It’s been a long time coming for David Backes, but the 34-year-old finally is heading to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Boston Bruins punched their ticket to compete for Lord Stanley on Thursday night with a 4-0 Game 4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Backes, who was a healthy scratch throughout the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, played in all four games against Carolina.
Backes spent his first 12 years in the league without ever reaching a Cup Final. But that dream became a reality Thursday night, and it left the winger a little emotional.
“I’ve thought about this moment for a long time, of playing for that ultimate prize you dream of when you’re a kid,” Backes said, via NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty. “Now it’s reality. It’s us against one other team, and one of us is going home with that Stanley Cup. We’re concentrated on the Boston Bruins winning a Stanley Cup. With this group of brothers we’ve created here, we’re all in for our team, and whoever the opponent is, we’re gonna face them head on.”
The Bruins don’t know who their opponent will be just yet, though they know the dates and times of the games, as they await the winner of the St. Louis Blues-San Jose Sharks Western Conference Final.
If the Blues emerge victorious, Backes will find himself gunning for NHL’s biggest prize against the team he spent his first 10 years in the league with.
