The off-season has slowed down some. News still pops up here and there, but we may very well be in the dog days of the off-season. To help pass the time before training camp, we are going to be ranking the eleven starting goalies of the St. Louis Blues since the 1999-2000 season.
Ranking The Top 10: Criteria
As with any rankings list, criteria must be established.
This is a ranking of starting Blues goalies. To be considered a starter, a goalie has to have played in the majority of games in a season compared to other goalies on the roster. This exception to this is if a goalie was brought in for a playoff run, like Ryan Miller. Miller did not play in the majority of the games in goal for the Blues when he joined the team. However, since the team traded for him to be the starter for the playoffs, he will be included on this rankings list.
As a result of this criteria, former but popular Blues goalies like Martin Brodeur and Ben Bishop will not appear on this list.
What Factors In To The Rankings
Multiple things are looked at to determine rankings. Both positive and negative factors are considered to help differentiate. The following is the list of factors, in no particular order:
- Regular Season Awards
- All-Star appearances
- Memorable Stanley Cup Playoff runs
- Regular season standings
- Team rankings in wins and shutouts
- Slumps in regular season and/or Stanley Cup Playoffs
- Injuries
Without further ado, let us rank the eleven Blues goalies since the 1999-2000 season.
Ranking St. Louis Blues Starting Goalies Since 2000
Starting Goalie #11 Curtis Sanford
Sanford has the misfortune of being last on this list. This placement is not necessarily his fault. Sanford was the Blues starting goalie in the 2006-07 season, which followed the lockout. Blues fans will remember, nothing went right at all that season. After a 25-year streak of reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Blues finished with 57 points.
Sanford had a respectable .908 save percentage for the Blues. However, it was not enough to save the Blues season. Unfortunately for Sanford, it earns him the cellar on this list.
Starting Goalie #10 Ryan Miller
When the Blues traded for Miller in 2014, it was a sign the Blues were all in for a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, things did not work out that way.
The problems started the last week of the season. The Blues went on a six-game losing streak that saw them lose the top seed in the Western Conference as well as the Central Division title. Miller was not the main problem during this stretch. The Blues were dealing with numerous injuries. It was a perfect storm of things to end the regular season.
Then the playoffs started. Miller struggled in a big way. He had a .897 save percentage in six games against the Chicago Blackhawks. Furthermore, Miller gave up at least three goals in five of the six games. The final nail in the coffin was a third period collapse by Miller in Game 6. In a 1-1 tie, Miller let in four goals as the Blackhawks clinched the series win. One of the goals was a bad one by Miller, who somehow allowed Patrick Sharp to score despite Sharp being high-sticked at the time and not even looking at the net.
Was everything Miller’s fault? No. However, he struggled at the worst possible time for the Blues, whose promising season ended way too early.
Starting Goalie #9 Chris Osgood
The 3x Stanley Cup Champion with the Detroit Red Wings had a season and a half stint with the Blues. After coming over in a trade with the New York Islanders, Osgood started for the Blues in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons. Osgood played well and posted 31 wins in the 2003-04 season. The Blues were a playoff team both seasons.
The Blues failed to advance past the first round in either season. Osgood struggled in the 2004 playoffs. Osgood posted a .890 save percentage in a seven-game loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Osgood’s brief time with the Blues was productive. He just did not stick around long enough (or do enough in the playoffs) to go any higher on this list.
Starting Goalie #8 Manny Legace
Like Osgood, Legace enjoyed success in Detroit before signing with the Blues. In the 2006-07 season, Legace recorded 23 wins and a 2.59 goals against average. After being awarded with a contract extension, Legace followed that up by being an All-Star in the 2007-08 season. Legace recorded 10 shutouts with the Blues, which ranks him tenth in Blues history.
However, Legace delt with various injuries while with the Blues. After struggling in the 2008-09 season, including injury stints, Legace was placed on waivers and sent to the minor leagues.
If healthy, Legace could have been even better for the Blues. Instead, his time as a Blue is remembered for tripping on a rug rolled out for Sarah Palin before a October 2008 game. If you are wondering, yes, Legace injured himself.
Starting Goalie #7 Chris Mason
Mason took over the starting role from Legace in 2009. With Mason between the pipes, the Blues rallied from last place in the Western Conference to making the playoffs for the first time since the 2003-2004 season. Mason made 38-consecutive starts to close out the regular season. The Blues ran into a red-hot Canucks team in the first round and were swept in four games. Regardless, Mason’s run that season remains fondly in Blues history.
Mason won 30 games the next season, his final with the Blues. Despite a relatively short tenure with the Blues, Mason was invited to participate in the 2017 Alumni Game as part of the Winter Classic festivities.
Starting Goalie #6 Brent Johnson
Johnson started his career with the Blues. Johnson put up some impressive stats with the Blues. After serving as the backup to Roman Turek in the Blues 2000 President’s Trophy season and the following 2001 season, Johnson became the starter in 2002. In his first season as a starter, Johnson won 34 games. Furthermore, Johnson had a 2.18 goals against average. The Blues finished the regular season with 98 points.
Despite the Blues being eliminated in the second round, Johnson had success in the playoffs. Johnson had a .929 save percentage with a 1.83 goals against average.
Johnson ranks ninth on the Blues all-time wins list with 76.
Starting Goalie #5 Jaroslav Halak
After an impressive playoff run with the Montreal Canadiens in 2010, Halak was traded to the Blues in the off-season.
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.
Despite the success, Halak only started in two playoff games for the Blues. Both were in 2012. An injury in Game 2 in 2012 knocked Halak out for the remainder of the playoffs.
Halak had an impressive 2013-14 season. However, the Blues chose to trade Halak in the aforementioned Ryan Miller trade.
Halak currently ranks eighth in wins in team history with 83. He ranks third in shutouts with 20.
Starting Goalie #4 Jake Allen
Allen had an on and off time with the Blues. When he was on, he was one of the best in the league. When he struggled, he looked like a completely different goalie on the ice.
After being a backup to Brian Elliott for two seasons (but starting in four playoff games in 2015), Allen became the full-time starter going into the 2016-17 season. After an impressive run as a backup, Allen was finally getting his chance as a starter.
Allen won 33 games for the Blues that season. Allen ended the season on a tear, leading the Blues back into the playoffs. In the playoffs, Allen put on a clinic against the Minnesota Wild. Allen made 51 saves in a 2-1 overtime win to open the series. The Blues would win the series in five games.
Allen went through periods of struggling in 2017-18 that continued into 2018-19. Allen eventually lost the starting job to Jordan Binnington.
As a backup again in the 2019-20 season, Allen posted a 2.15 goals against average with a .927 save percentage.
Allen’s time with the Blues before being traded was certainly up and down. However, he was part of the 2019 Stanley Cup Championship team. Allen ranks second in team history with 148. He also ranks third in shutouts with 21.
Starting Goalie #3 Roman Turek
Turek and the Blues kicked off the new millennium in grand fashion. In the 1999-2000 season, Turek won 42 games and the Jennings Trophy. The goalie posted a 1.95 goals against average and had six shutouts. Furthermore, the Blues won their first President’s Trophy for most points in the league.
Turek and the Blues were upset in the first round by the San Jose Sharks. Turek gave up a few soft goals in the series, including a center-ice shot by Owen Nolan.
The following season was not as good as the previous, but Turek was still strong in net. Furthermore, Turek performed well in the playoffs, helping the Blues reach the Western Conference Final. The Blues were knocked out in five games by the Colorado Avalanche.
Despite the playoff trouble, Turek was still the goalie for one of the best teams in Blues history. He was consistently really good, making the Blues legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. Turek ranks sixth in team history for shutouts with 13.
Starting Goalie #2 Jordan Binnington
Of all the goalies the Blues have had in franchise history, who would have thought it was the random called up from the minors that would win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup?
Everyone knows the story. Binnington was called up in late December 2018 with the Blues in last place in the league. After a shutout in his first NHL start, Binnington would go 24-5-1 to propel the Blues to an unlikely playoff berth. In the playoffs, Binnington became the first rookie goal to win all sixteen games in a single playoff season. This includes going toe-to-toe with Ben Bishop in a second-round matchup with the Dallas Stars.
On June 12, 2019, Binnington stopped 38 of 39 shots as the Blues beat the Boston Bruins to win their first Stanley Cup.
Binnington has not been a one-hit-wonder, however. Binnington was selected to the All-Star Game in 2020. Despite some struggles, including being benched in the 2020 playoffs, Binnington has been a star for the Blues.
Binnington signed a six-year extension in 2021 that has three seasons left on it. Assuming he remains a Blue for the remainder of the contract, Binnington will be the longest-tenured Blues goalie of the 21st century.
Binnington ranks third in team history in wins with 145. He also ranks fifth in team history in shutouts with 15.
Starting Goalie #1 Brian Elliott
When the Blues signed Elliott prior to the 2011-12 season, no one expected much from him. He would share backup duties with Ben Bishop. He was a veteran presence on the team.
Like Binnington, Elliott would surprise everyone by going on a five-year run with the Blues as one of the best goalies in the league. In 2012, Elliott went 23-10 with a 1.56 goals against average. Furthermore, Elliott was an All-Star and won the Jennings Trophy alongside Jaroslav Halak. In the first round of the playoffs, Elliott took over after an injury to Halak and propelled the Blues to four-straight wins. The series win was the Blues first in a decade.
In the 2014-15 season, Elliott was named an All-Star for the second time. The following year, Elliott led the Blues to a seven-game series win over the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. Elliott was fantastic again in the second round, as the Blues once again won a series in seven games. The Blues reached their first Western Conference Final since 2001. Despite losing to the San Jose Sharks, the Blues had gone on a deep playoff run for the first time in over a decade. Elliott went 9-9 with a .921 save percentage in the playoffs.
Elliott’s time with the Blues ended a short time later when he was traded to the Calgary Flames. While Elliott’s time in St. Louis ended without the elusive Stanley Cup, he did provide the franchise some long-awaited excitement in the playoffs.
In five seasons, Elliott won a Jennings Trophy, was named to the All-Star Game twice, and complied 104 wins, the sixth-most in team history. Furthermore, Elliott has the most shutouts in Blues history with 25.
The best Blues starting goalie since 2000 is “The Moose,” Brian Elliott.
We’re running out of good things to say about Brian Elliott, so we’ll just yell MOOOOOSE!!!! https://t.co/ByHck1XQ1U pic.twitter.com/yTEVkBbpCn
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 27, 2016
Main Photo: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
