Gordo: Enterprise Center's 30 years has produced fabulous sports memories

Diehard Blues fans didnt know what to make of Kiel Center when it opened 30 years ago.

The House that Hullie Built offered a cheery new atmosphere for hockey.

Wide concourses afforded easy egress.

Shiny new bathrooms drew appreciation from the beer drinkers.

But the Barbies Playhouse color scheme was off-putting to many.

The Arena was a classic hockey barn, a rough-and-tumble home for a (Chuck) Norris Division team.

Water-stained tarps hung under the leaky roof.

Rodents kept the Arena Cats busy.

The upper decks hovered over the end boards, giving fans a clear shot at the ice for debris-tossing protests of unfavorable officiating.

Kiel Center seemed so spacious and sterile by contrast.

Wearing a game-worn, blood-stained Sergio Momesso sweater through the doors at 14th and Clark just didnt feel right.

The Arena had history with sports fans and folks were sad to see it go.

Now, 30 years on, its replacement enjoys a rich history too.

It all worked out.

The Blues success during their Brett Hull Era inspired city fathers to build the new arena.

Naturally, Hull scored twice as the Blues defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 in their debut there, on Jan.

26, 1995, after the end of another NHL labor dispute.

In a nod to The Arena, Murray Baron fought Rick Tocchet midway through the third period, then again after the games final horn.

So much happened over the years as the Kiel Center became Savvis Center, then Scottrade Center, then Enterprise Center.

The building experienced ups and downs and persevered through financial challenges, just like the Blues.

The Barbies Playhouse colors didnt last, but the venue endured.

These days Enterprise Center shines, thanks to its $150 million overhaul and the additional $30 million the Blues ownership group has invested.

The building will host another high-profile sports event April 10-12, when the Frozen Four NCAA hockey championships return.

The advance team for that event was in town last week, checking out logistics in the refurbished facility.

That event will draw sellout crowds and add another stellar event to the arenas annals.

Singling out highlights from three decades of sports is a challenge, but well take a stab at it.

The Braggin Rights basketball games between Illinois and Missouri created a bunch of them, with the Kiwane Garris Redemption Game ranking high on that list.

Two years after he doomed Illinois by missing potential game-winning free throws in a triple-overtime loss at The Arena, Garris delivered a 23-point, eight-assist, eight-rebound performance in 1995.

The Fighting Illini outlasted the Tigers 96-85 in overtime thanks to Jerry Hesters late heroics.

Larry Hughes stayed home to star for SLU in 1997-98 during the heyday of Conference USA.

Among the big victories that season was a 67-65 nail-biter over Marquette that helped the Billikens earn an at-large NCAA Tournament berth.

Long before Caitlin Clark created unprecedented buzz for womens basketball, there was Jackie Stiles.

She led Southwest Missouri State on a run to the 2001 Womens Final Four.

Definitely the magic of it is what Ill remember most, Stiles later recalled.

It gives me chills sometimes, talking about it, reliving it.

Alas, the Lady Bears fell to Purdue in their semifinal game.

But her historic 1,064-point campaign made her one of the sports all-time greats.

The Missouri Valley Conferences mens basketball tournament, Arch Madness, has generated plenty of thrilling finishes during its annual event.

In 2004, Northern Iowa outlasted Southwest Missouri State 79-74 in double overtime in the championship game with Ben Jacobson pouring in 26 points.

At the 2007 Frozen Four, Michigan State forward Justin Abdelkader scored the decisive goal with 18.9 seconds left, punching in a pass from behind the net, as the Spartans defeated Boston College for the NCAA title.

The 2009 Womens Final Four here was a spectacle.

The UConn machine rolled to the sixth of its 11 national titles under coach Geno Auriemma with lopsided victories over Stanford and Louisville.

Led by Tina Charles and Maya Moore, the Huskies finished their season 39-0 and won every game by double digits.

This one is going to be really special because of the way we did it, Auriemma told the TV audience while his players danced and sang in the background.

Arch Madness produced another classic in 2012 when Doug McDermott went off for 33 points to lead Creighton to its 83-79 overtime victory over Illinois State in the championship game.

During the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, Brandon Koenig hit two 3-point jumpers in the last 11.7 seconds to lift Wisconsin past No.

2 seed Xavier 66-63.

Off an inbounds play, Koenig hit the winning corner fadeaway in front his bench at the buzzer, triggering a frenzied celebration.

We worked on it a few times in practice, coach Greg Gard said.

It always looks better when the ball goes in.

Missouri wrestling star Jden Cox won this third NCAA title here in 2017, erasing memories of his fifth-place finish here in 2015 with a career-capping 8-2 decision over Minnesotas Brett Pfarr.

The 2020 NHL All-Star Game brought the leagues biggest stars back to town for the first time since the 1988 game at the old place.

Jordan Binnington put on a show during the goaltender portion of the skills competition, making 10 saves in a row.

But the venues top 30-year highlight simply must be Pat Maroons Game 7 double-overtime net-crashing goal that dispatched the Dallas Stars in the 2019 playoffs and propelled the Blues on their Stanley Cup run.

As a kid, playing in a basement, on the street, you always think about doing this, Maroon said.

Its unreal.

It means the world.

Maroon is a hometown hero and throwback, a physical heart-and-soul winger who would have fit right in during a Blues-Blackhawks melee back in The Arena days.

Its only fitting that he played a key role this franchise finally winning the Cup.

Of all the many improvements made at Enterprise Center over the decades, none was greater than finally hanging that Stanley Cup banner from the rafters..

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