Blues give Barbashev tribute that nearly turns emotional

ST. LOUIS -- Tributes happen all the time. They can be trivial at times, but other times, they can be quite meaningful.

The tribute for Ivan Barbashev on Sunday night at Enterprise Center was not only special for the player, but his ex-teammates and his current ones, a well-earned one.

With 7:05 remaining in the first period of Vegas' 5-3 win over the Blues, Barbashev's tribute was on the jumbotron. There were highlights of his seven years in St. Louis, including clips of winning the Stanley Cup in 2019, smiling, with his kid, the works.

It lasted roughly a minute and a half, but for Barbashev, who was traded to Vegas on Feb. 26 for 2021 first-round pick Zach Dean, it was long enough. If it went any further, it may have become wet with tears.

"It stopped at the perfect time," Barbashev said. "It was a really good tribute video.

"I’ve been here for seven years, and I really tried to play my best over here. Sometimes, it wasn’t really good, but at the end, it was really exciting to see."

The applause was quite appreciative from the local faithful, who know all too well how much Barbashev meant to the franchise and its run to the Cup, but it was for being one of the ultimate team players on a team that loved battling with him.

Because Barbashev would battle for them.

"Speaks volumes to the player, not only the player, but the teammate and the person that he is," said Blues defenseman Torey Krug, who faced Barbashev in the Cup Final as a member of the Boston Bruins. "He was well-loved in this locker room, on the ice as well. He competed every night, did a lot of the dirty work so that other guys could shine in the light sometimes. Very well-deserved, one of my favorite teammates I've come across in my time."

If anyone knows what tributes mean coming back to St. Louis, it's Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who got his in 2020.

"Yeah, I know what it's like, right," Pietrangelo said. "I played them probably eight times that pandemic year. Yeah, I'm sure he felt a little weird. It's always strange going into the other locker room the first time. I know he's pretty happy to get that one under the belt."

During warmups, Barbashev and a number of Blues skaters were trading pucks at each other. There was laughter, there were playful jibes. It speaks to the relationship the Blues had for a teammate they considered a warrior.

"It's the first time we got to see him," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "Obviously, we didn't see him yesterday, we were on the road. So yeah, it's always good to see a familiar face.

"Yeah, definitely weird. I'm sure it felt even more weird for him being back here. He's been a guy that's been loved here by every player and all the fans. You saw it throughout the tribute just how much everyone appreciated his time here. And I think he'd say the same. He loved it here, and I'm happy for him to get an opportunity over there and we'll see how things go."

"Somebody was throwing the puck at me," Barbashev said. "I think it was [Justin] Faulk, so I gave him a couple back. It was fun, to be honest, just to see some old friends, especially just being traded a few weeks ago. So it was kind of nice to see them."

Barbashev, who had an assist on Pietrangelo's empty-netter to seal Vegas' win with seven seconds remaining, had a golden chance to score early in the game when he could read Jordan Binnington's mind when the Blues goalie went behind the net to play a puck. It's almost as if Barbashev knew exactly what Binnington was doing, going to his backhand. He picked off the pass and tried to wrap it around, but Binnington got the best of it at that moment.

"Yeah, it was really close," Barbashev said. "I just heard [Colton] Parayko was going for the puck, so I tried to cheat a little bit. I really got a lucky bounce, and then the puck bounced over. That was a little bit unlucky. I don’t know if I hit the post, or Binner’s stick. It is what it is. I’m just a little bit unlucky."

All Barbashev could do was laugh.

"There was quite a few guys chirping me," Barbashev said.

And what did his ex-teammates say?

"Not today," he said.

Don't believe how much Blues fans love Barbashev? During the second period military salute, the honoree was holding up a sign that read, 'Barby, please come back for 2023-2024.'

"Yep, I did (see) that," Barbashev said. "That was pretty funny.

"To be honest, it’s emotional. Just by spending a lot of time over here, and people give you some love back. It was awesome to see."

Barbashev is a pending unrestricted free agent, and he was the last of the big names jettisoned off after Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola (New York Rangers) and Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari (Toronto Maple Leafs) once the Blues knew they would not be a playoff team this year.

They traded him to a good landing spot, with a familiar former teammate (Pietrangelo) which is at the top of the Western Conference.

"He's been a real good left winger for Jack [Eichel] and 'March' [Jonathan Marchessault]," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He gets pucks off the wall, he makes small-area plays, he's a good forecheck presence for them. He gets to the interior ice, front of the net. He's been a real good add for us.

"I know a little bit about him from over the years, and he's been as-advertised and a really good fit in the room. He's a hard-working guy, great kid, and we're happy to have him."

The Blues were happy to have Barbashev, who they drafted in the second round in 2014, back again, even though it was in a different uniform.

A guy that Blues coach Craig Berube worked with in the American Hockey League with the Chicago Wolves to now, can appreciate the player Barbashev has become.

"It was a great. It was a great tribute," Berube said. "He is a great teammate. Very well liked. No issues. Ever. He’s a solid guy. Good hockey player, too."