When the St. Louis Blues acquired Brayden Schenn in the summer of 2017, they were looking to upgrade at the center position. While they were successful in doing that, they also ended up acquiring a leader. Schenn played 650 games wearing the Blue Note, scoring 181 goals and recording 465 points. He was an All-Star, a Stanley Cup champion, and served as the team’s captain for two and a half seasons.
Schenn’s time as a Blue is now over following his trade to the New York Islanders. To honor the player who always gave 120% during his nine-year Blues career, we are going to look at the top five Schenn moments while with the Blues.
#5 Extending the Winning Streak
The 2019 Cup-winning Blues are known for overcoming a last-place spot in the standings to go on their magical run. Among the multiple moments that helped make this comeback possible was an 11-game winning streak that saw the team make up 22 points in the standings. Schenn helped the Blues pick up their fourth win of that streak during a Feb. 7 game.
The Blues were on the road playing the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning were on their way to winning the Presidents’ Trophy while matching a then-record 62 wins in a season. Facing them on their home ice would not be easy.
The game was a goaltending battle, with Jordan Binnington and Andrei Vasilevskiy each keeping the puck out of the net through three periods. In overtime, Schenn was the hero, scoring the game-winning goal with 59 seconds left in overtime. The goal gave the Blues one of their grittiest wins of the season, a preview of what was to come in a few months.
#4 Key Playoff Goals
Schenn played in 58 playoff games. He scored ten goals in those games. The goals were sporadic, but the forward found a way to make them count.
His first key goal came in Game 5 of the first round of the 2019 Playoffs. The Blues went into the third period trailing the Winnipeg Jets, 2-0. A loss would put the Blues on the brink of elimination. After an early goal made it 2-1, a good bit of time ticked away. The Blues were putting the puck on net, but could not find the equalizer until Schenn finally broke through. Jaden Schwartz’s goal with 15 seconds left gave the Blues the win, and while that goal is what is remembered, Schwartz’s heroics would not have happened if Schenn had not found the tying goal. Had the Blues lost the game, their postseason run might have ended in April rather than going all the way to June.
Schenn scored another key goal in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final. With the Blues leading the game, 2-1, Schenn scored a power-play goal late in the second period to open the game up. The Blues won, 5-1, advancing to the Final. It was Schenn’s first goal since the aforementioned Game 5 goal.
Even during the unique 2020 Playoffs, Schenn still scored yet another key goal, an overtime winner in Game 3 of the first-round series against the Vancouver Canucks. The goal came at roughly midnight Central Time, prompting then-Blues announcer John Kelly to dub it some “midnight magic.”
The Blues eventually lost the series, but it was yet another big goal by Schenn.
#3 “Schenn-sational” First Season
The Blues gave up their 2017 first-round pick to acquire Schenn. The 2009 first-round pick immediately showed it was a smart trade. Playing in all 82 games that season, Schenn set a career-high in goals (28) and points (70). His point totals led the Blues that season, while he also led the team with 42 assists. Furthermore, Schenn was named to the All-Star team.
Many consider the acquisition of Ryan O’Reilly the following summer as the moment the Blues went from a playoff contender to a Cup contender. While that is true, acquiring Schenn was the first domino to fall in building the 2019 championship team. Schenn’s 2017-18 season was not just a great first season in a new city; it was a sign of what was to come.
#2 Five For Bobby
On March 24, 2021, the Blues’ organization lost franchise icon Bobby Plager in a car crash. The Blues family lost not just an original Blue, but someone who was the heart and soul of what it means to be a St. Louis Blue.
Related: St. Louis Blues’ Bobby Plager Was Truly a Man of the People
The Blues’ next game following Plager’s death was a road game against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild held a pre-game moment of silence to honor Plager’s memory, but Schenn had another idea. As the teams lined up for the opening faceoff, Schenn asked Wild forward Ryan Hartman if he wanted to fight right off the opening draw. Hartman obliged, and as soon as the puck hit the ice, the gloves flew off. For Schenn, it was an opportunity to honor Plager while also boosting team morale.
“I guess I got five for Bobby tonight. It’s been obviously a tough couple of days around the Blues organization with the news and just the way he touched players.”
Like Plager, Schenn never quit. He always gave it everything he had.
#1 The Goal
There was a goal we intentionally left off the list of key Schenn goals. You all know the one I am talking about.
As the third period started during Game 7 of the 2019 Final, the Blues led 2-0. Most people associated with the Blues were feeling cautiously optimistic. However, another goal would make everyone feel much more comfortable.
The Blues got that goal from Schenn. It was a beautiful sequence from start to finish. Jaden Schwartz played the puck into the corner as the team transitioned down the ice. Vladimir Tarasenko picked up the puck and fed a perfect pass in front of the net to Schenn, who one-timed the puck in for a 3-0 lead.
At that moment, 52 years of frustration vanished. Schenn’s goal put the game away, and it was finally clear. The Blues were going to win the Stanley Cup. Fans still remember the feeling of cautious optimism giving way to jubilation and relief.
It is fitting that such an important goal was scored by Schenn. His acquisition marked the start of a new era of Blues hockey. And then it was his goal that sealed the deal on the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
Schenn’s Legacy in St. Louis
Schenn returned to St. Louis on Tuesday night for the first time since the trade. Only days after the trade, the Enterprise Center still had his banner on the wall outside.
During a break in the first period, the Blues paid tribute to their former captain. Fans immediately rose from their seats to applaud their 2019 Stanley Cup champion. Players on the Blues’ bench enthusiastically banged their sticks on the boards and ice to salute their former teammate. Schenn deserved every second of the ovation he got.
When his playing career is over, Schenn will likely end up in the Blues’ Hall of Fame. He did not put up the goal-scoring numbers like others, but his work ethic, energy, and passion matched exactly what it meant to wear the Blue Note.
Schenn’s time with the Blues is over, but the memories will always remain, and his legacy is forever cemented in franchise history.
