Brouwer relishes role as playoff performer
So much for insider info.
In the spring of 2016, a few pals asked rugged right-winger Troy Brouwer — then a member of the St. Louis Blues — if he’d be a wise investment in their playoff fantasy pools. And? “Some people that asked me, I had a pretty good injury before the playoffs started, so I told them not to pick me,” Brouwer admitted after Wednesday’s morning skate at the Saddledome. “And it turned out the other way.” Did it ever. The Blues survived two seven-game thrillers before being ousted in the Western Conference final.
Brouwer, now skating for the Calgary Flames, contributed eight goals and five assists along the way, including the decisive snipe in Game 7 of an openinground set with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Only a half-dozen skaters — Phil Kessel and Patric Hornqvist of the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko — piled up more markers for poolies last spring.
Which is why you’ve heard over and over again in recent weeks that this is exactly the time of year the Flames had in mind when they signed Brouwer as an unrestricted free agent.
Heading into Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings, the 31-yearold had scored in three of his past four dates, his best offensive stretch in the Flaming C.
“Pucks have been finding me a little bit lately and I’ve been working hard to get myself into good scoring and good shooting areas,” Brouwer said. “I pride myself on being an impact player at this time of the year.”
It’s been a so-so campaign for Brouwer — before Wednesday’s puck drop, he had totalled 13 goals and 11 helpers in 68 contests.
“It’s a fun time to be known as a guy who plays well in the playoffs and down the stretch, but I’d like to think that doesn’t completely define me as a player,” Brouwer said. “But anytime you’ve had as much playoff experience as I have, you’re going to be looked at in roles like that and to be a player for that type of situation.”
When the puck drops on the 2017 Stanley Cup tourney, Brouwer will be one of the chaps the Flames lean on for leadership and knowhow. He’s logged more playoff appearances, with 98, than any other guy on Calgary’s roster. He earned a ring with Chicago in 2010.
In his eight previous years as an NHL full-timer for the Blackhawks, Washington Capitals or Blues, All told, he has 15 goals, 32 points and 85 penalty minutes on his playoff resume.
“It’s one step,” Brouwer said.
“We can be excited and we should be excited about trying to clinch a playoff spot, but there’s a bigger picture, which is go deeper into the playoffs and ultimately win the Stanley Cup.”