Bob Plager, the NHL defender who spent more than 50 years with the Blues as a player, coach, scout and ambassador, died Wednesday after a two-vehicle crash on St. Louis Highway. Louis, according to various reports. He was 78 years old.
An unidentified woman in the other car involved in the crash on Interstate 64 was being treated at a hospital for minor injuries, police told CBS affiliate KMOV.
Details about the accident were scarce.
“It’s unimaginable to imagine the St. Louis Blues without Bobby Plager,” the Blues said in a statement.
Known for his hip control brand and ice jokes, which once included sending a partner’s dentures home during a long road trip, what they called “Mr. Blue” grew in Ontario, Canada and began his career with the Rangers in 1964.
In his first game with the Rangers, at the old Madison Square Garden, Plager delighted fans after he had a resounding success at the famous Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks.
“For the next game, fans have Bob Plager banners hanging from the balcony,” Plager recalled to PuckStruck.com in 2017.
But his time in New York lasted just 29 games before being switched to the Blues as part of the 1967 NHL expansion draft, which allowed St. Louis to play. Louis and five franchises join what had been a six-team league.
The 5-foot 11- and 195-pound bruiser immediately became a key piece of a Blues team that reached the Stanley Cup final its first three seasons, losing every time.
He also played four of his eleven seasons at St. Louis. Louis with brothers Bill and Barclay; in 1972, the three jumped into the Philadelphia bleachers after Flyers fans soaked their head coach, the legendary Al Arbor, in beer.
Plager, whose No. 5 pick-up in 2017, retired from the NHL in 1977 after 645 NHL games, including 20 goals, 126 assists and 800 penalty minutes.
He worked in a professional lower hockey league for a couple of years and joined the Blues office, where he would work the rest of his life.
After years of success as an explorer, he became a minor league coach and was named head coach of the Blues in 1992, but resigned after only 11 games because he was unhappy with his new role. He returned to his position as vice president of player development.
Since then, Plager has served as the team’s ambassador and watched the Blues win their first Stanley Cup in 2019.