker team to advance. pretty sensible to me. The problem was that the first rounds were not 7 game series. The prelim round was 3 and then eventually 5 game series...too short!

[PaleAlejandro]

well they put the original six in one conference and the expansion six in another conference. All the good players are going to be in the original six!!!

[selfexplanitory]

Kinda reminds you of the Bills in the Super Bowl...

[switchhitter07]

Eacactly my thought, selfexplanitory. The Blues of 1968-1970 were indeed the Buffalo Bills of hockey. Even more so like the Bills is the fact that they havent even sniffed a trip to the finals ever since.

[DetectiveCrockett77]

I'm not sure that's an appropriate analogy. The Bills may have lost those four Super Bowls, but they were still a truly great team. The Blues were in the Finals strictly because of the corrupted playoff format of the time, more or less.

[617AV86892]

Wow you would think the Blues won all 3 of those Stanley Cups! I think they never won 1 game! 0-12! Montreal 1968 4-0 / Montreal 1969 4-0 /Boston 1970 4-0.

[vituprative]

classic hockey is classic hockey.  (habs fan).

[billwx1]

This is a video that was a St. Louis Blues production if memory serves. Most of who you here is Hal Kelly not Dan as Dan was doing the national broadcast his brother Hal the local St. Louis broadcast. Once Plante got laid out in game one, the series went downhill for the Blues

[krezzykrezz]

Awesome info. Thanks! I never heard the St. Louis call of this historic goal.

[spelletier2005]

where's all the canadiens goal ? I thought they won both finals !

[JSGuitar80]

What? The goalies didn't wear helmets either? I understand being a center and thinking you don't need it like Masterton did, but I mean, when your whole job is to have a heavy, rubber-laden cement puck fired at you at high speeds, I think it's smart to buy a frickin' helmet!

[ldhorricks]

you must be very young to not know this fact...on the CBC archives there is good clip about Jacques Plante...he was told by Habs management that he couldnt wear the mask he designed and it was only when he said he wouldnt step back on the ice without it that they gave in.

[JSGuitar80]

I thought everyone but the goalie was unprotected from the neck up. I can't believe goalies were stupid enough not to wear anything.

[potsos]

He shoots -- HE SCORES!  Dan Kelly, greatest hockey announcer of all time. RIP.

[GaryBoy54]

The Blues had alot of heart but the Habs had the goalies- especially Rogie Vachon.

He was my all time favorite and its great to see him here.

I did get upset when Orr scored as I was rooting for the Blues.

But thanks- I have not seen Rogie highlights since he left the Canadiens.

[jadedear]

I'll never forget seeing Plante getting hit by that Stanfield shot and going down. I remember it seeming like forever for him to get up and be helped off. Everybody thought he was finished after that.

I saw that game on national tv.

Thanks for posting this - now people can actually watch what I've been telling them about for years.

[steve355]

A weird memory from a Bruins fan....

I saw Game 4 (Mothers Day 1970), well most of it. Saw the first 3 periods, then my mother decides it's time to make the 6 mile drive to her mother's place. Less than a mile away, Orr scores, 40 seconds into OT.

[gcdcjccc]

funny stuff. i remember that sunday afternoon very well. big day in Boston Bruins history. i think you're mom did the right thing.

[Forsure3333]

Nice babe at 4:05. Thanks for putting nice music on this video.

[dealace1]

Dustin, you are obv proud of Larry. Is he proud that you have become a degenerate gambler and scam ppl?

[dustinkeenan]

my grandpa scores twice in this video WOOT WOOT LARRY KEENAN

[nhl07360]

:( but blues gonna win the cup one day ......

[nhl07360]

blues for the cup

[souray11]

naw monretal canadiens can kill the lamn blues any day

[turbocorsicalt]

are you an oiler fan now?