St. Louis’ first NHL team was taken over by the league and disbanded on this date in 1935

When the St. Louis Blues entered the NHL in 1967, it wasn’t the first time the league set up shop in that city.

St. Louis was first represented by the Eagles, formerly the original Ottawa Senators. They lasted only 48 games and went out of business 89 years ago today.

The NHL took over the franchise at a meeting in New York on this date in 1935, with each of the eight surviving clubs putting up $5,000 to buy out its owner, the Ottawa Hockey Association.

The Senators were a founding member of the NHL in 1917, but Ottawa’s comparatively small size left them unable to compete there. They shifted operations to St. Louis in a last-ditch effort to survive.

Unfortunately, the Eagles kept the Senators’ place in the NHL’s Canadian Division, and increased travel costs were a major factor in the team losing around $70,000. It sold off many of its players to reduce that deficit but was still in the hole at the end of the season. The Eagles finished last with a 11-31-6 record.

Staying in St. Louis was not an option for the team, nor was returning to Ottawa. When a buyer for the Eagles could not be found, their fate was sealed. Their remaining players were dispersed among the other teams.

The Eagles did leave a legacy. On Nov. 13, 1934, defenseman Ralph “Scotty” Bowman became the first player in NHL history to score on a penalty shot. And three of their players – Syd Howe, Bill Cowley, and Carl Voss – went on to careers that eventually saw them enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Cowley was the last Eagle to appear in an NHL game, in 1947. Pete Kelly was the last surviving Eagle before passing away in 2004 at age 90.