Armstrong reaches 1,000 games milestone with Blues

In the history of the NHL, only 22 general managers have managed to work 1,000 games with a single franchise.

With Tuesday's game in Winnipeg, St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong became No. 23.

Armstrong became the Blues GM on July 1, 2010. When David Poile retired this offseason after 26 years with the Nashville Predators, Armstrong became the longest-tenured general manager in the NHL. Coincidentally, Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is now in second place (918 games).

“He’s done a hell of a job here, we all know that,” Blues Head Coach Craig Berube said. “There’s a reason he’s [managing] his 1,000th game.”

Only two other active GMs have reached the milestone, but neither are still with their original teams. The New York Islanders’ Lou Lamoriello and Edmonton Oilers’ Ken Holland did so with New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings, respectively.

Armstrong — also now the longest-tenured GM in Blues history — won the NHL’s general manager of the year in 2012-13 and was the runner-up in 2018-19. Under him, the Blues boast a 560-332-107 record and have made the playoffs in 10 times in 13 seasons. The club captured the Stanley Cup, the first in team history, in 2019.

“He does a great job as a general manager in all areas,” Berube added. “It’s a tough job, there’s a lot of things to be in tune with on a daily basis, and he doesn’t miss on any of them."