The Blues began in 1973 as members of the United States Hockey League, then a senior circuit with teams spread across the midwest.
[1] After the year, the team transferred to the Continental Hockey League, a relatively new outfit that was more compact with clubs between Milwaukee and St. Louis.
The team was organized by Campbell Enterprises, Inc. and had a contract with the city of Madison to use the Hartmeyer Ice Arena as its home rink.
Part of the agreement was that Campbell was required to make improvements to the building primarily by upgrading the facilities.
[2] While the courts ultimately rules that the city was not at fault as it had not entered into any agreement with Thomas, Campbell was still required to pay for the work that had been completed.