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Ethan Carter
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St. Louis Blues’ Top 20 Goal Scorers All-Time
In the history of the St. Louis Blues, we’ve seen many fantastic goal scorers. Some have spent their entire careers in St. Louis, and some are Hall of Famers who just stopped by. The rich history of the Blues is impressive for a 1967 expansion team. Here are the top 20.
1. Brett Hull: 527
Golden Brett played 744 games over 11 seasons with the Blues. He was traded to St. Louis with Steve Bozek from the Calgary Flames for Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley, a pretty good deal for the Blues. Not only is Hull the best goal scorer in franchise history, but he’s one of the best in NHL history.
Related: St. Louis Blues Mt. Rushmore
In the 1989-90 season, Hull’s second full one with the Blues, he tallied 72 goals. It got better from there, as he tallied 86 in the 1990-91 season, 70 goals in 1991-92, and 50-plus goals in the two seasons after that. The Hull and Oates duo lives on forever, and the two played together for most of Hull’s three 70-plus goal seasons. It was one of the great trades in Blues franchise history.
After St. Louis, Hull signed with the Dallas Stars, and in 1999, his first season with the Stars, he lifted the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career. He scored the infamous Cup-winning goal, the “foot in the crease” goal, in triple overtime of Game 6 against the Buffalo Sabres.
Hull then signed with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2001-02 season and had a couple of 30-goal seasons there. He won his second Stanley Cup in 2002. After his playoff runs in Detroit, he signed his final contract with the Phoenix Coyotes and ended his career there in 2005 after playing a total of five games.
2. Bernie Federko: 352
The Blues drafted Federko with the 7th overall selection in the 1976 NHL Draft. He spent 13 seasons with the club and tallied 352 goals, second in franchise history. He was a model of consistency for the Blues, with 30-plus goals in 7 of his 13 seasons. His career-high was 41 goals in the 1983-84 season.
While he never won any major awards, he was in the running for the Lady Byng and Hart Trophies in multiple seasons. After his first 13 seasons in St. Louis, he spent one season with the Red Wings, where he played 73 games and scored 17 goals. Federko retired after the 1989-90 season. He’s one of the best to wear the blue note.
3. Brian Sutter: 303
While Sutter only played 12 seasons in the NHL, he made his mark with the Blues. His peak seasons were from 1978-79 to 1984-85, when he scored 30-plus goals six times, two were 40-plus goal seasons. Scoring 303 goals in under 800 games is significant, and he was a Blue for his entire career.
Related: Revisiting the Brayden Schenn Trade
After retiring, Sutter became the head coach of the Blues in 1988-89. He coached for four seasons and made the playoffs each year. He was a head coach in the NHL until 2003-04 and won 1,028 games overall.
4. Garry Unger: 292
The Detroit Red Wings traded Garry Unger with Wayne Connelly to St. Louis on Feb. 6, 1971, for Red Berenson and Tim Eccelstone. Unger scored 15 goals in 28 games after the trade, a sign of things to come.
In his eight full seasons with the Blues, Unger scored 30-plus goals in every one of them, including 41 goals in 1972-73. He finished his Blues career with 292 goals in 662 games; he was incredibly consistent for the team.
After a 30-goal season in 1978-79, the Blues traded Unger to Atlanta for Ed Kea, Don Laurence, and a 2nd-round draft choice. He played four more seasons in the NHL and tallied 36 goals in that time with the Edmonton Oilers, Atlanta Flames, and Los Angeles Kings.
5. Vladimir Tarasenko: 214
Bursting onto the scene as the 16th selection by the Blues in the 2010 NHL Draft, Tarasenko is already top five in franchise history in goals scored. The 28-year-old sniper has to stay healthy if he wants to climb higher on this list, as he missed most of the 2019-20 season with a shoulder injury.
With 30-plus goals in every season from 2014-15 to 2018-19, he has made two All-Star appearances, and he’s been top 15 in Hart Trophy voting three times. He has scored 185 goals over the last six seasons to rank 9th in the NHL.
It’s safe to say that Tarasenko has been one of the best Blues draft picks over the last 20 seasons, as he has become a staple of the franchise and in the city. It was incredible to see him lift the Stanley Cup as one of the longest-tenured Blues at the time. If he stays healthy, his goal-scoring should return to normal next season playing on a line with Brayden Schenn or Ryan O’Reilly.
6. Keith Tkachuk: 208
Tkachuk played the majority of his first 10 seasons in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes. He was traded from Phoenix to St. Louis in 2001 for multiple players, and played almost nine seasons with the Blues.
From 2001-02 to 2003-04, Tkachuk scored 102 goals in 204 games. He was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers in February of 2007 and then again in June of 2007 from Atlanta back to St. Louis.
Related: 10 Greatest American Hockey Players Ever
In his second run in St. Louis, he played three seasons and went to the All-Star Game in 2009. He scored 27 goals in his first season back in 2007-08, and then 25 goals in 2008-09. In his final season, he scored 13 goals in 67 games. He retired in 2010 and is now 6th all-time in goals scored for the Blues.
7. David Backes: 206
The Blues drafted David Backes in the 2nd round, with the 62nd-overall pick in the 2003 Draft. He became the captain of the team in 2011-12 after the Eric Brewer trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Backes scored at a fairly steady pace with the Blues when he was healthy. He had two 30-plus goal seasons in 2008-09 and 2010-11 and added four more 20-plus goal seasons after that. He was a hot and cold goal-scorer during his time in St. Louis. He represented the Blues at the All-Star Game in 2011.
He left the Blues in free agency during the 2016 offseason, signing a multi-year deal with the Boston Bruins. After a downward spiral in Boston, he was traded near the 2020 trade deadline to the Anaheim Ducks. He had three assists in six games with the Ducks before the NHL season was suspended.
8. Pavol Demitra: 204
Demitra was a tremendous goal scorer in his time with the Blues. He was traded to the Blues by the Ottawa Senators in 1996 for Christer Olsson. He spent eight seasons in St. Louis, scoring 20-plus goals every year, three were 30-plus goal seasons.
He took home the Lady Byng Trophy in 2000, awarded for sportsmanship and a high standard of playing, and he played in three All-Star Games in 1999, 2000, 2002. He signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings in 2005 and was then traded to the Minnesota Wild in 2006.
Sadly, Demitra passed away in 2011 in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash.
9. Alexander Steen: 195
The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Steen with Carlo Colaiacovo to the Blues for Lee Stempniak in 2008. Steen has been a leader and a great overall presence since his arrival.
In 2009-10, his first full season in St. Louis, he scored 24 goals in 68 games. He followed that up with another 20-goal season. After a couple of shortened seasons, he tallied 33 goals in 2013-14, a career-high. In 2014-15, he put up 24 goals and finished in the top 30 for the Selke Trophy.
After 2014-15, he’s steadily scored around 15 goals per season as a veteran leader for the club. He had 7 goals in 55 games during the 2019-20 season and found some scoring a month before the season was suspended. The Steen trade will be remembered as one of the better moves in Blues history.
10. Red Berenson: 172
Berenson started his career with the Montreal Canadiens, and then was traded to the New York Rangers in 1966. The Rangers then traded him along with Barclay Plager to the Blues in 1967.
Berenson spent nearly eight seasons with the Blues and scored the majority of his career goals with the club. He scored 22 goals in 55 games on his arrival, then followed it up with back-to-back, 30-plus goal seasons in 1968-69 and 1969-70.
After scoring 16 goals in 45 games, the Blues traded him to the Detroit Red Wings in 1971. He spent a few seasons in Detroit, then was traded back to St. Louis in 1974. He spent his final three and a half seasons with the Blues, scoring 66 goals. He played in six All-Star Games in his career and nearly won the Hart Trophy in 1970.
11. Patrik Berglund: 168
The Blues drafted Berglund with the 25th-overall pick of the 2006 NHL Draft. He stepped into the lineup a few years later, during the 2008-09 season, when he scored 21 goals and was 7th in Calder Trophy voting.
He only reached the 20-goal mark three times in his 10 seasons with the Blues, but he was a steady goal-scorer with 10-plus goals in every season in St. Louis. During the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Berglund led the league in shooting percentage at 23.0 and finished the season with 17 goals in 48 games.
The Blues traded Berglund to the Buffalo Sabres on July 1, 2018, in the infamous Ryan O’Reilly deal. He played 23 games in Buffalo, before he left to play in the Swedish Hockey League.
12. Jorgen Pettersson: 161
Jorgen Pettersson signed as a free agent with the Blues in 1980, as a good player out of the Swedish Hockey League. He only played five seasons with the Blues, but he made his mark.
In his rookie season, he tallied 37 goals in 62 games, finishing 6th in Calder voting. He followed that up with a 38-goal season in 1981-82, and then 35 goals in 1982-83. In his next two seasons with the Blues, he scored 28 and 23 goals.
He was traded to the Hartford Whalers in 1985, where he played 23 games in 1985-86 before being dealt to the Washington Capitals. He finished his NHL career with 174 goals. He left at the age of 29 to play in the SHL, where he retired in 1991.
13. Brendan Shanahan: 156
The Blues signed Brendan Shanahan as a free agent in 1991 after he spent the first few seasons of his career with the New Jersey Devils. Shanahan quickly became a fan favorite in St. Louis, scoring 33 goals in 1991-92.
He took it to another level in 1992-93 with 51 goals. In 1993-94, he finished 5th in NHL goal scoring with a new career-high of 52. After a lightning-fast start in St. Louis, he scored 20 goals in 45 games in 1994-95; a ridiculous scoring rate.
After multiple stellar seasons, the Blues traded Shanahan to the Hartford Whalers for Chris Pronger, another Hall of Famer. Shanahan scored 45 goals in 76 games for the Whalers before being traded to the Red Wings, where he spent nearly nine seasons and won three Stanley Cups. He also took home the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2002-03 for his leadership.
14. Wayne Babych: 155
The Blues drafted Wayne Babych with the 3rd-overall selection in the 1978 NHL Draft. He scored 27 goals in his rookie season and finished 3rd in Calder voting. His second year was also steady with 26 goals.
The 1980-81 season was a breakout one for Babych, who scored 54 goals and was tremendous at both ends of the ice. He made his only All-Star Game appearance in 1981. His goal-scoring dropped off after that with less than 20 goals in each of his final three seasons with the Blues. He was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984.
He played three more seasons, split between the Penguins, Quebec Nordiques, and Whalers. He only scored 27 goals after the Blues let him go, and he retired at the age of 28 in 1987.
15. Joe Mullen: 151
Joe Mullen was signed as a free agent by the Blues in 1979. He was a rookie in 1981-82 when he scored 25 goals in 45 games and was 11th in Calder voting. He played 49 games in his second season and scored just 17 goals, but followed that up with back-to-back 40-plus goal seasons.
Before he was dealt to the Calgary Flames by St. Louis at the deadline in 1986, Mullen had 28 goals in 48 games. He won a Stanley Cup in 1989 with Calgary and won two Lady Byng trophies. He finished top 5 in Hart Trophy voting in 1988-89, with 51 goals.
He was dealt again, this time to the Penguins, where he won two more Stanley Cups. He finished his career with 502 goals and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000.
16. David Perron: 150
David Perron was a Blues draft pick in 2007, 26th overall. He struggled to stay on the ice during his first six seasons, scoring 74 goals in 292 games in his first of many stints with the Blues. He was traded to the Oilers in 2013, in exchange for a 2nd-rounder that became Ivan Barbashev.
Perron bounced back with 28 goals in his first season with the Oilers but was then traded in 2015 to the Penguins. Nearly a year later, he was dealt to the Ducks, and during the 2016 offseason, the Blues signed Perron as a free agent. In his 2016-17 return to St. Louis, he scored just 18 goals in 82 games.
He was taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft and spent one season there with 16 goals in 70 games. However, he helped lead them to a Stanley Cup Final in their first season. Perron came back to St. Louis in the 2018 offseason on a four-year deal. He scored 23 goals in 57 games and, in his third stint with the club that drafted him, he helped them win the Stanley Cup.
In 2019-20, Perron made his first All-Star appearance, scoring 25 goals in 71 games before the suspension of the season.
17. Doug Gilmour: 149
St. Louis drafted Doug Gilmour in the 7th round, using the 134th-overall selection, in 1982. He burst onto the scene with three 20-plus goal seasons to start his career, ranked in the top 25 in Selke voting in two of those three seasons.
His breakout season was in 1986-87 when he scored 42 goals and finished in the top 5 in Hart Trophy voting. His next season, his final with the Blues, he scored 36 goals. The Blues traded Gilmour to the Flames in 1988.
Of course, a player who once played for the Blues won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989. He was an extremely steady goal scorer in his career, with multiple 20-plus goal seasons. He won the Selke Trophy, for his play as a defensive forward, with the Maple Leafs in 1993.
Scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace for his entire career, Gilmour was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011.
18. Jaden Schwartz: 146
The Blues’ other first-round choice in 2010, who has also worked out alongside Tarasenko, is Jaden Schwartz. He was selected with the 14th pick, and he’s part of one of the Blues’ best first-round drafting in a long time.
At 21 years old, in 2013-14, he scored 25 goals. He followed that up with 28 goals in 2014-15, finishing 2nd in the NHL with two hat tricks. His goal scoring took a bit of a dip in the next seasons, but he rebounded in 2017-18, with 24 goals.
The 2018-19 season was the ultimate down season for Schwartz, with 11 goals in 69 games. He made up for it with 12 playoff goals, helping lead the team to a Stanley Cup victory. He had 22 goals in 71 games at the time of the 2019-20 season suspension. His chemistry with Brayden Schenn is unmatched, especially in 2019-20.
19. Perry Turnbull: 139
Perry Turnbull was drafted by the Blues with the 2nd-overall pick in the 1979 Draft. In his first season in 1979-80, he scored 16 goals in 80 games. He found his stride shortly thereafter with 30-plus goals in three straight seasons and ranked 10th in even-strength goals with 31 in 1981-82.
In 1983-84, he scored 14 goals in 32 games before he was traded to the Canadiens. In the summer of 1984, the Canadiens shipped him to the Winnipeg Jets where he spent nearly three seasons and scored 43 goals in 172 games.
He finished his career with the St. Louis Blues in 1987-88 after being traded again. He scored 10 goals in 51 games and retired after that season. He scored 139 goals with the Blues, all in 396 games.
20. Gary Sabourin: 136
One of the original Blues, Sabourin was traded to St. Louis in 1967 and was part of the first team in franchise history. In that inaugural season, he scored 13 goals in 50 games.
In four of the next five seasons, he tallied 20-plus goals. He made it to two All-Star games, in 1970 and 1971. In 1973-74, he scored 7 goals in 54 games and was shipped to the Maple Leafs for Eddie Johnston in 1974.
He had 21 goals in 1975-76 with the California Golden Seals and retired after the 1976-77 season after a stint with the Cleveland Barons.
The post St. Louis Blues’ Top 20 Goal Scorers All-Time appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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