Davidson to depart Blues organization

Published November 20, 2014

John Davidson's days with the St. Louis Blues are numbered.

The Post-Dispatch reported on Thursday that a source close to the situation revealed that club has agreed to a buy-out for an undisclosed amount. Davidson, who rose to the rank of president of hockey operations, had three years remaining on his current contract and is owed approximately $6 million.

Davidson came to the Blues in 2006 along with then-owner Dave Checketts, after the club finished with the worst record in the NHL the previous season. It broke a string of 25 consecutive playoff appearances for the franchise (1980-2004), which entered the league in 1967.

Under his watch, the Blues remained competitive in the stacked Western Conference, bringing in top talent like Paul Kariya, Doug Weight and Jaroslav Halak, while hiring Jack Adams Trophy winner Ken Hitchcock early this past season to turn a struggling squad into a Central Division winner.

St. Louis finished 49-22-11 in 2011-12, posting its second-highest point total in franchise history next to a 114-point campaign in 1999-2000. However, despite allowing the fewest goals in the NHL, the Blues were eliminated in the second round by the eventual champion Los Angeles Kings in a four-game sweep.

Checketts sold the Blues, with NHL approval, to St. Louis native and brewery magnate Tom Stillman in early May.

The 59-year-old Ottawa native played parts of 10 seasons as a goaltender with the Blues and Rangers. He spent three decades on television in Canada and the United States, winning the 2009 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his contributions to broadcasting.

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