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ST. LOUIS–The Blues will take to the ice tonight for the first time since Wednesday’s fatal accident that took the life of Bob Plager, the legendary player who later became a larger than life ambassador for the franchise and the game of hockey.

When the puck drops in Minnesota against the Wild, Blues players will wear a sticker with Plager’s retired number 5 on their helmets.

Current players and Head Coach Craig Berube spoke for the first time on camera about Plager’s loss and his legacy Thursday.

David Perron, who has played for the Blues in multiple stints, told reporters that Plager would seek him out for conversation when Perron’s teams were in town.

“He’s the reason why I love St. Louis so much. Everyone keeps saying why do you keep coming back. It’s for that type of mentality, that type of guy right there,” Perron said.

“Just meeting talking to him how just him telling stories and how nice of a guy he was, how funny he was, he was just amazing,” Ryan O’Reilly said. “You can tell just how much he meant to the city of St. Louis, everyone he met, you know you felt special… he gave you the time of day, it’s so sad….we lost a huge piece of this organization and a great ambassador for the game, it’s deeply saddening.”

The Blues return home to face Anaheim Friday night at Enterprise Center.