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Best St. Louis Blues by Sweater Number: 41-50

Welcome one and all to our next installment of the best St. Louis Blues by sweater number. After today, we will be halfway through the list. Today’s installment will show us the best Blues to wear sweater numbers 41 through 50.

Best St. Louis Blues by Sweater Number: 41-50

#41 Jaroslav Halak (Goaltender)

Doug Armstrong has made many big trades as the Blues general manager. The Halak trade was his first big trade. Halak was traded to the Blues in the 2010 offseason following an impressive playoff run with the Montreal Canadiens. Halak won 27 games in his first season with the Blues. Furthermore, Halak had seven shutouts. In the 2011-12 season, Halak posted a 1.97 goals against average to go with a .926 save percentage. Halak and newcomer Brian Elliott won the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest combined goals in the league.

Halak’s first two seasons with the Blues would be his only true outstanding seasons with the Blues. Furthermore, Halak only started two playoff games. Halak’s time with the Blues was short. However, he helped the team turn the corner and become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

#42 David Backes (Forward)

One of the best Blues captains of all time, Backes was part of the Blues rebuild following the 2004-05 lockout. In the 2008-09 season, Backes had a breakout season, scoring 31 goals. Furthermore, Backes helped the Blues make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since before the lockout. In the 2011-12 season, Backes became the 20th captain in Blues history. In five seasons as captain, the Blues made the playoffs every season. Moreover, the team reached the Western Conference Final in 2016. Backes scored 11 playoff goals in those five seasons, including two overtime-winners.

Backes left the team after the 2016 team. However, he would meet the Blues in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Furthermore, as a member of the Anaheim Ducks in 2021, Backes’ final NHL game was in St. Louis. He was named one of the stars of the game and received a standing ovation from Blues fans. Backes later signed a one-day contract to retire as a Blue.

#43 Mike Van Ryn (Defenceman)

Van Ryn played two seasons with the Blues. He only played in 69 games and scored two goals. Van Ryn would go on to have a better playing career with the Forida Panthers. However, Van Ryn finds himself on this list because of his contributions as an assistant coach with the Blues. The Blues hired Van Ryn in May of 2018. Van Ryn helped the Blues navigate from a last place spot in January to the Stanley Cup.

Van Ryn is now an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He is reunited with fellow 2019 Stanley Cup Champion, head coach Craig Berube. With the hiring of Berube, perhaps the Leafs will replicate the success the Blues had with Berube and Van Ryn.

#44 Chris Pronger (Defenceman)

One of the best defenceman of all-time, Pronger played nine seasons with the Blues. From day one to his last day with the team, Pronger was elite. Pronger’s best season came in the 1999-2000 season. Pronger won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenceman. Furthermore, Pronger won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. Pronger was the first defenceman since Bobby Orr to win the Hart Trophy.

Pronger’s trade to the Edmonton Oilers is considered a dark day in Blues history. However, that was not the end of Pronger in St. Louis. Pronger participated in the 2017 Alumni Game at Busch Stadium, where he reunited with his old defensive partner, Al MacInnis. Furthermore, after being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Prongers number 44 was raised to the rafters at Enterprise Center. Moreover, if there was ever any doubt about his St. Louis ties, Pronger commemorated his number retirement by chugging a Bud Light during the retirement ceremony.

#45 Chris Beckford-Tseu (Goaltender)

If you remember last week, we talked about how eventually, we were going to come across sweater numbers who did not have many players, if any at all, wear it. Furthermore, those who did wear it may not be considered some of the greats. Well, here we are. Beckford-Tseu played in one NHL game. He made eight saves on nine shots. But you know what? He made it to the NHL. He played in a NHL game. That is more than many of us can so. Chris, you are forever a former NHL goaltender and no one can take that away from you.

#46 Roman Polak (Defenceman)

Polak played eight seasons with the Blues. Polak was a reliable defenceman, but only played every game in a season once, in the 2013 lockout-shortened season. Nonetheless, Polak still had some memorable moments with the Blues. Undoubtedbly, his biggest was a fight with defenceman Justin Braun at the end of a 2012 playoff game. The final buzzer sounded just as Braun delivered a hard check to a Blues player. Polak took exception and engaged Braun in a memorable exchange of fisticuffs. When asked about it after the game, head coach Ken Hitchcock simply said, “Don’t open the Roman Polak door.”

#47 Torey Krug (Defenceman)

Krug had the misfortune of coming to the Blues at the same time Alex Pietrangelo left the Blues. His time with the Blues had been hit and miss, with much more miss as of late. In addition, Krug has been the subject of trade rumours due to his cap hit and the Blues salary cap restraints. He is currently awaiting results regarding an arthritis diagnosis, which could cause him to miss the entire 2024-25 season.

However, it is easy to forget Krug’s career with the Blues did start well. In his first two seasons with the Blues, he registered over 30 assists and helped the Blues power play. Moreover, Krug has a point share of 5.2 in his first season and 7.2 PS the next season. The latter of the two seasons saw the Blues as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders before an unfortunate injury derailed the team.

#48 Scott Young (Forward)

Young played five years with the Blues. The forward played alongside scorers such as Pavol Demitra and Keith Tkachuk, which resulted in Young’s contributions to the team being overlooked at times. As it is, Young was a consistent scorer for the Blues throughout the 2000’s. Young never scored less than 18 goals in a season with the Blues. In addition, he scored a career-high 40 goals in the 2000-01 season. Also, that same season, he received votes for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

Even as the lockout ended and the Blues became a rebuilding team, Young was still a productive player for the team. He scored 18 goals in the 2005-06 season, the worst season the Blues had post lockout.

#49 Ivan Barbashev (Forward)

In seven years with the Blues, Barbashev was a physical player who played in multiple roles for the team. For the Stanley Cup team, Barbashev played on the fourth line alongside Oskar Sundqvist and Alexander Steen. The line would be an effective shutdown line against the top lines of their opponent. In the 2021-22 season, Barbashev scored 26 goals and became a top-six forward for the Blues.

One of Barbashev’s memorable moments with the Blues came in Game 4 of the 2019 Western Conference Final. After the infamous hand-pass game, the Blues fourth line started Game 4. Steen delivered a hard hit to Brent Burns behind the San Jose Sharks net. Barbashev picked up the loose puck and scored just 35 seconds into the game.

#50 Chris Mason (Goaltender)

Mason joined the Blues prior to the…….wait, did you honestly think number 50 was going to go to someone else other than the 2019 hero? Let us try that again.

#50 Jordan Binnington (Goaltender)

When Binnington earned a shutout in his first NHL start in 2019, it seemed to be a nice story in a lost season for the Blues. Little did anyone know what was to come. Just months prior, the Blues were rumoured to be phasing out Binnington. As it turned out, Binnington would lead the Blues on an unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Binnington and the Blues did not stop there. The Blues won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history on June 12, 2019 following a 38-save performance by Binnington in Game 7.

Morever, Binnington has continued to excel with the Blues. Even as the team has regressed, Binnington has continued to play at a high level. If the Blues can turn the corner soon, Binnington will be in a position to win another Stanley Cup with the Blues.

Halfway There

We are now halfway through the list. Next week, we will look at numbers 51-60. We will see if more Stanley Cup Champions make an appearance, or if we will see some lesser-known players. As always, do not forget to check out other team’s best to wear each sweater number. We will see you next week!

Main photo: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Willis

Andrew Willis

Andrew Willis has been a hockey and St. Louis Blues fan since 2007. Andrew's passion for the Blues, hockey, and writing have come together multiple times. Andrew wrote hockey articles for his high school newspaper from 2011-2015 and had a brief stint with LWOH in 2020.

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