Blues name Bannister coach, remove interim tag
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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
The St. Louis Blues took the interim tag off of Drew Bannister’s title, naming him their new head coach.
Bannister, 50, signed a two-year contract, according to Blues president of hockey operations and general manager Doug Armstrong. He becomes the 27th head coach in franchise history.
He was named interim head coach on Dec. 12, 2023, after the team fired Craig Berube. In 54 regular-season games, the Blues had a 30-19-5 record (65 points) under Bannister, who also helped them improve from 23rd to 12th in team goals-against average.
Overall, the Blues improved by 11 points in the standings year over year, although the team missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
“You’re just looking, like: ‘Is there any better out there? Is there something different that we’re missing?” Armstrong said Tuesday on a video call with reporters. “We just came back to our group that Drew had done what we’d asked him to do. We see progression. We see someone that’s earned the right to take the reins and we move forward.”
After three seasons behind the bench with the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL, Bannister spent six seasons coaching in the American Hockey League, including three seasons with the Blues’ affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
“[This is] something I’ve been working towards and something that I wanted for myself, my family moving forward,” said Bannister, who played 178 NHL games in the 1990s and early 2000s and was at peace with his status in recent weeks. “It can be a stressful time, but I felt by the end of the year that I’d done a lot of positive things with the players, with the team. Certainly, was disappointing the way it ended up for us, but overall, I was happy with the strides we made.”
Armstrong said all assistants would return under Bannister, who will be tasked with building lasting relationships with the leadership group of captain Brayden Schenn, All-Star Robert Thomas and defensemen Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk, among others. He likes what he has seen so far in that and other departments enough to trust Bannister with the direction of the franchise.
“He did a very good job in a difficult situation last year,” Armstrong said. “Now having a full training camp and two-year term to put his stamp on this team, we’re looking forward to that.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The San Diego Padres placed right-hander Michael King on the 15-day injured list Thursday because of left knee inflammation.
King (4-2, 2.81 ERA) had just come off the IL on Saturday, allowing two runs in as many innings of a no-decision against the Boston Red Sox.
It was his first start since May 18 as he dealt with shoulder inflammation.
Now, he’s back on the IL with a knee issue in a move retroactive to Monday.
It’s a setback for a red-hot Padres team, who will carry a five-game winning streak into a weekend showdown against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. First-place San Diego is one game ahead of L.A. in the NL West.
King had been scheduled to start the series opener Friday.
In the corresponding roster move, the Padres recalled right-hander Randy Vásquez from Triple-A El Paso.
While the Milwaukee Brewers keep on rolling, another Wisconsin business is stocking up on beef and buns.
For the third time in its history, George Webb Restaurants will make good on its promise of giving away free hamburgers as part of a longstanding promotion to celebrate the Brewers winning 12 consecutive games.
The free burger giveaway will be held Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. CT at all 23 of the restaurant’s locations throughout Wisconsin. Vouchers for a burger at a later date will be available at all locations starting Friday.
“Hungry fans are welcome to stop by any location for a free, juicy burger and some camaraderie with fellow baseball fans,” the restaurant said on its website.
Starting way back in the 1940s, when Milwaukee was home to the minor league Brewers of the old American Association, George Webb promised free burgers if the local baseball team won 17 consecutive games.
The promotion dropped to 13 games by the time the Braves made Milwaukee a big league city in 1953, but that franchise couldn’t make it happen before departing for Atlanta in 1966.
George Webb changed the promotion to 12 games when the Brewers moved from Seattle in 1970. In 1987, the Brewers opened the season with 13 wins in a row, and more than 170,000 burgers were given away to mark the occasion.
The Brewers accomplished the feat a second time in 2018, closing the regular season with eight victories followed by four playoff wins. That streak led to 90,000 free burgers being given away in addition to 100,000 redeemable vouchers.
Prior to reaching the magic mark on Wednesday, the Brewers had come close on a few occasions, including an 11-game winning streak earlier this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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