AEW's Chris Jericho carries strong connection to Blues

St. Louis is a special place to All Elite Wrestling star Chris Jericho.
Professionally, it's where he won two of his eight world championship titles with victories over both The Rock and The Undertaker. Personally, for two years in the mid-1970s, it's also the place he called home.
Back then, before he was one of the biggest names in pro wrestling (and a rock singer and a podcaster and an actor and author), Jericho was Chris Irvine. His dad, Ted Irvine, played in the NHL and spent the final two seasons of his career with the St. Louis Blues. Because of that, Jericho spent a lot of his time watching hockey at the old Arena on Oakland Avenue, where he also got to know some of the biggest legends to ever wear the Blue Note.

As Jericho returned to town this week for a broadcast of AEW Dynamite and AEW Rampage, the fond memories of living in St. Louis - and growing up around the Blues locker room - came flooding back.
"I remember the Checkerdome where the Blues used to play," Jericho told stlouisblues.com. "I remember there was a restaurant named Sam Wilson's that had mini cinnamon donuts in a paper bag. Of course, I remember going to the Arch. But my biggest memory from living in Chesterfield, it was a new development at the time so they were building a lot of houses. We were kids, we were told 'don't go play in the construction, stay away from that!' And being stupid kids, what do you do? You go straight to the construction and I actually fell into a dug-out basement, a giant hole they were building someone's house on. (My parents) took me to the hospital and I had a nail in my head, if you can believe that. They took the nail out, and I still remember the X-rays. It's a really strange memory to have of almost dying in Chesterfield, but there you go!"
Jericho was five years old when he moved to St. Louis. At that time, Red Berenson, Garry Unger, Barclay Plager, Bobby Plager, Bernie Federko and Brian Sutter were playing for the Blues.
Jericho recalls Bobby Plager giving him his first cigarette (and beer) when he was just six years old. He also remembers the time Gilles Marotte, who played defense for the Blues during the 1976-77 season, actually picked him up by his legs and stuffed him into a trash can.
"The one thing about hockey locker rooms that I remember is guys are always having a good time, especially if they're winning," Jericho said. "There was a playful element to it back then, especially with the kids there. They played with you and had fun. (These memories) aren't just people telling me this, I can see them in my head right now. I have no idea why those memories stick with you. It wasn't like it was traumatic, I wasn't scared, but it was a playful thing, a fun thing to do."
But the memories don't stop there.

Jericho recalled taking a camping trip with his dad, Red Berenson, and Berenson's son, Rusty. At some point, the boys got into canoes with their dads and tipped over on the river. All of the supplied they carried floated away and were lost for good, and the kids were clinging to their dads as they swam to safety on the shore.
Jericho was also present at the end-of-the-season party at Garry Unger's ranch the night Bob Gassoff passed away in a motorcycle accident. He remembers his dad being upset and his mother crying, but he didn't know exactly why.
He also remembers the day former Blue Floyd Thomson fell on the ice during a game against the New York Islanders and swallowed his tongue.
"True story," Jericho said. "How do you swallow your own tongue?! But he did it, and to this day in AEW, the bat I carry is called Floyd. I was looking for a name (similiar to) Lucille - Negan's bat on The Walking Dead - and for some reason Floyd Thomson popped in my head. So the name on my bat in AEW comes from Floyd Thomson, former St. Louis Blue, who swallowed his own tongue."

Although he was born in New York when his dad played for the Rangers, Jericho spent most of his childhood living in Winnipeg. That's where his family would go during the offseason, and his father moved back there after retiring from hockey following the 1976-77 season. Jericho, who started playing ice hockey in St. Louis and continued playing in Winnipeg until he was 17, said the toughness he learned from the sport undoubtedly contributed to the career he pursued in professional wrestling.
Although he's a Winnipeg Jets fan, Jericho's connection to the Blues has never waned. In 2019, after the Blues beat the Jets in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Jericho says he was cheering on the team to its first championship. During the parade, he even recalled seeing his dad's name on one of the Blues Alumni floats.
"They had a list of every guy that played for the Blues, and right near the top was Ted Irvine," Jericho said. "We always had an affinity for the Blues and we cheer for them. When they won, it was very cool.
"I always thought St. Louis was a cool place for me," he added. "Anytime I come back, it's always exciting. It's one of my favorite cities in the (United) States for sure."