St. Louis Blues CEO Mike McCarthy resigned his position with the club on Friday as the front office continues to evolve following the recent purchase of the team by a group headed by Tom Stillman.
"With the ownership situation resolved here in St. Louis and on very solid footing with Tom Stillman and his group, I feel comfortable now going back home knowing that the organization has transitioned smoothly and professionally," McCarthy said in a statement. "I am now able with a clear conscience to pursue other interests and should have something to announce shortly in that regard.
"St. Louis is an amazing place to work and live, and I've especially understood that over the past two full seasons. The Blues, and of course Blues fans, are a major reason why I will always look back on my time here with great fondness. I thank my front office colleagues for making this journey a truly enriching professional experience."
McCarthy was a founding partner of Dave Checketts' SCP Worldwide group that bought the Blues in 2006 and recently opened the refurbished Peabody Opera House.
"Mike McCarthy has done an outstanding job managing the business of the Blues, the Scottrade Center, and the Peabody Opera House," Stillman said in a release. "He has done so at considerable personal sacrifice, as he has been away from his wife and family for long stretches of time. Having guided the business through the closing of the sale transaction, Mike has decided to return home to the New York area to continue his career.
"I want to thank Mike for his excellent work and his professionalism, and I wish him the very best in the future."
Meanwhile, Blues President John Davidson shot down speculation that he had been talking with the Calgary Flames.
"I have not had any conversations with the Flames," Davidson told the Calgary Herald. "None. That I can assure you."
Davidson, who just finished the first year of a four-year contract extension, is from the Calgary area and still has plenty of ties to the region.
He had a major role in the rebuilding of the Blues, from selling and marketing the club in his position as president to advising on many of the hockey moves that helped get the club out of the basement and into contention for first-place overall this season.
Davidson was a Hall of Fame broadcaster in the NHL before taking the front office position with the Blues, so going back behind the microphone would be another possibility.
Contact reporter Norm Sanders at nsanders@bnd.com or 239-2454.
