• Loading stock data...
Friday, July 11, 2025

St. Louis Blues Bring Cup Run To YouTube While Awaiting More Games

  • While the NHL remains on pause, Matt Gardner, the Blues’ vice president of digital media and emerging technology, is looking to YouTube for content opportunities.
  • Over the last 90 days, the Blues have seen 87% and 360% increases in average view times and unique viewers on YouTube, respectively.
st-louis-blues-youtube
Photo Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

While the St. Louis Blues have seen the value of YouTube from a content perspective, they always struggled to find time to build on it. 

But with the NHL season remaining on hold through April 30, the team has a chance to revisit the historic Stanley Cup run of 2019 and produce content to serve the team and the Blues’ brand.

“We realized for some time now that there were more opportunities on YouTube that we can take advantage of,” Matt Gardner, the Blues’ vice president of digital media and emerging technology, said. “This ultimately was a great time for us to use this pause in the NHL season to take a step back and determine some different ways that we can focus.”

When mulling over new content ideas, Gardner’s attention shifted towards YouTube, which he believed could help the Blues produce more material and grow their audience size.

Gardner was particularly intrigued by the power of YouTube’s video-first approach. After finding past success utilizing apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for video purposes, it motivated him and the Blues to invest more heavily into YouTube.

From the moment that the Blues won the Stanley Cup on June 12, 2019, they were presented with incredible amounts of footage, Gardner said. The team’s camera crew was able to shoot every possible moment, from the Blues’ on-ice celebration to bringing the Stanley Cup back to St. Louis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BkQW3g2P9Y

Realizing the amount of footage at he and his staff’s disposal, Gardner saw the opportunity to build something big out of it. On March 29, the Blues released the first episode of “History Made: Director’s Cut,” a series presented by Bud Light that provides viewers never-before-seen footage of the 24 hours following the Blues’ championship win.

Aided by the premiere of “History Made,” the Blues were able to add 6,500 new subscribers to their YouTube channel, which currently boasts more than 22,300. 

Over the last 90 days, the Blues have seen roughly 212,000 unique viewers on their YouTube profile – about a 360% increase, Gardner said. They have also been able to generate more than 3.6 million impressions and see an 87% rise in average view time on videos.

“We were able to determine that, based on the footage we had, we could really extend this into a multiple-episode, limited-time series,” he said. 

The “History Made” documentary was initially supposed to only last two episodes, Gardner said. The positive response from fans has inspired the Blues to extend it to four. They have since released two more episodes: “March Down Market” – an inside look into the team’s championship parade – and “Summer With The Champs,” where viewers are able to see a players’ day with the Stanley Cup trophy.

READ MORE: New York Giants Hunker Down With YouTube For Offseason Content

Thanks to “History Made,” the Blues have been building upon their first step in their YouTube evolution – get more content out there, Gardner said. 

Since bringing more than 6,500 new subscribers to their channel, the next step is to continue creating original content, followed by potential monetization opportunities. Thus far, two of the Blues’ three “History Made” episodes have been presented by existing Blues partners Bud Light and Dobbs. 

During the pause, the Blues will continue to lean on Blue Note Productions, their in-house production team, on new ideas for limited-edition series. The focus will stay on YouTube, which Gardner feels is the easiest way for fans and their families to consume Blues content at home. 

“There’s no better time than when you have a little bit of a step back – like we have now – to focus on how you can continue to move your business forward to hopefully make a much larger impact down the road,” he said. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena

Stanley Cup’s International Summer Tour: Rules, Repairs, and Raucousness

No pro trophy tour compares to the NHL’s three-month global victory lap.
Jun 16, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) is introduced before the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers in game five of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center.

NBA Taking Cues From NBA Twitter in Restoring Finals Pageantry

The NBA and ESPN/ABC made several changes on the fly.

Streaming Tops Linear for First Time, Sports Still Key to TV’s Resilience

Streaming hits another critical milestone in an accelerating media transition.

Featured Today

Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
Jul 10, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Iga Swiatek of Poland at her on court interview after winning her match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on day 11 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Wimbledon Set to Deliver Strong Finals Matchup for ESPN

Novak Djokovic is still in the hunt for his 25th Grand Slam.
Feb 7, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies center Tarris Reed Jr. (5) reacts after his basket against the St. John's Red Storm in the first half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
July 8, 2025

After Decade Apart, ESPN and Big East Rekindle Media Rights Relationship

After a decade-plus apart, the network will stream hundreds of conference events.
Paige Bueckers
exclusive
July 8, 2025

Women’s March Madness Expansion Wouldn’t Yield More ESPN Money

ESPN is not required to pay extra if women’s March Madness expands.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Jul 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Mexico forward Marcel Ruiz (14) heads the ball in front of United States midfielder Brenden Aaronson (11) in the second half during the 2025 Gold Cup Final at NRG Stadium.
July 7, 2025

USMNT Struggles Still Produce Big Gold Cup Ratings for Fox

The U.S. team’s recent issues culminated in a loss to Mexico.
July 2, 2025

Paramount Settles Trump Suit Ahead of NFL Season, Skydance Merger

The deal likely allows the much larger Skydance merger deal to proceed.
Leo Messi
June 27, 2025

TNT, Club World Cup Ride Messi to Surprisingly Solid Debut Ratings

TNT Sports carries about a third of matches in the U.S.
June 24, 2025

Fever vs. Aces Draws 5th-Largest TV Audience of 2025 WNBA Season

ESPN will carry seven more Indiana Fever games this year.