Lost in the drama of the Blues’ sad 5-1 opening night loss was the appearance of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Bettman was in town for opening night to check out the Blues’ new practice facility in Maryland Heights as well as to see the renovations to the Enterprise Center. It had long been argued that an out-of-date arena was holding the team back from hosting NHL events other than the 2017 Winter Classic, which was held at Busch Stadium.
Bettman was impressed with the Winter Classic, and according to the Post-Dispatch, he was impressed with the renovations to the Enterprise Center.