Never-worn prototype jersey was basis for Blues Reverse Retro

In August of 1966 - a full year before the St. Louis Blues would begin their inaugural season - team owner Sid Salomon III and General Manager Lynn Patrick walked out for a photo shoot wearing St. Louis Blues jerseys for the very first time.
Those jerseys didn't look anything like the ones you've seen over the last half century or so. Sure, one was blue and one was white - that part has always been the same. But rather than feature a Blue Note, these jerseys had the words "St. Louis" and "Blues" printed in large font across the chest, and a single musical note was intertwined within the letters.

The design was said to have been hand-drawn by Patrick himself, and the jerseys were produced by R.J. Liebe Athletic Lettering in Chesterfield, MO.
Despite the fanfare, those jerseys were never worn in a game. By 1967, the team had settled on a different design - one that removed the lettering and instead featured a large Blue Note across the chest. In fact, the jersey the team settled on by Opening Night in that inaugural season closely resembles the sweaters the team has recently worn during the 2017 and 2022 NHL Winter Classics.
According to a 2016 article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the whereabouts of the blue prototype jersey are unknown, but the white prototype sweater has had quite a journey.
After wearing a jersey for that photo in 1966, Patrick kept the white prototype on display in his office, where it remained until his death in 1980. It eventually ended up at a sports collectible show in Toronto in 1994, where it was sold to a Chesterfield resident before being sold again in March 2016 to Tim Beever, the long-time Blues fan responsible for the @STLBluesHistory Twitter account. Years later, Beever returned the jersey to the Patrick family, who is graciously loaning it to the Blues for display outside Portal 15 at Enterprise Center during the team's Reverse Retro games this season.
So while those original prototypes were never worn on the ice, they are still part of the franchise's history and are the basis for design of the Blues' adidas Reverse Retro 2022 sweaters, which will debut on Nov. 17 against the Washington Capitals. The Reverse Retros will be worn in six additional games this season, too: Nov. 21 vs. Anaheim, Dec. 8 vs. Winnipeg, Dec. 11 vs. Colorado, Dec. 29 vs. Chicago, Jan. 10 vs. Calgary and Jan. 24 vs. Buffalo.
"The Reverse Retro 2022 program, our latest collaboration with adidas and all 32 teams, celebrates the intersection of lifestyle, culture and of course hockey with a youthful, fan-forward focus," said Brian Jennings, NHL Chief Brand Officer and Senior Executive Vice President. "Each design captures the team's unique spirit that connects the past with the future. We look forward to rekindling the passionate discussion and debate among team fanbases that this simultaneous launch of all 32 designs is sure to generate."
Reverse Retro jerseys are available for preorder now at the STL Authentics Team Store or by visiting STLAuthentics.com. Jerseys and additional Reverse Retro gear - including hats, beanies, hoodies and T-shirts - will be available at STL Authentics beginning Nov. 15.