Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Blues Officially Say Goodbye To Davidson

10/05/2012 at 4:08pm EDT

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues Chairman Tom Stillman and Blues President John Davidson announced today that Davidson has decided to depart from the organization and move on to the next stage of his Hall of Fame career.

“We would like to thank JD for his commitment and dedication to the Blues organization over the past six seasons,” said Stillman. “He has been instrumental in revitalizing the Blues franchise and has built a strong foundation for our organization, which will ensure the club’s success well into the future. He has also developed one of the top teams in the game today. JD has played a critical role in reconnecting the franchise with Blues fans and the entire St. Louis community, and he is a Hall of Famer in every sense of the term, personally and professionally. JD and his wife, Diana, have been deeply involved in the community, and they have represented the Blue Note with honor and class. We wish JD, Diana, and their daughters, Lindsay and Ashley, great health, happiness, and success in their future endeavors. We will always consider them part of the Blues family.”

"St. Louis has been nothing but outstanding to me and my family and we have enjoyed every minute here,” said Davidson. “Although we did not accomplish the ultimate goal, I am proud of where this team is on and off the ice, and they are in excellent hands with this management team. St. Louis and the Blue Note will always be in our hearts, and we wish the organization and these great fans nothing but success in the near future."

Davidson was named Blues President in 2006. During his tenure, the club made two postseason appearances (2009, 2012), won the 2011-12 Central Division Championship, and experienced a revival in the community that saw their average attendance rise from 12,520 (30th) in 2006-07 to 18,809 (9th) in 2011-12. Under Davidson’s leadership, the Blues have successfully built the team’s foundation by drafting cornerstone players like David Perron and Alex Pietrangelo, and patiently developing prospects such as Jake Allen, Ian Cole, Philip McRae, Ty Rattie, Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko. They have acquired key players through trades or free agent signings such as Brian Elliott, Jaroslav Halak, Andy McDonald, Alex Steen, Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk.

A first round draft choice of the Blues in 1973, Davidson enjoyed a 10-year NHL career, appearing in more than 300 career games between St. Louis and the New York Rangers. After his playing career, Davidson crafted an extraordinary career in broadcasting, earning many of the industry’s most prestigious awards, including the CableACE award (1994), a pair of New York Emmy Awards (1995, 2001), the 2004 Lester Patrick Award, and, most importantly, the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster (2009).

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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