St. Louis Blues chairman breaks silence after incident involving law enforcement at home game
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Blues chairman Tom Stillman condemned hateful banners shown at Thursday's game against Vegas and said arena staff and police removed the fans responsible.
St. Louis Blues chairman Tom Stillman has spoken out after banners carrying hateful messages appeared at Enterprise Center during Thursday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The banners showed up on October 22 in at least two spots, rinkside seats and a private box overlooking Sections 111 and 112.
The St. Louis Jewish Light reports it's unclear exactly when they went up or how long they stayed visible.
Stillman said arena staff and local law enforcement moved fast, confiscated the banners and ejected the people responsible.
Stillman's message to fans
Stillman said he and the entire organization condemn this hatred in every form.
He called what was displayed unfortunate and unforgivable, and he stressed it doesn't represent Blues fans or the city of St. Louis in any way.
He also made it clear that hate like that will never be allowed inside the building.
“The St. Louis Blues organization - and I personally - condemn antisemitic rhetoric in all forms. The vile messages of hate briefly displayed at our game last Thursday were unfortunate and unforgivable, and not remotely representative of our fans or our hometown. Our arena staff and local law enforcement responded immediately to confiscate the prohibited banners and eject the offending individuals. Antisemitism has no place in our community, and we will never allow it in our building.”
- Tom Stillman
- Tom Stillman
Stillman has led the franchise since his ownership group took over in 2012, and he has long described the Blues as an important civic institution for St. Louis.
That context is a big reason this response carried so much weight around the city.
Back to the ice
On the ice, Thursday turned out to be a strong night for St. Louis.
The Blues crushed Vegas 6-2 at home, which moved them to 5-4-1 through ten games.
Saturday was a different story, a 4-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Enterprise Center.
Now the focus shifts back to hockey, but the organization has left no doubt where it stands.
Fans filling that building every night are the ones who set the tone, and the Blues made clear they plan to keep it that way.
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