Backes, Unger win Bob Plager Legends Award

Former Blues David Backes and Garry Unger were named winners of the Bob Plager Legends Award on Monday night at the 2021 Jack Buck Awards.
The awards are held annually at the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis.
The Legends Award was first presented in 2001 but was renamed for Plager after his passing last March. The award is given to a St. Louis sports personality who is deemed to have had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the community.

Previous Blues' winners include Plager (2019), Barret Jackman (2016), Chris Pronger (2013), Keith Tkachuk (2011) and Bernie Federko (2004).
New this year, the Jack Buck Awards also introduced the Jim Ryan Memorial Trophy, which will be given annually to the St. Louis area youth hockey player that demonstrates remarkable abilities on and off the ice with respect to playing ability, leadership skills and gentlemanly behavior. The award was named for long-time MAC member and former Minnesota Golden Gopher Jim Ryan, who passed away after a courageous battle with cancer in 2020.
This year's recipient of the Jim Ryan Memorial Trophy was Alex Fender, a lifelong St. Louisan who played his youth hockey with the Meramec Sharks. Fender currently plays for the AAA Junior Blues.