The St. Louis Blues have long been one of the classier organizations in the NHL. They are not the only one to do things for their players, but they still deserve credit for it.
In the early days, the ownership would help the players out in lots of different ways, sometimes to the detriment of the franchise’s bottom line. In later years, the Blues became so player friendly, combined with a city that treated them like family, that tons of guys stayed even after their careers were over. Canadian-born players would stay in America because St. Louis and the franchise had won them over.