R.I.P.

St. Louis Hockey Legend Bobby Plager Dies in Car Crash

The longtime member of the Blues starting lineup was 78.

One of the St. Louis Blues’ founding players died Wednesday in a car crash. Bobby Plager, who started on the team in 1967 and stayed until he retired in 1978, was 78. He was involved in a two-car accident on an interstate highway near his beloved city. The driver of the other car was transported to a hospital for treatment. Plager was part of the team’s starting lineup for 11 seasons and would later coach them for one. His jersey, No. 5, was retired in 2017. The Blues said in a statement, “He was an original 1967 member of the St. Louis Blues, but also an original in every sense of the word. Bobby’s influence at all levels of the Blues organization was profound and everlasting, and his loss to our city will be deep.”