This Day in Hockey History – April 30, 1970 – Getting to the Final Not So Hard

The St. Louis Blues were part of the 1967 expansion which also brought the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and the California Seals. It was the last of the expansion teams, predominantly because no one had actually made a formal bid for a team in St. Louis at that point. However, the Chicago Black Hawks’ owners, James D. Norris and Arthur Wirtz, owned the St. Louis Arena, which was not in great shape and they were hoping to unload it.

In February 1966 when the expansion cities were announced, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had this to say about St. Louis’ entry, “St. Louis was not represented, nor did the city make a bid for a franchise at the New York meetings. President Clarence M. Campbell of the NHL said that ‘we want a team in St. Louis because of the city’s geographical location and the fact that it has an adequate building.’ The St. Louis Arena, currently used by the Braves of the Central Hockey League, seats 14,000. The franchise was ‘awarded’ subject to application by a ‘satisfactory’ group prior to April 5.”

That “adequate building”—the St. Louis Arena—would require several million dollars’ worth of renovations before the St. Louis Blues would take to the ice in 1967.

Perhaps it should have been expected given that their bench boss was Scotty Bowman, but the St. Louis Blues made it to the Stanley Cup Final in their first and second years in the league before being eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens both years.

Their third season, they found themselves on the cusp of going back to the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive year, as they took on the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 30, 1970 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh for Game 6 of their semifinal series.

“The St. Louis Blues can clinch a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup finals tonight, but coach Scotty Bowman won’t be dismayed if they don’t. There’s always Sunday,” reported the Petoskey News-Review.

The Blues had been great on home ice during the series but had struggled to pull out a win in Pittsburgh.

“I don’t care how we do as long as we win the last game. We don’t have to win a game in here. They have to win a game on our ice,” stated Bowman before the game.

Duane Rupp had given the Penguins a first period lead when he scored at 13:42 of the opener assisted by Jean Pronovost and Keith McCreary. Ron Shock extended that lead less than five minutes into the second period before the Blues were able to response.

“Red Berenson started the Blues’ comeback with a quick shot after taking a pass from the corner by Bill McCreary. Pittsburgh goalie Al Smith was screened on the drive,” reported the Victoria Daily Times.

The Penguins continued to try and expand their lead, but Glenn Hall’s posts did what they do best for their goaltenders. Meanwhile Bill McCreary—and yes, his brother Keith was on the Penguins—tied things up for the Blues at 5:26 of the third period. However, Michel Briere put the Penguins right back on top just 51 seconds later.

The Blues didn’t let the Penguins celebrate their lead for very long, once again knotting up the score. This time it was Tim Ecclestone, with his third of the playoffs, just 50 seconds after Briere’s marker.

“That set the stage for Larry Keenan’s winner with a little more than five minutes left in the game. Smith stopped a hard shot by McCreary and the puck fell near his feet. Keenan, always the opportunist, was there to flip it in,” described the Victoria Daily Times.

For the third consecutive time the Blues were on their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Three years in the NHL and three years in the Stanley Cup Final.

This time they would find themselves taking on the Boston Bruins. And just as had happened the two previous years, the Blues would be swept, despite having home ice advantage for Games 1 and 2. For the Bruins, it was their first Cup since 1941. And for Bobby Orr, it would result in the most iconic image, today represented by a statue in front of TD Garden’s Hub on Causeway, of him appearing to fly through the air.

For the St. Louis Blues, it would be their last appearance in the Stanley Cup Final until 2019, when once again they found themselves up against the Boston Bruins. Though it had been 49 years since last meeting in the Final, the animosity was definitely still there and this time the Blues were neither swept nor did they lose the chalice. They hoisted the Cup on “Garden Ice” in Boston after taking the Final all the way to Game 7.

Additional Sources

• “City Gets Major League Hockey Franchise; Pittsburgh, Five Others Will Join Loop in 1967-68,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Thursday, February 10, 1966, p. 24.
• “Blues Seek Hockey Clincher,” Petoskey News-Review (Petoskey, Michigan), Thursday, April 30, 1970, p. 16.
• “Blues Reach Final,” Victoria Daily Times (Victoria, British Columbia), Friday, May 1, 1970, p. 14.