St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong and former Blues forward Red Berenson will both be honored at the 54th Jack Buck Sports Awards, hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club.
Armstrong will receive the Stan “The Man” Award, and Berenson will receive the Bob Plager Legends Award at the Dec. 5 ceremony at the MAC’s downtown clubhouse at 405 Washington Ave.
Armstrong will be the first member of the Blues to receive the Stan “The Man” Award. According to the MAC, the award was created to “honor an individual for dedication, hard work, class and loyalty over a long period of time.” He will be the eighth recipient of the award. Legendary Rams receiver Isaac Bruce became the first non-Cardinal to be recognized in 2021. Other past honorees include Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock and John Mozeliak.
Armstrong joined the Blues in 2008 before becoming general manager in 2010. Under his management, the Blues have achieved the most sustained success in franchise history. In that time, the Blues have made the playoffs 10 times in 13 seasons, won the Central Division three times, made the Western Conference Finals twice and won the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2019. On Oct. 24, Armstrong also became the 23rd general manager in NHL history to manage 1,000 games with a single franchise.
Berenson will receive the Bob Plager Legends Award, which has been presented to some of the biggest names in St. Louis sports, including Chris Pronger, Bernie Federko, Dan Dierdorf, Ed Macauley and most recently Dick Vermeil. Berenson will receive the honor to mark the 55th anniversary of his historic game against the Philadelphia Flyers. On Nov. 7, 1968, he scored six times, including four in just nine minutes. He finished one goal shy of the NHL record set by Joe Malone in 1920. Since then, only one player in league history (Darryl Sittler, 1976) has matched Berenson.
Berenson spent eight seasons in St. Louis. In that time, he scored 172 goals and racked up 412 points, making three All-Star appearances. He made three more and won over the rest his 17-year career, which he split between the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers.
After he retired, Berenson coached the Blues from 1979 to 1982, winning the 1981 Jack Adams Award. He went on to coach the University of Michigan hockey team, winning two national championships and reaching 11 Frozen Fours in 33 seasons with the Wolverines.
