Fowler makes first trip back to Anaheim

He may have played at Honda Center for 15 years, but Cam Fowler isn’t even sure he knows the way to the visiting locker room in Anaheim.

“Luckily (the loading dock) is the same place we used to park for our games,” Fowler said. “Being on the other side of everything and not walking in to the home locker room set up, it’s all going to be super weird.”

The 33-year-old defenseman, who was traded to the St. Louis Blues in December, will make his return to Honda Center on Friday night for the first time in his career as a member of the visiting team.

Fowler's return to Anaheim comes in the heat of a playoff race. Thanks to a 5-1-1 record since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Blues find themselves just two points out of a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, meaning Fowler’s homecoming game in Anaheim comes with big implications.

“I’m happy with the situation we’re in here in St. Louis, playing meaningful hockey. Every game matters to us,” he said. “We’re just taking it game by game. With everything wrapped up with me, it’s going to be hard to treat (Friday) as a normal game, but I’m going to do the best I can.”

Fowler’s career in Anaheim spanned 991 games over 15 years. He was a first-round pick of the Ducks (No. 12 overall) in 2010. He spent five seasons as an assistant captain and is the franchise’s all-time leader amongst defensemen in games played (991), goals (96), assists (361), points (457) and game-winning goals (18). Only Ryan Getzlaf (1,157) has played more games with the Ducks.

“I hope it’s a warm welcome from everybody,” Fowler said. “I spent [15] years there and I was happy and honored to be a Duck for all those years. I appreciated the fans and the organization. I hope it’s all love from everyone. It’s all love on my side. I’m grateful for the opportunity I had, so I’m going to try and go in with no expectations and soak it all in as best I can.”

Since the trade to St. Louis, Fowler leads all Blues defensemen with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists).