PLAYING THE BLAME GAME
Flames’ Brouwer answers critics
When Troy Brouwer signed a four-year deal with the Calgary Flames two summers ago, it put an $18 million bull’s-eye on his back.
Since then, whenever the Flames power play doesn’t work, it’s his fault.
When the penalty-killing unit falters, he’s to blame.
Simply put, when things aren’t going the Flames way, fans find a way to point fingers at Brouwer, who may never be able to live up the expectations that come with a $4.5 million salary.
After all, it’s nearly impossible to while languishing on the fourth line, giving his detractors even more ammunition.
He admitted Tuesday that early on in his Calgary stint he didn’t handle the demotion or the onslaught of criticism well.
But the fact is, Brouwer has been playing pretty well lately.
It has plenty to do with his role on Mikael Backlund’s 2M Line, which has seen Brouwer step in admirably in a secondline role for the injured Michael Frolik.
“To be honest I don’t think it should be much of a surprise — that’s kind of the role I thought I would play when I came here,” said the 32-year-old winger who has a goal, three assists and one great fight in Tampa during his eight-game promotion.
“Obviously situations change and I am where I am the last little while. But that’s the role I’ve played the last ten years and the role I feel I’m most effective in. It’s my style of play and that way I can get some rhythm, play hard and get to the net and try to make guys on my line better.”
Signed for his size, grittiness, experience, leadership and playoff success, there were initial hopes the former Stanley Cup winner might fit on the top line with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau.
When that chemistry didn’t develop, coach Glen Gulutzan said the plan for him was for a second-line role until an 18-yearold rookie named Matthew Tkachuk took the Flames and the league by storm with a skill-set that made him an excellent fit for Backlund’s line.
A stint on the third line with Sam Bennett didn’t create a spark, leading to a fourth-line role he finished last season with and opened with in the fall.
The three-time 20-goal scorer has three on the season.
“It’s tough because as you get older you know you’re going to have to change your role and accept it,” said Brouwer, who has discussed his situation openly with Gulutzan and GM Brad Treliving.
“I’ll say maybe at times I wasn’t the best at handling it and it was tough on me. But right now things are going well for me and when Fro (Frolik) comes back we’ll see. If I have to move back down I accept that. I just try to keep playing the same way, with the ability to move up if they need me.”
Gulutzan said the key to helping a player through various demotions is an open line of communication, especially when he feels the target on his back.
“We don’t talk about money, but guys get paid in the league for what they’ve done and he’s done a lot,” said Gulutzan, who has taken endless heat for using Brouwer as a net-front presence on the power play.
“He’s a guy who is used to playing with really good players and he can think with them and make plays. He’s picked up his game and is playing well with these guys.
“He played on our power play last year — it was pretty good and he was a big part of it. On our penalty kill he’s rolling out there first against the big dogs. He does the little things that go unnoticed.”
His next stop in the lineup may very well be a third-line gig alongside Mark Jankowski and Bennett, which won’t do much to taper constant criticisms he admits weren’t easy to handle early on.
“Last year when I first signed here I felt it a little bit,” said Brouwer of the media and fan noise.
“You learn to ignore it. For me, especially this year, it’s going to do me absolutely no good if I pay attention to it.
“So you guys can be as lifting or debilitating as you want to and I’m not going to pay attention to it.”
Good idea, as Tuesday’s overtime loss is the latest example of fault-finders piling on.
Brouwer was tasked with spending the entire 90 seconds of the extra frame killing off a 4-on-3 and despite doing it admirably he was slammed for losing a key faceoff just before Jack Eichel’s winning goal.
“It is a long time to be on the ice if you’re flying up and down the ice, but when you’re on a 4-on-3 you’re not moving a whole lot — none of us were that tired really,” said Brouwer, who many argued should not have taken the final draw against the league’s best, Ryan O’Reilly.
“I have been taking faceoffs a lot lately and the last two games I was over 60 per cent. When I was in Washington I would take 200 to 300 draws a year, so it’s something I’m used to.”
Just like the criticism, warranted or not.
He’s a guy who is used to playing with really good players and he can think with them and make plays.