David Backes isn’t about to “sling mud” at the St. Louis Blues after they couldn’t agree on term.
As Backes told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “there’s no leaving town with fingers-out-the-window.”
Still, while Blues GM Doug Armstrong discusses bell curves and how players regress with age, Backes really exposed the human side beyond “just business” in that Post-Dispatch piece that’s worth your time.
Things got dusty for Backes when he watched this tribute video from the team.
Thank you, @dbackes42. https://t.co/bYRecZEPiA #stlblueshttps://t.co/PIUaRE6A3u
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) July 1, 2016
“It made me well up to watch it, to see that first goal,” Backes said to the Post-Dispatch. “I’m still a kid, lanky, don’t know where my appendages are in that video, playing with (Keith) Tkachuk and living in his basement. All those memories are vivid and they come back.”
On the same day that he signed a five-year, $30 million contract with the Boston Bruins, Backes shared this farewell letter to Blues fans on Twitter:
A great mixture of emotions and thankful for an amazing decade of my life! Farewell @StLouisBlues #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/AyYSSOqj06
— David Backes (@dbackes42) July 1, 2016
As a “numbers nerd,” Backes understands the Blues’ perspective, at least to some extent.
That doesn’t mean there are no emotions involved in leaving a team you represented for more than a decade.
.@dbackes42 talks about the emotions of writing his farewell letter on Twitter and adds a few more thoughts.https://t.co/Zc1qELlTko
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) July 1, 2016