"There's never been the thought that I'm never going to play again," Brewer told the media recently. "I never had one doctor or one therapist tell me anything other than you'll be playing. It's been a little bit longer than I would have liked, but that's never been an issue. I've always been told, and I continue to be told, that I'll be fine and I'll be playing hockey."
The Blues' captain and ice-time leader has been feeling a nagging back injury for quite some time, which limited him to just 28 games played in 2008-09. It was announced shortly before December 13th to Blues fans that their captain would be sidelined indefinitely with what is said to be an undisclosed back injury. Brewer underwent back surgery in early January, and received a second surgery in mid-April. The 6'3” defenseman says that he still has minimal feeling in his right leg and foot.
Andy Strickland of HockeyBuzz.com recently reported that Brewer may not be ready for training camp in September, but Brewer shot those allegations down as quickly as he heard them.
“You set some goals and it's amazing how many things will work,” Brewer remarked. “I fully plan to start in September and don't have any plans not to. If the worse case happens and I wasn't (able), then I'll deal with that then.”
Brewer has had a few rough seasons since joining the Blues in 2005. In his four year stint with the St. Louis hockey club, Brewer has amassed a dismal -59 plus/minus, giving him a -91 in his ten-season NHL career. But the Blues continue to look at Brewer as a leader on and off the ice.
“It was an excellent choice to name Brew as our Captain,” said forward Keith Tkachuk last February after Brewer was given the “C”. “He has played at a high level for a lot of years playing against the other team's top players night after night.”
Brewer has not played his best hockey during his tenure with the St. Louis Blues, but he will be called upon again next season to help along players such as Erik Johnson and Alex Pietrangelo. His current back problem may have been what was holding him back in the past, but he is optimistic about making a strong comeback and being a top-notch defenseman.
“I'm very confident. You surround yourself with people that give you the advice you need, you believe in them and away you go.”
Thoughts to Ponder:
-Erik Johnson has been skating nearly everyday. Johnson reported that he will be playing at a 100% level very soon. “The biggest thing was how I felt, and I felt great,” Johnson stated. “I’m pretty much ready to go. A little more fine-tuning and I’m there. It feels so good because it’s taken so long."
With Johnson back in the lineup, could we see Brewer and Barret Jackman's time deplete?
-It was reported last Tuesday that the Blues have extended the contract for center Jay McClement. He will be receiving a 3-year, $4.5 million estimated salary. McClement was one of the best checking centers in the league last season, despite his -10 plus/minus. Jay was on the top penalty kill and was even effective offensively if called upon. Could we be seeing a Frank J. Selke finalist in the making? Give Jay some strong line-mates during 5-on-5 play to improve his plus/minus and offensive game, and he may not be far off from that honor.
Keywords: Barret Jackman, Eric Brewer, Erik Johnson, Jay McClement, Keith Tkachuk, NHL, St. Louis Blues, surgery
