• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Commentary

David Backes Quieting Critics with Big Bad Bruins Style

By Cam Hasbrouck October 15th, 2016

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Boston is a difficult city for any professional athlete. Be it hockey, baseball, basketball – you name it, Bostonians love their sports teams. The fans are passionate (and therefore harsh at times), and the media is critical. If you want to be loved in Beantown, you need to earn it. David Backes is doing just that.

Sure, we’re only a game into the regular season, so it’s far too early to call the Backes signing a success. But one thing’s for sure, the veteran forward has quieted those who critiqued his signing much faster than anticipated.

David Backes winning over every #Bruins fan in game one. Guy is a stud. #BadNewsBackes

— Frank Pimentel (@FrankBostonTank) October 14, 2016

Backes vs. Eriksson – The Unavoidable Comparison

The issue that many fans had with the Backes signing wasn’t really about his play at all. Instead, it was about the context of the deal. The Bruins chose to let one of their top scorers, Loui Eriksson, walk, opting not to pay him the six-year, $36-million deal he eventually signed with Vancouver.

Instead, the B’s brought in veteran forward David Backes, signing him to a five-year deal worth the same AAV as Eriksson’s. The key is, Backes has had worse production numbers than Eriksson has had over the past few seasons, and the former Blues captain is a year older than Eriksson.

Why then, bring in an older and less-producing forward at the same annual price? Well, maybe it wasn’t just about scoring.

David Backes brings a unique style of play that Boston has cherished throughout its history. It’s the cliche that has echoed through the halls of TD Garden and the original Boston Garden for decades – Big Bad Bruins hockey – and it’s a perfect fit for Backes.

David Backes’ first as a Bruin. pic.twitter.com/4nlAJxd2Dn

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 14, 2016

There’s no doubting that Eriksson is a talented player. However, he played a style of hockey that favored finesse over physicality, and Boston decided to move in another direction. That’s not to say that Eriksson wasn’t tough; he was strong on the puck and was able to work his way through physical situations. But he didn’t set a physical, rough-and-tough pace. Backes does just that.

It’s a style of play that has led to quite a bit of success for the former Blues captain and plays perfectly into his leadership role. He’s willing to throw his weight around for the team and he sets the tone for his teammates to do the same. The aggressive, in-your-face style of play can be effective, but everyone has to buy in. Backes has his teammates doing just that so far.


Our Bruins Team Page Now Includes the Black N’ Gold Hockey Podcast


Backes’ Style a Perfect Fit for Boston

Backes came to Boston praising their “don’t-take-crap-from-anybody” style of play. He’s made it clear early on that he fits into that system.

We saw this in the regular season opener on Thursday, when Backes got down and dirty with Columbus’ Josh Anderson just minutes into the first frame. The two would sit two minutes a piece for roughing, but more importantly, Backes demonstrated right off the bat to Bruins fans that he wasn’t going to stray away from the tough stuff. Instead, he was going to look for it.

If you followed the Bruins preseason, you’ve already seen this. In Boston’s final preseason game, Backes unloaded on Philadelphia’s Jakub Voracek, and then dropped the gloves with Sean Couturier immediately after. It wasn’t a vicious fight by any means (nor should it have been, considering it was the preseason), but it said everything about Backes’ character that Bruins fans needed to hear.

Production and Destruction

Now, Backes also netted two goals and an assist while notching a plus-five rating in Boston’s season opener. Production like that will help Bruins fans forget about Eriksson very quickly. But there’s a lot more that the six-foot-three-inch, 221-pound forward has to offer.

The point is, Backes is a big, physical player who leads by example. He puts himself out there for the team and calls upon them to do the same. Maybe, now that the season is settling in, and offseason contract talk has quieted down a little bit, Bruins fans will learn that Backes has more to offer than many people had anticipated.

  • Tags
  • David Backes
  • Loui Eriksson
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 15th 6:25 PM
Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens’ Romanov Fired Up to Face Oilers’ McDavid and Draisaitl

Jan 15th 6:00 PM
San Jose Sharks

Sharks’ Second Line Shines in Season Opener

Jan 15th 5:50 PM
Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs’ Marner Looking to Add Goals to His Stats

Jan 15th 5:35 PM
Buffalo Sabres

Three Takeaways from the Sabres’ Season Opener

Jan 15th 4:50 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers News and Rumors: Smith, Barrie, Forsberg, Puljujarvi, More

Jan 15th 4:40 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Have Rough Season Opener but No Need to Panic

Jan 15th 4:20 PM
Column

Jets News & Rumors: Scheifele, Laine, Hellebuyck, Lewis & Quicksand

Jan 15th 4:10 PM
New York Rangers

Rangers Bring More of the Same in 2020-21 Opening Night

Jan 15th 3:45 PM
Column

Red Wings News & Rumors: Ryan, COVID, Markstrom & More

Jan 15th 3:30 PM
Boston Bruins

2020-21 Season Openers: Flames Lose Again, Islanders & Capitals Excel

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information