50 Most Outstanding Players in St. Louis Blues History: 30-21

24. Glenn Hall

Goalie, 1967-71; 140 games, 58-52-28 record, 2.43 GAA, 16 shutouts

There’s a reason that people call Glenn Hall “Mr. Goalie.” The 1975 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee was indisputably one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history, and even after he arrived as a member of the expansion Blues at the age of 36 in 1967, Hall still had the skill to keep pucks out of the net better than almost anyone else in the league.

Handling the bulk of the Blues’ goaltending duties, Hall went 19-21-9 with a 2.48 GAA and five shutouts. He earned a spot on the All-Star team, and he really turned things up during the postseason, posting a 2.43 GAA with a shutout as the Blues advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. Despite the fact that the Blues were swept by the Montreal Canadiens in their bid to capture the Cup, Hall won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the postseason.

He really got into a rhythm during the 1968-69 season, when the Blues acquired Jacques Plante to split the goaltending duties with Hall. The 37-year-old Hall’s workload was reduced to 41 games, but his performance improved, as he posted a 2.17 GAA (his best since the 1955-56 season) and collected eight shutouts, the most he’d had since 1961-62. Hall, who had a 19-12-8 record, earned a spot in the All-Star Game for the third straight year and was the co-recipient of the Vezina Trophy with Plante.

Hall retired after that season, but he came back midway through 1969-70 and played in 18 regular season games. He wasn’t exceptionally sharp, but he delivered when pressed into duty during the playoffs, going 4-3 as the Blues advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals before being swept by the Bruins. He came back again in ’70-’71 and served as Ernie Wakely’s backup, posting a 2.42 GAA with two shutouts–pretty impressive numbers for a 39-year-old.

While his greatest success wasn’t with the Blues, Hall enjoyed a major resurgence in St. Louis and saw action in all three of the franchise’s Stanley Cup Final appearances, so we’d be remiss to avoid mentioning him as one of the most distinguished players in the team’s history.