"I loved my year last year in St. Louis," Brouwer said. "I loved getting to know the guys, the city ... it was phenomenal. Unfortunately, I had to move on. It's always difficult; it's always a weird feeling when you play your old team, your old friends. I've done it a few times. I had a bunch of the guys over, the trainers over last night for dinner. We shared some laughs and had some fun.
"It's always tough to move teams, but it's always tough to move away from your friends."
That memorable playoff run in St. Louis last spring that included Brouwer is something Blues' defenceman Carl Gunnarsson won't soon forget.
"Being part of our team when we went that deep in the playoffs, we all grew together like a family and all of a sudden he's gone," said Gunnarsson, who draws back into the lineup tonight after missing two contests with an upper-body injury. "It'll be a little weird but we'll put that aside tonight at game time and after we'll chat a bit, hug and have a handshake. That's kind of how it works."
The Flames inked Brouwer to a four-year deal on Jul. 1 this past summer.
Adding a veteran forward who could provide some leadership and add some scoring punch to the Flames lineup was what general manager Brad Treliving had in mind.
"We only had him for one year, but he had such a big impact on our team," said defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk, who is in his seventh season with the Blues. "I still remember how hard he plays and how hard he is to play against. In that respect, he is someone who you're always going to be looking out for on the ice and someone who can hurt you at any time.
"It's going to be a little strange to play against him, but I still have it fresh in my mind the type of player that he is when you are facing off against him."
What Brouwer had in mind was a unique opportunity to help guide a young team and play a big role in the growth of a team in a Canadian market.
So far, so good, for Brouwer
Although it's still early, Brouwer has provided a taste of what he has to offer. Three goals in his first five games to lead the team in goals.
"It's been great so far. Right when I got here, such a warm reception," Brouwer said. "Everybody made a great effort to make me feel comfortable, make my family feel comfortable. Such a great group of guys in here.
"I'm still trying to get to know them and everything, but it's been a great time so far."
