# 1978–79 St. Louis Blues season

The 1978–79 St. Louis Blues season was the 12th for the franchise in St. Louis, Missouri. The Blues finished the season with a record of just 18 wins (a franchise low), 50 losses and just 12 ties, for an all-time franchise low of 48 points. The Blues finished out of the playoffs for the second straight season, and the last time before the 2005–06 season, following the lockout.

## Regular season
### Final standings

Smythe Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 29 | 36 | 15 | 244 | 277 | 73 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 25 | 42 | 13 | 217 | 291 | 63 |
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 18 | 50 | 12 | 249 | 348 | 48 |
| Colorado Rockies | 80 | 15 | 53 | 12 | 210 | 331 | 42 |

### Record vs. opponents

Smythe Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Smythe Division
1978–79 NHL records
Team
CHI
COL
STL
VAN
Total
Chicago
—5–2–15–2–11–3–411–7–6
Colorado
2–5–1—4–2–21–6–17–13–4
St. Louis
2–5–12–4–2—1–4–35–13–6
Vancouver
3–1–46–1–14–1–3—13–3–8
Vs. Patrick Division
1978–79 NHL records
Team
ATL
NYI
NYR
PHI
Total
Chicago
1–2–22–30–43–16–10–2
Colorado
0–40–4–11–40–3–11–15–2
St. Louis
1–40–3–22–31–44–14–2
Vancouver
2–20–40–41–2–13–12–1
Vs. Adams Division
1978–79 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
MIN
TOR
Total
Chicago
1–3–12–2–12–22–1–17–8–3
Colorado
1–30–3–13–2–11–2–15–10–3
St. Louis
1–30–3–11–2–10–42–12–2
Vancouver
0–41–3–11–4–11–3–13–14–3
Vs. Norris Division
1978–79 NHL records
Team
DET
LAK
MTL
PIT
WSH
Total
Chicago
0–3–11–32–20–2–22–1–15–11–4
Colorado
0–3–10–2–20–41–31–32–15–3
St. Louis
3–11–2–10–41–2–12–27–12–1
Vancouver
3–11–30–3–11–31–36–12–2 :

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 11, 1978 | 5–4 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | L | October 13, 1978 | 4–8 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) | 1–1–0 |
| 3 | L | October 14, 1978 | 2–6 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) | 1–2–0 |
| 4 | W | October 17, 1978 | 8–6 | Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) | 2–2–0 |
| 5 | T | October 20, 1978 | 5–5 | @ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) | 2–2–1 |
| 6 | L | October 21, 1978 | 3–4 | Colorado Rockies (1978–79) | 2–3–1 |
| 7 | L | October 24, 1978 | 2–7 | Boston Bruins (1978–79) | 2–4–1 |
| 8 | T | October 25, 1978 | 6–6 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) | 2–4–2 |
| 9 | T | October 28, 1978 | 7–7 | Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) | 2–4–3 |
| 10 | L | October 31, 1978 | 2–5 | Atlanta Flames (1978–79) | 2–5–3 |
| 11 | L | November 1, 1978 | 1–9 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) | 2–6–3 |
| 12 | T | November 4, 1978 | 5–5 | Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) | 2–6–4 |
| 13 | L | November 5, 1978 | 1–3 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) | 2–7–4 |
| 14 | L | November 7, 1978 | 0–5 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) | 2–8–4 |
| 15 | W | November 11, 1978 | 5–3 | Colorado Rockies (1978–79) | 3–8–4 |
| 16 | L | November 14, 1978 | 2–4 | Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) | 3–9–4 |
| 17 | L | November 16, 1978 | 2–6 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) | 3–10–4 |
| 18 | L | November 18, 1978 | 1–3 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) | 3–11–4 |
| 19 | L | November 19, 1978 | 2–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1978–79) | 3–12–4 |
| 20 | L | November 21, 1978 | 3–4 | Washington Capitals (1978–79) | 3–13–4 |
| 21 | W | November 22, 1978 | 3–1 | @ Washington Capitals (1978–79) | 4–13–4 |
| 22 | L | November 24, 1978 | 1–4 | @ Atlanta Flames (1978–79) | 4–14–4 |
| 23 | W | November 25, 1978 | 4–0 | Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) | 5–14–4 |
| 24 | L | November 28, 1978 | 3–6 | Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) | 5–15–4 |
| 25 | L | November 30, 1978 | 0–3 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) | 5–16–4 |
| 26 | W | December 2, 1978 | 5–2 | Washington Capitals (1978–79) | 6–16–4 |
| 27 | L | December 6, 1978 | 4–7 | @ New York Rangers (1978–79) | 6–17–4 |
| 28 | L | December 7, 1978 | 1–7 | @ New York Islanders (1978–79) | 6–18–4 |
| 29 | L | December 9, 1978 | 2–4 | Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) | 6–19–4 |
| 30 | L | December 12, 1978 | 0–6 | Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) | 6–20–4 |
| 31 | L | December 13, 1978 | 0–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) | 6–21–4 |
| 32 | T | December 16, 1978 | 2–2 | New York Islanders (1978–79) | 6–21–5 |
| 33 | L | December 17, 1978 | 1–4 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) | 6–22–5 |
| 34 | W | December 19, 1978 | 7–4 | Atlanta Flames (1978–79) | 7–22–5 |
| 35 | L | December 21, 1978 | 1–5 | @ New York Islanders (1978–79) | 7–23–5 |
| 36 | L | December 23, 1978 | 1–6 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) | 7–24–5 |
| 37 | L | December 26, 1978 | 4–6 | Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) | 7–25–5 |
| 38 | L | December 27, 1978 | 3–4 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) | 7–26–5 |
| 39 | W | December 30, 1978 | 6–3 | Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) | 8–26–5 |
| 40 | L | January 2, 1979 | 2–4 | @ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) | 8–27–5 |
| 41 | T | January 3, 1979 | 3–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) | 8–27–6 |
| 42 | L | January 6, 1979 | 1–4 | Colorado Rockies (1978–79) | 8–28–6 |
| 43 | L | January 9, 1979 | 3–5 | New York Rangers (1978–79) | 8–29–6 |
| 44 | L | January 11, 1979 | 3–4 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) | 8–30–6 |
| 45 | T | January 13, 1979 | 3–3 | Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) | 8–30–7 |
| 46 | W | January 16, 1979 | 5–2 | Boston Bruins (1978–79) | 9–30–7 |
| 47 | L | January 18, 1979 | 0–4 | @ Boston Bruins (1978–79) | 9–31–7 |
| 48 | W | January 20, 1979 | 3–2 | New York Rangers (1978–79) | 10–31–7 |
| 49 | L | January 23, 1979 | 3–6 | Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) | 10–32–7 |
| 50 | L | January 26, 1979 | 1–4 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) | 10–33–7 |
| 51 | W | January 28, 1979 | 7–2 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) | 11–33–7 |
| 52 | W | January 30, 1979 | 7–1 | Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) | 12–33–7 |
| 53 | L | January 31, 1979 | 1–5 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1978–79) | 12–34–7 |
| 54 | W | February 3, 1979 | 6–3 | Colorado Rockies (1978–79) | 13–34–7 |
| 55 | L | February 4, 1979 | 1–3 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) | 13–35–7 |
| 56 | T | February 13, 1979 | 3–3 | Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) | 13–35–8 |
| 57 | L | February 17, 1979 | 1–5 | Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) | 13–36–8 |
| 58 | L | February 18, 1979 | 4–6 | Atlanta Flames (1978–79) | 13–37–8 |
| 59 | L | February 21, 1979 | 3–7 | @ New York Rangers (1978–79) | 13–38–8 |
| 60 | L | February 22, 1979 | 1–6 | @ New York Islanders (1978–79) | 13–39–8 |
| 61 | L | February 24, 1979 | 4–6 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) | 13–40–8 |
| 62 | W | February 27, 1979 | 4–1 | New York Rangers (1978–79) | 14–40–8 |
| 63 | W | February 28, 1979 | 6–5 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) | 15–40–8 |
| 64 | W | March 3, 1979 | 8–4 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) | 16–40–8 |
| 65 | T | March 7, 1979 | 5–5 | New York Islanders (1978–79) | 16–40–9 |
| 66 | L | March 10, 1979 | 5–7 | @ Washington Capitals (1978–79) | 16–41–9 |
| 67 | W | March 11, 1979 | 8–2 | Minnesota North Stars (1978–79) | 17–41–9 |
| 68 | T | March 13, 1979 | 5–5 | @ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) | 17–41–10 |
| 69 | L | March 17, 1979 | 1–3 | Detroit Red Wings (1978–79) | 17–42–10 |
| 70 | L | March 18, 1979 | 3–5 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) | 17–43–10 |
| 71 | T | March 21, 1979 | 1–1 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1978–79) | 17–43–11 |
| 72 | T | March 22, 1979 | 3–3 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1978–79) | 17–43–12 |
| 73 | L | March 25, 1979 | 2–8 | @ Atlanta Flames (1978–79) | 17–44–12 |
| 74 | L | March 26, 1979 | 2–4 | Buffalo Sabres (1978–79) | 17–45–12 |
| 75 | L | March 29, 1979 | 2–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1978–79) | 17–46–12 |
| 76 | L | March 31, 1979 | 2–4 | Philadelphia Flyers (1978–79) | 17–47–12 |
| 77 | L | April 1, 1979 | 5–9 | @ Colorado Rockies (1978–79) | 17–48–12 |
| 78 | L | April 3, 1979 | 2–3 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1978–79) | 17–49–12 |
| 79 | W | April 7, 1979 | 4–1 | Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) | 18–49–12 |
| 80 | L | April 8, 1979 | 2–3 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1978–79) | 18–50–12 |

## Player statistics
### Regular season
#### Scoring

| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Bernie Federko | C | 74 | 31 | 64 | 95 | 14 | -15 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Brian Sutter | LW | 77 | 41 | 39 | 80 | 165 | -2 | 12 | 0 | 3 |
| Wayne Babych | RW | 67 | 27 | 36 | 63 | 75 | -11 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Garry Unger | C | 80 | 30 | 26 | 56 | 44 | -44 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Larry Patey | C | 78 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 60 | -27 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Inge Hammarstrom | LW | 65 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 8 | -13 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jack Brownschidle | D | 64 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 14 | -21 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Curt Bennett | LW | 74 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 62 | -23 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Barry Gibbs | D | 76 | 2 | 27 | 29 | 46 | -42 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Giroux | D | 73 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 111 | -25 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bob Murdoch | RW | 54 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 17 | -6 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Mike Zuke | C | 34 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 18 | -8 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tony Currie | RW | 36 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 0 | -9 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Mike Walton | C | 22 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 6 | -13 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Stewart | D | 78 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 47 | -28 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| John Smrke | LW | 55 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 20 | -24 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Harvey Bennett | C | 52 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 63 | -18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Crombeen | RW | 37 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 34 | -13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Hess | D | 27 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 14 | -20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Ogilvie | C | 14 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 7 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamie Masters | D | 10 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | -6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Palazzari | C | 20 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bruce Affleck | D | 26 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 | -13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Bowness | RW | 24 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 30 | -17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dick Lamby | D | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Shinske | C | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Neil Komadoski | D | 42 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Durbano | D | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 103 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Richardson | C | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Neil LaBatte | C/D | 22 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Fairbairn | RW | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rod Seiling | D | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Staniowski | G | 39 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Grant | G | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gord McTavish | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Phil Myre | G | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terry Richardson | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
| Phil Myre | 2259 | 39 | 9 | 22 | 8 | 163 | 4.33 | 1 |
| Ed Staniowski | 2291 | 39 | 9 | 25 | 3 | 146 | 3.82 | 0 |
| Doug Grant | 190 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 7.26 | 0 |
| Terry Richardson | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 9.00 | 0 |
| Team: | 4800 | 80 | 18 | 50 | 12 | 341 | 4.26 | 1 |
    Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
    Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

## Draft picks

St. Louis's draft picks at the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 3 | Wayne Babych | Canada | Portland Winterhawks (WCHL) |
| 3 | 39 | Steve Harrison | Canada | Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL) |
| 5 | 72 | Kevin Willison | Canada | Billings Bighorns (WCHL) |
| 6 | 89 | Jim Nill | Canada | Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL) |
| 7 | 106 | Steve Stockman | Canada | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) |
| 7 | 109 | Paul MacLean | Canada | Hull Olympiques (QMJHL) |
| 8 | 123 | Denis Houle | Canada | Hamilton Fincups (OMJHL) |
| 9 | 140 | Tony Meagher | Canada | Boston University (ECAC) |
| 9 | 143 | Rick Simpson | Canada | Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL) |
| 10 | 157 | Jim Lockhurst | Canada | Kingston Canadians (OMJHL) |
| 10 | 160 | Bob Froese | Canada | Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL) |
| 10 | 170 | Dan Lerg | United States | University of Michigan (WCHA) |
| 11 | 173 | Risto Siltanen | Finland | Ilves (Finland) |
| 11 | 175 | Dan Hermansson | Sweden | Karlskoga (Sweden) |
| 11 | 181 | Jean-Francois Boutin | Canada | Verdun Eperviers (QMJHL) |
| 11 | 185 | John Sullivan | United States | Providence College (ECAC) |
| 12 | 188 | Serge Menard | Canada | Montreal Juniors (QMJHL) |
| 12 | 191 | Don Boyd | Canada | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (ECAC) |
| 12 | 197 | Paul Stasiuk | Canada | Providence College (ECAC) |
| 12 | 200 | Gerd Truntschka | West Germany | EV Cologne (West Germany) |
| 13 | 203 | Viktor Shkurdyuk | Soviet Union | Leningrad (USSR) |
| 13 | 205 | Carl Bloomberg | United States | St. Louis University (CCHA) |
| 13 | 207 | Terry Kitching | Canada | St. Louis University (CCHA) |
| 13 | 209 | Brian O'Connor | United States | Boston University (ECAC) |
| 13 | 210 | Brian Crombeen | Canada | Kingston Canadians (OMJHL) |
| 13 | 211 | Mike Pidgeon | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OMJHL) |
| 14 | 214 | John Cochrane | United States | Harvard University (ECAC) |
| 14 | 216 | Joe Casey | United States | Boston College (ECAC) |
| 14 | 218 | Jim Farrell | United States | Princeton University (ECAC) |
| 14 | 220 | Frank Johnson | United States | Providence College (ECAC) |
| 14 | 221 | Blair Wheeler | Canada | Yale University (ECAC) |