Happy first full week of August! Children, I hope you are ready, because the first day of school is just footsteps from your door. Today, we have our fourth installment of ranking the best St. Louis Blues players by sweater numbers. We have covered numbers one to 30. Today, we take a look at the best Blue to swear sweater numbers 31-40.

Best St. Louis Blue By Sweater Number: 31-40

#31 Curtis Joseph (Goaltender)

Curtis Joseph‘s 19-year NHL career started with the Blues. However, Joseph nearly went to the New Jersey Devils as compensation for the Blues signing Brendan Shanahan. An arbitrator later awarded Scott Stevens to the Devils, keeping Joseph in St. Louis. While Joseph played great his entire Blues career, he is best remembered for the 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Behind Joseph, the Blues swept the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. Furthermore, Joseph’s heroics gave the Blues a chance in the second round against the heavily-favoured Toronto Maple Leafs. However, the Leafs did win the series in seven games. Joseph finished the playoffs with a 2.27 goals against average and a .938 save percentage.

Joseph ranks fourth in wins in Blues history with 137. Despite never winning a Vezina Trophy or a Stanley Cup with the Blues, Joseph is still considered one of the most popular goalies in Blues history.

#32 Mike Eastwood (Forward)

Mike Eastwood played six seasons with the Blues, scoring 43 goals. Eastwood’s biggest contribution with the Blues came in the 1999-2000 season. Eastwood had a career season with the Blues. The forward scored 19 goals. Furthermore, Eastwood played in all 82 games for the first time in his career. He would only replicate the feat one other time. The 2000 Blues won the President’s Trophy. Stars like Chris Pronger, Pavol Demitra, and Roman Turek shined so brightly, it can easy to forget Eastwood’s contributions to the team’s success.

Eastwood is not a household name among Blues fans, much less than NHL. However, Eastwood is an example that if a team wants to truly succeed, they need production from other sources aside from the main stars. Eastwood was able to do that. As a result, a President’s Trophy banner currently hangs from the rafters at the Enterprise Center.

#33 Eric Boguniecki (Forward)

How about back-to-back one-hit wonders? After showing goal-scoring potential in the minor leagues, Eric Boguniecki got a full-time opportunity with the Blues in the 2002-03 season. In 80 games, Boguniecki scored 22 goals and had 27 assists for 49 points. Furthermore, he was one of six Blues to score at least 20 goals.

Unfortunatley for Boguniecki, his story ends there. He only scored 12 more goals in his career after that season. However, Boguniecki’s 2002-03 season helped the Blues build a strong offence. The success vanished quicker than Spider-Man in Infinity War, but he still deserves recognition on this list.

#34 Jake Allen (Goaltender)

Jake Allen spent a few seasons backing up Brian Elliott before becoming the starter in the 2016-17 season. Allen won 33 games in his first season as a starter. Furthermore, Allen received the honour of starting the first outdoor game in Blues history. Allen made 22 saves in the Blues 4-1 win at Busch Stadium against the Chicago Blackhawks. In the playoffs that season, Allen had a 51-save performance in Game 1 of the first round against the Minnesota Wild. Allen was spectacular in the series.

Allen would struggle remaining consistent in the following seasons, and eventually lost the starter’s job to Jordan Binnington. However, Allen had a great 2019-20 season backing up Binnington. The Blues won the Central Division and would have had a chance at the top seed in the Western Conference had the season not paused. Morever, Allen ranks second in wins with the Blues with 148.

#35 Brent Johnson (Goaltender)

Two seasons since of winning the President’s Trophy, the Blues turned to Brent Johnson to be their starting goalie in the 2001-02 season. Johnson would rise to the occasion, winning 34 games. Furthermore, Johnson had a 2.18 goals against average. In the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Johnson shutout the Chicago Blackhawks three times. The Blues won the series before being eliminated in the second round. Johnson had a .929 save percentage with a 1.83 goals against average in the playoffs.

In the following two seasons, Johnson was unable to replicate that success. As a result, Johnson was unceremoniously traded away from the Blues. However, Johnson does rank ninth on the Blues all-time wins list with 76. Moreover, his playoff performance against the Blackhawks is a happy memory in the legendary rivalry between the Blues and Blackhawks.

#36 Troy Brouwer (Forward)

Speaking of the Blackhawks, how about we talk about the former Blackhawk who came to play for the Blues. Troy Brouwer came to the Blues in a 2015 trade with the Washington Capitals. Fan-favourite T.J. Oshie was traded away, leading to frustrations from Blues fans. However, the trade was made to try and shake up the roster following three-straight seasons of first-round eliminations from the Blues. The Blues brought in Brouwer for his experience, having won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010. Brouwer would score 18 goals while playing in all 2015-16 regular-season games. Furthermore, Brouwer scored eight goals in 20 playoff games, including a Game 7-winning goal against the Blackhawks.

Brouwer only spent one full season with the Blues (he did return for 17 games in the 2019-2020 season). Despite a short stint with the team, Brouwer helped the Blues get over the hump in the playoffs and nearly helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final. As it is, Blues fans will have to settle for him ending the season of his former team, who just so happened to be the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

April 25 2016

Colton Parayko became the 1st Blues defensemen & youngest Blues player to score in a Game 7.

Third time’s a charm as Troy Brouwer scored the Game Winning Goal as the St Louis Blues beat the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 7. #stlblues? pic.twitter.com/Cj5HYKG6d5

— STL Blues History (@STLBlueshistory) April 25, 2023

#37 Jeff Finley (Defenceman)

Jeff Finley spent six seasons with the Blues. He only scored six goals and never played in more than 78 games. However, Finley was a reliable defenceman who could the plays needed in the defensive zone. He was not a flashy player by any means, especially considering he played on the Blues at the same time as Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis. However, Finley was a key piece of the Blues in those six seasons. Furthermore, the Blues made the playoffs in all six seasons Finley played for them, including the President’s Trophy season.

Like Mike Eastwood, Finley is an example of how winning teams need all kinds of contributions to be successful. In addition to being a reliable defenceman, Finley was also willing to stand up for his teammates on the ice.

#38 Pavol Demitra (Forward)

One of the best trades in recent history for the Blues. Pavol Demitra came to the Blues in a 1996 trade. After a quiet remainder of the season with the Blues, Demitra broke out the next season.  In 1997–98 season, Demitra played in 61 games, scoring 22 goals and 52 points and finished fifth on the Blues in scoring. Furthermore, the next season was even better for Demitra, as he finished tenth in NHL scoring with 89 points. He scored 37 goals and added 52 assists in 82 games. Demitra continued to have success with the Blues, and even won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in the 1999-2000 season.

Demitra tragically died in a 2011 plane crash. The Blues honoured his memory in their first home game after the tragedy, with former teammates speaking about what is was like to play with him. Furthermore, the Blues honoured Demitra by inducting him into their Hall of Fame in 2024. Gone, but truly never forgotten. Rest in peace, Pavol Demitra.

#39 Kelly Chase (Forward)

Kelly Chase was not a flashy player in the NHL. However, he earns his place on this list based on his time with the Blues as a broadcaster and as an ambassador to hockey. Chase was a radio broadcaster for the Blues alongside Chris Kerber from his retirement in 2000 until 2018. In 2008, Chase was awarded the Jack Buck Award, given to an individual to recognize their dedication and passion for St. Louis sports.

“Chaser,” as the fans lovingly refer to him as, participated in the alumni game at Busch Stadium as part of the Winter Classic festivities. Chase is currently fighting leukemia. The Blues community has rallied to support him during this difficult stage of his life.

As we prepare for our #HockeyFightsCancer Night on Dec. 12, we stand behind our own Kelly Chase as he begins treatment for leukemia.

Hey buddy – you’ve got this! pic.twitter.com/KCPMf8cLbc

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 5, 2023

#40 Carter Hutton (Goaltender)

Carter Hutton spent two seasons with the Blues as the backup to Jake Allen. However, Hutton did see an increased workload at times in those two seasons. In the 2017-18 season, led league in goals-against average (2.09) and save percentage (.931) in 2017-18. Furthermore, Hutton kept the Blues in playoff contention despite Allen’s struggles. Hutton played so well that there was consideration for him to start the last regular-season game, a game the Blues needed to get at least a point to make the playoffs. However, Allen got the start. The Blues lost and missed the playoffs.

Hutton earned a starter’s contract with the Buffalo Sabres the following season.

40 Down, 60(ish) To Go

We have now covered the best Blues to wear numbers one through 40. Many legendary names have made this list, while others have made the list for other reasons.

We are approaching the part of the series where some numbers were not worn by many players, sometimes even just one. Furthermore, some numbers have yet to be worn by a Blue. When the pool of available players is limited, sometimes the “best” does not stand out like others did. Sometimes, we may have to get creative (we already did with Bill Plager). Other times, we may have to say, “he played two games and is the only one to wear this number. He once ate a taco.” This is something to keep in the back of your head as we continue the series.

Do Not Forget To Share The Love

This series have covered one through ten, 11-20, 21-30, and now 31-40. Please do not forget to check out other team’s best to wear each number.

Looking Ahead

We will look at the best Blues to wear 41-50 next week. Children, make sure your homework is complete before reading. Last Word On Hockey does not encourage incomplete homework!