St. Louis Eagles

Lore & Background

The St. Louis Eagles originated as the Ottawa Senators, founded in 1883 as an amateur club that turned professional in 1907 and became an NHL charter member in 1917. The Senators won the Stanley Cup four times in the NHL's first decade, but by the mid-1920s they faced financial strain from being in the NHL's smallest market—Ottawa's 1931 census listed only 110,000 people. After suspending operations for the 1931–32 season and finishing last for two straight years upon return, the team moved to St. Louis in 1934, hoping a larger market would recoup losses. The Eagles were named after the Anheuser-Busch logo, and the team played in the St. Louis Arena, which had racially segregated seating. Despite St. Louis being over seven times larger than Ottawa, the Eagles were placed in the Canadian Division, requiring long train trips to Montreal and Toronto. The team started with a 2–11–0 record, leading coach Eddie Gerard to resign; replacement George Boucher improved the record to 3–3–3, but early losses damaged attendance. By February 1935, the Eagles sold leading scorer Syd Howe to Detroit for $50,000 and other players to meet obligations, finishing with the league's worst record for the third consecutive year.

Reader's Guide

The St. Louis Eagles represent a cautionary tale in NHL history about the challenges of relocating a struggling franchise. Despite moving from Ottawa, the NHL's smallest market, to St. Louis—the seventh-largest U.S. city at the time—the team continued to lose money, primarily due to increased travel expenses from being placed in the Canadian Division. The franchise's financial losses of $70,000 in its only season, coupled with the NHL's refusal to allow another suspension, led to the league buying back the franchise for $40,000 and dispersing its players. The Eagles' failure underscored the importance of market fit and travel logistics in the pre-expansion era. The team's brief existence also highlighted the NHL's reluctance to expand westward, as St. Louis had been denied a franchise in 1932 due to Depression-era travel costs. The dispersal draft that followed distributed 18 of 23 players to other teams, effectively ending the franchise's legacy as a footnote in NHL history.

Did You Know?

• The Eagles were named after the logo of the Anheuser-Busch brewing company, which was founded in St. Louis.
• The St. Louis Arena was the only NHL stadium with racially segregated seating.
• The Eagles sold leading goal scorer Syd Howe to the Detroit Red Wings for $50,000, a large sum at the time.
• The NHL bought back the Eagles franchise for $40,000 after no credible purchase offers surfaced.