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All-Star & Tornament Games

Heyday For Hoops

The Arena's first and only NBA All-Star game was on Jan. 21, 1958. The Hawks' dominating player, Bob Pettit, treated a crowd of 12,854 to an unforgettable show by breaking two of the eight NBA All-Star records shattered during the game. His 28 points and 26 rebounds ensured him the Most Valuable Player award.

Pettit's team, the West Club, didn't come out quite as well. Boston Celtic Bob Cousy led the East Club to a 130-118 victory. The most points ever scored by a team; the most points in a game; the most field goals made by two teams, 94; the most field goals attempted by two teams, 228; the most rebounds by two teams, 146; and the most points in a half, 69 - these were the other records set during this All-Star game.

Salomon's improvements earned another look from NCAA basketball officials, who had snubbed the city and its facilities less than a decade earlier. The coveted NCAA basketball championship came to the Arena for March Madness '73 and brought scores of enthusiastic crowds and national attention to St. Louis. The UCLA Bruins won the tournament that year, topping Memphis State 87-66 in the finals, with the help of Bill Walton's 44 points from 21 shots - possibly the greatest individual showing in NCAA championship game history.

The 1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1978, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in St. Louis, Missouri. A total of 32 games were played.

Kentucky, coached by Joe B. Hall, won the national title with a 94-88 victory in the final game over Duke, coached by Bill E. Foster. Jack Givens of Kentucky was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.(St. Louis, MO) Kentucky Wildcat Jack Givens took advantage of Duke’s zone play scoring 41 points in the 1978 NCAA final, leading the Wildcats to their fifth title and a 94-88 win over Duke. Givens burned the Blue Devils for 23 points in the first half, including the final 16. It didn't matter that Duke received balanced scoring from freshman Eugene Banks (22 points), junior Jim Spanarkel (21) and sophomore Mike Gminski (20). They couldn't handle the outside-inside combination of Givens and senior forward/center Rick Robey, who scored 20 points.

The 1992-94 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament was also held at the Arena.

Soccer Ways

North American Soccer League or (NASL) was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. In 1967, two pro soccer leagues started in the United States: the FIFA-sanctioned United Soccer Association and the unsanctioned National Professional Soccer League. It has been suggested that the timing of this was related to the huge amount of attention given throughout the English-speaking world to the victory by England in the 1966 FIFA World Cup and the resulting documentary film, Goal. The National Professional Soccer League had a national television contract in the U.S. with the CBS television network, but the ratings for matches were unacceptable even by weekend daytime standards and the arrangement was terminated. The leagues merged in 1968 to form the North American Soccer League (NASL). The league lasted until the 1984 NASL Season when it suspended operations. However, four NASL teams (Chicago, Minnesota, New York, and San Diego) joined the Major Indoor Soccer League for its 1984-85 season. The NASL itself operated an indoor soccer league from 1979-82 and in 1983-84.

The Major Soccer League, originally called the Major Indoor Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. The MISL changed its name to Major Soccer League in 1990. After the league folded in 1992, the Cleveland and Wichita teams joined the National Professional Soccer League. Two other teams (Dallas and San Diego) helped found the Continental Indoor Soccer League.

The Continental Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that existed from 1993 to 1997. When the Major Soccer League folded in the summer of 1992, two of its former teams (Dallas and San Diego) joined a group of hockey and basketball arena owners led by Ron Weinstein who wanted to create a league to fill dates during the summer months. This was the first attempt at a summer indoor soccer league with all previous leagues being fall-winter leagues. The CISL played its first season in 1993 with seven teams including one team in Mexico, the Monterrey La Raza. When Dallas, the best-drawing team in the league, left the CISL just before Christmas 1997, the league disbanded. Dallas and Sacramento were two of the founding franchises for the Premier Soccer Alliance in 1998, which became the World Indoor Soccer League in 1999.

The National Professional Soccer League was a professional indoor soccer league in the USA. It started out as the American Indoor Soccer Association in 1984 but changed its name to the National Professional Soccer League in 1990. During the summer of 2001, the league disbanded and the six surviving teams formed the Major Indoor Soccer League, which would later absorb three teams from the World Indoor Soccer League. Beginning in 1989, the NPSL had a unique scoring system where goals were worth 1, 2, or 3 points depending upon distance or game situation.

The Southwest Indoor Soccer League began its life in 1986. In 1989 the league added an outdoor season and subsequently became known as the Southwest Independent Soccer League with many teams playing both indoor and outdoor seasons. Before the beginning the 1990/91 indoor season the league again changed its name to the Sunbelt Independent Soccer League, and again prior to the beginning of the 1991/92 indoor season the league changed its name to the United States Interregional Soccer League, better known as the USISL.

The World Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that existed from 1998 to 2001 and consisted of nine teams. After the demise of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, four of its teams decided to create a new indoor league to be called the Premier Soccer Alliance. The teams complemented their schedules with games against international teams. In 1999, two more former CISL teams (the Houston Hotshots and Monterrey La Raza) joined the league, which then changed its name to World Indoor Soccer League. The WISL folded in December 2001 when Dallas, St. Louis, and San Diego agreed to join the MISL.

The first MISL All-Star Game was played in St.Louis at the Checkerdome in 1980 in front of 16,892 fans. In that All-Star Game, the Central Division All-Stars defeated the Atlantic Division All-Stars 9-4. Detroit’s Pat Ercoli was selected as the game’s MVP. The 1984 MISL All-Star Game was also played in St. Louis as 16,312 fans saw the Eastern Conference defeat the Western Conference 8-6. Baltimore Blast All-Star Stan Stamenkovic was named the game’s MVP. On February 22, 1994 in a game televised nationally on ESPN from St. Louis, 8,202 fans attended the game at the Checkerdome and saw the National Division defeat the American Division 29-21. Detroit’s Andy Chapman was named the game’s MVP.

23rd NHL All-Star Game

Back in 1970, St. Louis hosted the annual star-studded affair as the East team defeated the host West squad 4-1.

The Arena and its fans were never more proud of themselves than when NHL officials made St. Louis the first expansion city to host an NHL All-Star game on Jan. 20, 1970.

The Blues were not only the hosts of the event but they were very well represented on the West squad with no less than six players on the team.

Participants from the Blues that played in that All-Star Game included Jacques Plante, Red Berenson, Barclay Plager, Jim Roberts, Frank St. Marseille, Gary Sabourin and Ab McDonald.

Plante played in his final All-Star contest and blanked the heavily favored East Division for the final half of the game but rookie All-Star competitor Tony Esposito (Chicago Blackhawks) was equal to the task in gaining the victory in the East squad's nets. Bobby Hull (Chicago) led the East squad to victory, along with teammate Esposito, as he netted a goal and an assist. Berenson had an assist on the only West goal.

The East Division won that game, but the brightest star was Blues goalie Jacques Plante. Plante replaced Philadelphia's Bernie Parent mid-way through the second period. Although he was hampered by a pulled hamstring muscle, Plante turned aside 20 shots - an All-Star game one-period record - in the final 20 minutes. "I've never felt so much pressure," he was quoted as saying.

39th NHL All-Star Game

For the second time since the Blues came into the National Hockey League, St. Louis will host the All-Star Game. St. Louis will draw National, as well as International exposure because of the extravaganza.

The Blues will be the first team since the original expansion to host the All-Star game more than once. Outside of California (Oakland), who folded from the league after the 1975-76 season, Pittsburgh is the only expansion team never to have hosted the NHL's All-Star game. Rendez-Vous '87 (All-Star Game) was held in Quebec. Al Arbour, Barclay Plager and Bob Plager have been reunited as honorary captains for the 39th NHL All-Star game.

Those glory days were beautiful to Arbour and the Plagers. The reunion at the 39th NHL All-Star Game has reopened the volumes of memories. But, each says, being named honorary captain means a lot more than one can imagine. "If you were going to choose two, Barc and Al are definitely the ones to represent St. Louis," says Bob. "My brother was always the best. But it was very nice putting Barc and I together. For me, this is very special because it's my first time. I never made it as a player, but it's special because my son and daughter never saw me play." For Arbour, All-Star Games are becoming almost routine. He coached the Wales Conference team five times and also participated as a player. "I guess I've gone the gamut," says Arbour. "It's a real honor to be involved because this is a showcase for the best hockey players in the world. And it's always great to come back to St. Louis."

For Barclay, the feeling is especially meaningful. An All-Star four times as a player, Barclay is entering the fourth year of his courageous fight against cancer. While treatments and therapy have sometimes sapped his strength, Barclay has never lost his zest for the game. "Once you've been around this game a while, it becomes a part of you. . .it's in your blood," Barclay said recently. "I'm very honored and proud of being named co captain." Almost as honored and proud as the Plagers and Arbour were to wear the Blue Note during the glory years in St. Louis.

Anyone who saw that game will remember Mario Lemieux's performance. He scored a hat trick and set up three other goals to lead the Wales Conference to a 6-5 overtime victory over the Campbell Conference. Fans got their money's worth when the All-Star superstar and most valuable player scored the game-winning goal one minute, eight seconds into overtime.

Also, the 1975 NCAA Frozen Four was held here with Michigan Tech (32-10) defeating Minnesota 6-1 in the finals.

Patti Smith Jackson. St. Louis Arena: Memories. GHB Publishers. December 1, 1999.

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