The St. Louis Blues are one of the most beloved teams in NHL history. Despite not winning their first Stanley Cup until 2019, the Blues have been one of the most consistently competitive teams in all of hockey, with the most playoff appearances of any NHL team not part of the Original Six.

Success Turns to Trouble

In some ways, the Blues were born winners. They played their first NHL season in 1967-68 and reached the Stanley Cup Finals in each of their first three seasons. Unfortunately for St. Louis, all three trips to the finals ended in an unceremonious sweep at the hands of their opponent. Those losses were followed by a rough period for the team during the 1970s that almost saw the Blues leave St. Louis because of financial trouble.

What Doesn’t Kill Us Makes Us Stronger

Out of some dark days, including a franchise-high 50 losses during the 1978-79 season, the Blues emerged stronger. The following season began a stretch of 25 consecutive playoff appearances, a streak was helped along by players like Brett Hull, who remains the brightest star in franchise history. The 25-year playoff streak was only put to a stop by the lockout during the 2004-05 season.

Winning Lord Stanley’s Cup

The post-lockout years represented another rough patch for St. Louis, who made just one playoff appearance in a six-year span. But the team began to rebuild, winning division titles in 2012 and 2015 in the midst of six straight playoff appearances. Finally, a down season in 2017-18 that saw the Blues miss the playoffs was followed up the next year by St. Louis making an amazing run back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1970. That year, the Blues were swept in four games by the Bruins, their opponent in the 2019 finals. But this time around, the Blues edged Boston in a memorable 7-game series to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup for the first time.