David Backes on St. Louis return: ‘I’m trying to control myself’

Until this season, the St. Louis Blues were all David Backes knew as an NHL player. For 727 regular-season and 49 postseason games, they were his identity.

“It was a time when I was able to grow as a person and as an athlete. Start a family, start a foundation,” he said.

Backes wasn’t in the plans for the Blues last summer, at least not at the contractual terms the Boston Bruins eventually extended to him: Five years and $30 million. He already faced his old mates once in a loss to the Blues in Boston back on Nov. 22, 2016, a game in which he scored a goal.

“That was a nice little baby step to playing my old team, and my old friends,” he said.

But on Tuesday night, the former captain returns to Scottrade Center for the first time in an enemy uniform.

Via In the Slot and Lou Korac, Backes captured the moment:

“I’m going to try to control myself and my emotions and live in the moment and enjoy the time,” said Backes, who played in 727 regular season games with the Blues. “There are a few times in your career where you get special nights and tonight is going to be special, no question, coming back to a place where I spent 10 years, had a lot of special moments here, have my wife and daughter at the game, a lot of friends they’ll be sitting with, and I just want to enjoy it and be in the moment and not look past it and not take anything for granted.

“At the end of the day I’m going to try to do everything I can to help my team come out of here with two points against a team that I know is very tough and has already beaten us once this year (4-2 in Boston on Nov. 22). In the midst of that, I know there’s going to be some special moments throughout. I want to enjoy every second of it and it starts with the morning skate and being back in this building and this room and seeing some of the familiar faces that are around the rink as well.”

It’s always a guessing game when former star players return to their old stomping grounds. One assumes there will be a tribute from the team. One assumes the fans aren’t holding the financial and personnel realities of the team against their former captain, and that he’ll be celebrated.

“It feels like home,” he said. “Hopefully there are a couple of Backes jerseys get dusted off.”

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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