This Day in Blue Note History

June 18th, 1975

St. Louis traded Denis Dupere and Craig Patrick to the Kansas City Scouts, in exchange for Lynn Powis and Kansas City’s second choice in the 1976 Amateur Draft. The Blues used the draft pick one year later to select Brian Sutter. (2nd round, 20th overall)
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Obviously, the choice of Brian Sutter worked out very well for St. Louis, as Sutter played his entire NHL career for the Blue Notes and appeared in three All-Star games. He finished with 303 goals scored, 333 assists for a grand total of 636 points on his career. Sutter was not only a scorer, but a tough guy on the ice as well. He racked up 1,786 PIM and was never afraid to drop the gloves. His jersey (#11) was retired in 1988 by the Blues, but his impact on the team did not end when he stopped lacing up the skates. He became the Blues head coach between 1988 and 1992, in which he won the NHL’s Jack Adams Award as the Best Coach in 1991. He later went on to coach in Boston, Calgary and Chicago, but Sutter’s legacy in St. Louis was cemented.

Draft picks like Sutter are what owners and coaches dream of, but it just goes to show you how one little move (the trade in order to earn the draft pick that was used on Sutter) can change the face of an organization for years to come.

Heading for the 2009-10 season, will the Blues make any moves that will change the face of their team for years to come? Or will it stand on the young talent it already has harvested?

Just for fun, below is an old-school video of Sutter knocking out Paul Baxter of the Penguins: