The puck stopped here on this day in 1983, when the CEO of Ralston Purina decided the company should focus on pet food products, not hockey and sell the St.Louis Blues.. Fans were shocked when the deal was announced with the small town of Saskatoon, Canada, which had fewer than 200,000 residents.
The NHL was also shocked and intervened to stop the deal. Ralston filed an antitrust suit, while the NHL filed a countersuit for damages.
A new buyer, Harry Ornest, became the only bidder for the team. Ornest, an entrepreneur who struck it big with vending machines, put in his coins in the slot and selected the Blues. The team stayed in St. Louis.
Based upon content from the book Missouri 365: This Day in Missouri History by John W. Brown, broadcaster and Missouri historian. Get your copy at Reedy Press.
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