St. Louis Blues become fifth NHL team to allow fans

The St. Louis Blues announced on Wednesday that up to 1,400 fans will be permitted to attend four home games in early February. 

St. Louis hosts the Arizona Coyotes on Feb. 2 and Feb. 4 and then welcomes the Colorado Avalanche to town for contests on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7. 

According to The Associated Press (h/t ESPN), the Blues will join the Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators as the only NHL teams, to date, to welcome fans during the 2020-21 season held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"Our team looks forward to bringing fans back to enjoy Blues hockey with us in person when we return home," Blues president of business operations and CEO Chris Zimmerman said for the prepared statement. "Through the partnership with local health officials and the continued compliance of safety protocols by all members of our team and staff, this marks an important step in responsibly returning our dedicated fans to Enterprise Center. We can't wait to see and hear more of them back in the stands."

Patrons will be seated in pods of two or four seats and must wear masks or other approved face coverings at all times. Tickets will be mobile-entry only, and the Enterprise Center will be a cash-free environment. Fans will not be allowed to bring bags into the arena.