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Photo courtesy of St. Louis Public Library
The exhibit runs through March 4, 2017.
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Photo courtesy of St. Louis Public Library
Original dasher boards surround an ice rink floor.
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Photo courtesy of St. Louis Public Library
St. Louis Blues players and owner Tom Stillman (left) get a sneak peek of the exhibit.
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Photo courtesy of St. Louis Public Library
St. Louis Blues owner Tom Stillman (left) and St. Louis Blues president Chris Zimmerman (right) get a sneak peek of the exhibit.
St. Louis Blues fans, rejoice. An entire museum exhibit dedicated to the beloved hockey team is now open inside St. Louis Public Library's Central Library downtown.
The free exhibit, "50 Years of Blood, Sweat and Cheers—A Tribute to the St. Louis Blues and their Fans," runs through March 4, 2017. Many items featured, from jerseys to sticks to ticket stubs, were donated by fans.
"St. Louis Blues fans are amazing. We asked and they delivered," says Cathy Heimberger, director of marketing at St. Louis Public Library. "We received several hundred items. We had some items shipped to us from out of state as far as Texas and even one fan who sent his items all the way from Canada."
Items were selected to tell the story of the Blues' history and are organized by decades and memorable moments. Visitors can see a ticket stub and stat sheets from the first Blues game, Tim Ecclestone's skates, and a 75x32 foot ice rink floor on the second floor of the library.
The third floor features a replica of the Blues locker room, complete with 30 players' jerseys (including an original prototype jersey) and 60 game-used hockey sticks. Other items in the exhibit include original dasher boards, a Glenn Hall statue replica, wall murals of past and present players, and season-ticket holder holiday cards from the Salomons, the original owners of the team.
Earlier this year, SLPL reached out to fans to loan or donate Blues memorabilia. A drop-off was held from October to November.
"When SLPL first began this exhibit, we asked fans for their memorabilia and they came," Heimberger says. "Each one was excited to share items they had collected over the years, tell the stories behind them, and to have an opportunity to showcase pieces of history that mean so much to them."
Current Blues players got a sneak peek of the exhibit before it officially opened. About 15 players walked over to the library after practice at the Scottrade Center on Friday, Dec. 2.
After the Blues exhibit closes, Central Library will become the "official archival home" of the Blues. It will archive select items and fan donations (such as photos, programs, rosters, jerseys, etc.), and the public can view the archives by appointment.
Central Library (1301 Olive) is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
