St. Louis Eagles
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| St. Louis Eagles | |
 |
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| Played | 1934-1935 |
| Home ice | St. Louis Arena |
| Based in | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Colors | Red and white |
| Leagues | National Hockey League |
The St. Louis Eagles were a National Hockey League franchise that played during the 1934-35 NHL season in St. Louis, Missouri. They were a relocation of the original Ottawa Senators, a charter member of the NHL.
- Founded: 1934
- Arena: St. Louis Arena
- Uniform colors: Red and white
- Stanley Cup Finals appearances: none
- Stanley Cups won: none
[edit] History
The Senators are generally acknowledged as the greatest team in the early history of hockey, but even before the league expanded into the United States, Ottawa was far and away the smallest market in the league. Also, Senators fans were unwilling to come out to see visiting teams from the United States. This, along with the Great Depression eventually took its toll on the team's finances. Even sitting out the 1931-32 season didn't relieve the pressure, and the team barely survived the 1933-34 season. It seemed inevitable that the Senators were headed for extinction.
However, the league was not willing to lose another team so soon after the Philadelphia Quakers suspended operations (unlike Ottawa, they would never return). It persuaded the Senators' backers to sell the franchise to interests in St. Louis, who moved the team there as the Eagles, named after the logo of Anheuser-Busch.
At the time, St. Louis was the 7th largest city in the United States, and was far larger than Ottawa. St. Louis had originally applied for an NHL franchise in 1932, but was turned down due to concerns about travel costs in the midst of the Great Depression. Most teams travelled by train at the time.
It soon became apparent why the league was skittish about placing a team in St. Louis. While playing to large crowds in the St. Louis Arena, the team soon buckled under the strain of long train rides to Boston, Montreal and Toronto. The Eagles had to play a large number of games in Montreal and Toronto because they had assumed the Senators' place in the Canadian Division, which resulted in the longest road trips in the NHL, and diluted a natural rivalry with the Chicago Blackhawks. Under the circumstances, the results were predictable--a record of 11-31-6, dead last in the league. Eddie Gerard began the season as coach, only to be replaced by George Boucher.
Escalating travel costs chewed through what money the team had on hand, and the once-proud franchise was gone for good at the end of the season. Due to the embarrassment over losing the Eagles after only one season, the NHL nixed a bid to move the Montreal Maroons to St. Louis in 1938, a decision which effectively marked the end for that franchise. The NHL would not return to St. Louis until the St. Louis Blues joined the league in 1967.
A total of 29 different players suited up for the 1934-35 St. Louis Eagles. The last active Eagles player was Bill Cowley, who retired in 1947.
[edit] Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1934-35 | 48 | 11 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 86 | 144 | 385 | 5th in Canadian | Out of playoffs |
