David Backes finally will get his shot at the Stanley Cup in his 13th year in the NHL, and against his former team, no less.
The Bruins forward spent 10 years with the St. Louis Blues before signing with Boston prior to the 2016-17 season. The closest Backes got to a Cup Final was during the 2015-16 season, when the Blues lost to the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Final.
Backes revealed he still has friends he’ll be gearing up to take on come Monday when Game 1 begins, but they’ll be enemies for the next three or so weeks.
“… Now it’s all about what’s in this room,” Backes said after Wednesday’s practice. “There’s still some good friends, one of my best friends is on that team. He’s the captain of their team but I told him I love them now and I’ll love him afterwards. But I’ll hate him for the next three weeks, and I think that’s a mutual decision.”
Backes, of course, is talking about Alex Pietrangelo. The two spent eight seasons in St. Louis together.
There’s plenty of reason for Backes to be emotional heading into the Cup Final. He was a healthy scratch throughout the regular and postseason, but has provided a spark to the lineup when needed. And now he’s chasing his first Stanley Cup against the team he called home for so long.
“They’ve got a heck of a team. We’ve got a heck of a team,” he said. “There’s gonna be heightened emotions.”
Check out Backes’ full media availability below:
