1968–69 St. Louis Blues season
| 1968–69 St. Louis Blues | |
|---|---|
|
West Division champions
|
|
| Division | 1st West |
| 1968–69 record | 37–25–14 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Scotty Bowman |
| Coach | Scotty Bowman |
| Captain | Al Arbour |
| Arena | St. Louis Arena |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Red Berenson (35) |
| Assists | Red Berenson (47) |
| Points | Red Berenson (82) |
| Penalties in minutes | Noel Picard (131) |
| Wins | Glenn Hall (19) |
| Goals against average | Jacques 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.
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. 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.
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
Montreal wins the series 4–0.
Note:
St. Louis's picks at the 1968 NHL Entry Draft.
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