Brouwer set to face old Blues mates
Troy Brouwer knows Saturday night is going to be weird.
It always is, playing against your former team — guys you battled with, laughed with and spent nearly every day around.
He wasn’t with the St. Louis Blues long, just one season (82 regular season games plus another 20 in playoffs), but when the Calgary Flames winger squares off against former linemates like Jaden Schwartz, Paul Stastny and Robby Fabbri, he knows it will be a process to feel comfortable.
“I know I didn’t have a long stint there, but you’re playing against a bunch of friends,” Brouwer said. “We were going to have a few of them over for dinner on Friday night, just to see some good buddies again, and then faceoff against them the next day.”
Both teams are in similar situations — coming off losses. The Flames dropped a 4-2 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday while the Blues lost 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers.
The one thing making it easier on Brouwer, 31, is that he’s done this a few times in his NHL career.
Having played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals, too, it’s not the first time he’s faced his old mates.
“Those first couple of shifts are tough,” he said. “You have to find a fine line between the competitiveness and friendship. It’s weird, but I’ve got a lot of practise (at it) over the last couple of years.
“It’s hard to explain, a weird feeling.”
The other side of it is the added knowledge of the Blues’ systems that Brouwer brings to the table.
Troy Brouwer knows Saturday night is going to be weird.
It always is, playing against your former team — guys you battled with, laughed with and spent nearly every day around.
He wasn’t with the St. Louis Blues long, just one season (82 regular season games plus another 20 in playoffs), but when the Calgary Flames winger squares off against former linemates like Jaden Schwartz, Paul Stastny and Robby Fabbri, he knows it will be a process to feel comfortable.
“I know I didn’t have a long stint there, but you’re playing against a bunch of friends,” Brouwer said. “We were going to have a few of them over for dinner on Friday night, just to see some good buddies again, and then faceoff against them the next day.”
Both teams are in similar situations — coming off losses. The Flames dropped a 4-2 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday while the Blues lost 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers.
The one thing making it easier on Brouwer, 31, is that he’s done this a few times in his NHL career.
Having played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals, too, it’s not the first time he’s faced his old mates.
“Those first couple of shifts are tough,” he said. “You have to find a fine line between the competitiveness and friendship. It’s weird, but I’ve got a lot of practise (at it) over the last couple of years.
“It’s hard to explain, a weird feeling.”
The other side of it is the added knowledge of the Blues’ systems that Brouwer brings to the table.
Goaltender Brian Elliott, too, has been on the other side. He spent five seasons with the Blues and