Members of the St. Louis Blues just before their first home game in October 1967, left to right, goalie Seth Martin, defensemen Al Arbour, and Noel Picard, center Terry Crisp and forwards Jim Roberts and Bill McCreary. On Sunday evening, Bob returned to visit his brother for the first time in awhile. I didn't invite everybody, but I invited the kids, their parents tonight. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. There was no words to even describe that, Karri said. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Inquirer.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barclay_Plager&oldid=1086719806, National Hockey League players with retired numbers, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from October 2015, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Retired with 44 goals, 187 assists, 231 points and 1115 penalty minutes in 614 games, all with St. Louis, Was the Blues' career leader in games played and penalty minutes at the time of his retirement, Played in NHL All-Star Game in 1970, 1971, 1973 and 1974, Led the NHL in penalty minutes in 1968 with 153 playing only 49 games, His No. He gave our star players room to be star players. Please try again later. Its fantastic! Helen said seconds after her lips came off. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Please enter your email and password to sign in. In 263 NHL games from 1967-76, including 127 with the Blues from 1967 to 1972, Billy Plager had four goals, 38 points . Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. On March 24, 1981, prior to a game with the New York Islanders, Barclay Plager Night was held and his No. But the trio of Plager brothers were better known for their physical play and willingness to stick up for teammates, and that was no better illustrated than in a game in Philadelphia. Robert Wetzel, a former Blues employee, drove ahead of a van carrying the Stanley Cup. Blues legend Bob Plager passed away on March 24, 2021, at the age of 78, after a car crash on I-64 in St. Louis. You talk to some of the players and tell them to enjoy it now because you never know when this will happen again.". Plager came to the Blues from the New York Rangers when the NHL expanded in 1967-68. Picard made one of hockey's indelible moments possible. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. Id say, Hey, your boys really need it tonight. 8 sweater was retired in 1981, after which he returned to the bench as an assistant coach and even filled in as the interim head coach. On March 24, 1981, the Blues retired Barclay Plager's No. There was a problem getting your location. It was a bottle of champagne because you know those boys when they get in (the locker room), the first thing they do, they have the champagne in the Cup, Bobby said. Billy Plager, right wing.". As the group giggled, Sgt.Wetzel, who led the police escort, stood nearby pinching himself. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. He reunited with his brothers Barclay and Billy in heaven on March 24, 2021 at age 78. The others are defenseman Ken Morrow of the Islanders, defenseman Jack O'Callahan and center Mark Johnson of New Jersey, defenseman Mike Ramsey of Buffalo and center Neal Broten of Minnesota. He said, Its got grandpas blood all down here.. He played with his other two brothers, Bill and Bob, in St. Louis for a total of four seasons. He was 46. All rights reserved. Meanwhile, a magical moment, one that would eclipse all others, was unfolding in front of them. 8 for Barclay or No. Blues legend Bobby Plager dies in car accident - KOMU 8 Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. There was a problem saving your notification. Not long after the last player took a lap with the trophy hoisted high above his head at TD Garden, the team gathered at center ice to witness a moment 52 years in the making. How do you know? They say, My dad or my mom, theyre big Blues fans. Bob Plager takes Stanley Cup to brother's final resting place NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. It was truly unique and Im really blessed to have that experience. It feels special.. Barclay Plager was 46 when he died Feb. 6, 1988, from a brain hemorrhage. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Kirkland Lake, Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada, Creve Coeur, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. "So really, that's what I wanted, and that's what I got. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. They didnt get to really enjoy their dad that much. His tireless work ethic and dedication was influential in establishing the identity of the Blues during the early years of the organization. The day after the Blues won, they went to OB Clarks, he said. Picard, who did broadcasting work for the Blues after his retirement, had played one season for Montreal, getting in 16 games for a team that won the Stanley Cup in 1964-65. There was a piece of their era in the crowd, as Kevins son Jack, 13, was wearing one of Barclays original sweaters. Barclay Plager had 44 goals over his career. The three Plager brothers played together for four seasons in St. Louis, with Barclay and Bob together on the Blues' defence for eleven seasons, then widely seen as the "Plagers' team". If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. It was widely assumed that Bobby would have his day with it, but he honestly didnt know if or when until about a month ago. (FullRecord), Relatives: BrothersBillPlager, BobPlager. Then, 42 years after Barclay played his last game as a Blue, Bobby, accompanied by Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, carried the Cup to where the miniature version had sat just three months earlier. Plager was a member of the inaugural Blues team on Day 1 in 1967, finished his playing career with the Blues in 1977-78 and then hung on in a variety of roles, including a brief stint as head. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. Billy Plager dies at 70; one of three Blues brothers - STLtoday.com cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). . 5 for Bobby, the numbers they wore with the Blues and are now retired. And that's what the 76-year-old did Sunday. Thats not the first time the Plagers have heard those personal stories in public. 0 cemeteries found in Creve Coeur, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. (Post-Dispatch file photo). Plager'S Death Leaves Many Solemn All-stars Barclay Graham Plager (March 26, 1941 February 6, 1988) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach for the St. Louis Blues. Failed to delete flower. Originally his rights were held by the New York Ranges, but were acquired with future star Red Berenson by the newly enfranchised Blues in 1967. Learn more about managing a memorial . He received a text message from the Blues that it would be Sept. 1 and passed that along to his daughter, Melissa Briggs, who began the planning. Barclay Plager had 231 points over his career. In the postseason, they took turns visiting his gravesite, leaving "Let . I love you guys.". An outfield in flux. But after we came out of the first period with the two-goal lead, it was pretty solid. GREAT NEWS! (Photo courtesy of St. Louis Blues / blues.nhl.com) Billy Plager, one of three Plager. Tweet from @lkorac10: Bob Plager said with his bad shoulder, he can't be lifting the Cup over his head. We finally did it! she said. Enter Search Term. "We need to talk about where the International League is going. Barclay Plager weighed 175 lbs (79 kg) when playing. Barclay Plager Overview. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. but oh my gosh, there were tears of happiness the whole time. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour. I get asked about that a lot, Picard told the Post-Dispatch in 2011. I was like, I hope I didnt miss my chance to swig out of the Cup. The Plagers werent getting their hopes up last season, with the Blues sitting in last place in the NHL standings in January. The Blues won the Cup for the first time in their 51-season history when they defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 of the Final on June 12. Do you have a blog? Find out more. The fans recall one of the great characters in Blues history. "I thought about him a lot," Bob said of Barclay following the Blues' Game 7 victory against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. It's just been great. With the 1967 NHL Expansion, many new jobs opened up in the National Hockey League, and Plager was acquired with Red Berenson by the St. Louis Blues from the New York Rangers, which held his rights. It was in Boston this year, and we lost it the last time we were in there, the Stanley Cup, he said. Kelly and his family cut short their vacation to Punta Gorda, Fla., and had just made the 19-hour drive home the day before. "Bryan was my coach in an all-star game and I learned more hockey from him in one day than I did from my own coach in two seasons," MacLean said. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. If things don't work out, though, we have an option to stay in Binghamton for two more years.". My dad and him were very close he was over every night when my dad was sick, Karri said. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Barclay Plager, the oldest of the Plager brothers, came to the Blues during the 1967 NHL Expansion when he was acquired alongside Red Berenson from the New York Rangers who held his rights at the time. So before Game 1 of the Blues best-of-seven series against Boston, one of Barclay and Helens four children, Karen Hecht, 52, found a miniature replica Cup, and her daughter, Rachel, 23, placed it next to her grandfathers famous last name and the Blue Note logo. -- When Bob Plager got word of when his day with the Stanley Cup would be, there was no doubt where it was going. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). When Boston's Bobby Orr shot the puck for overtime goal in Game 4 of the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals to end the series, Picard put his stick between Orr's legs and tripped him, sending Orr flying through the air and celebrating while parallel to the ice. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21142/barclay-plager. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Memories and more for Blues at NHL All-Star Game - STLtoday.com He also had health issues and underwent an exam for some scar tissue on his brain, believed to be the result of an injury suffered earlier in his career. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. I should have went there right after work, but I didnt, I went home. ST. LOUIS 42 years ago, the St. Louis Blues retired defenseman and coach Barclay Plager's number. You look up and you know that theyre there and theyre watching, so you give them a little wink and a thumbs-up.. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Helen Plager, the widow of former Blues player and coach Barclay Plager, stood near the chapel of Bellerive Gardens Cemetery last Sunday and recalled what she whispered to her late husband during this years Stanley Cup playoffs. Doug MacLean, an assistant coach for St. Louis, played Tier Two hockey in Ontario when Bryan Murray was coaching at Pembroke. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Rudderless ship of chaos: St. Louis judge advances Kim Gardner contempt case, Cardinals send prized prospect Jordan Walker to Class AAA in curious series of moves, What Oliver Marmols gamble in ninth vs. LA reveals about managing to spark Cardinals, How sending Jordan Walker to Class AAA is a bet clarity can correct muddled outfield: Cardinals Extra, Bud Light sales continue to plummet after transgender marketing controversy, The world watches (and makes donations) as St. Louis bald eagle raises eaglet from a rock, A closer on ice. In 1981, Plager was named assistant coach of the Blues, and save for another stint as interim head coach in the 1983 season, served as such until his death from cancer in 1988. We present them here for purely educational purposes. "For me, this is very special, but sitting here and looking at the kids and thinking, 'This is the toughest trophy to win.' The latest STL Blues hockey news, NHL headlines, scores, standings and rosters. I had no idea how it was going to go are we just going to meet and take some pictures ? I was busy with four kids and never really thought about what it meant until the years kept going by and by and by and my kids were getting older, Helen said. Plager said winning the Cup has been very enjoyable for those who were involved with the original Blues. Try again later. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. NHL 2023. Barclay Plager and Bob Plager were kneeling on the ice alongside their kid brother Billy, who was dreaming sweet dreams and squirting blood from a gash over his left ear. It went on for quite a while.". Professional Hockey Player. Bud Light, the Gloria beer, came out in an eight-pack. Seeing the Cup coming up with a police escort was it brought tears to my eyes. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Blues forward on track to return after All-Star break at end of this month. My uncle Bob gave it to me years and years ago, Karen said. Bobby mentioned the name of seven former Blues, including his brother, during the tribute. This browser does not support getting your location. . NHL officials said today that status would not change. Barclay Plager has not been elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. 1 for sure, Karen added. Barclay Plager was born on March 26, 1941. He was also . All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Oops, something didn't work. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Debuting with his brother in 1967 and retiring a year before Bob in 1977, Barclay scored 44 career goals . Robert "Bobby" Bryant Plager was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario on March 11, 1943. Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky had an interesting comment today about the upcoming Olympic hockey tournament: "I hope Canada wins the gold medal, because I know a lot of guys have put in a lot of hard work, but the best thing for hockey would be for the U.S. to win the gold medal, because of the extra attention that would be given to hockey in the U.S." . The gravesite of Barclay Plager was decorated with Blues signs and pictures when the family visited with the Stanley Cup.