Don’t be surprised if Alex Burrows takes a moment or two at
the end of Wednesday’s game at the Bell Centre in Montreal to soak in the
atmosphere. And it’s easy to understand if he does. There’s a strong possibility
this may be the last time he has the opportunity to play a National Hockey
League game in his hometown. As an aging veteran on an expiring contract in a
league seemingly getting faster by the day, the Canucks winger knows he can’t
play this game forever.

Now, a
trade or another contract may provide future chances to play in the La Belle
Province, but there are no guarantees at this stage of Burrows’ career. So
expect the 35-year-old to run the gamut of emotions as he returns to the
Canucks line-up to start a grueling six game in nine nights road trip. While
nostalgia may enter the equation, Burrows insists he’s far more motivated to
help his hockey club get back on the right track after five straight losses.

He’s
been out of the line-up with a neck injury suffered late in a 4-3 shootout loss
in Los Angeles on October 22nd and with Burrows out of action, the
Canucks have not picked up a point in the standings. At the time of his injury,
the Canucks were 4-0. That’s not to suggest that Burrows is the magic
ingredient to Vancouver victories, but he certainly lends a veteran presence to
a line-up that could use a boost right now.

“I felt I could have probably pushed
it for last weekend, but the training staff wanted to make sure it was fine,”
he says of his wrenched neck. “You have to make sure you’re sharp because
things go pretty fast on the ice, so it’s safety first. For me, it’s another
game even though it’s my hometown against the Habs. It’s going to be a fun
experience, but for us it’s bigger than that. It’s about getting back in the
win column.”

For
Burrows, this will be the eighth time he’s had the chance to play an NHL game
in Montreal and each one of them has been a significant occasion. Growing up in
nearby Pincourt, Quebec – about 30 kilometres west of the Habs home rink –
Burrows was raised a Canadiens fan and was a regular at home games throughout his
youth when the thought of actually playing in the NHL was merely a dream.

Here he
is now in his 12th NHL season preparing once again for the night he
annually circles on his schedule when it’s released in the summer. A year ago,
Burrows missed the Canucks game in Montreal for all the right reasons – he returned
to Vancouver to be with his wife Nancy for the birth of the couple’s third
child.

So
after a two year absence, he’s excited to be back in his hometown knowing he’ll
have his own Burrows boosters when the Canucks step onto the ice against the
Canadiens.

“There are a lot of friends and
family and they all come out and cheer me on,” he says. “It’s always fun. I
spent so much time there as a kid cheering for that team and now seeing them do
well, it’s good for them. But on Wednesday night I want to make sure they lose.”

That hasn’t often been the case
when Burrows and the Canucks have visited Montreal. He’s been on the winning
side just twice in his seven previous appearances. He was, however, victorious
in his first ever game at the Bell Centre and it’s a memory that stands out to
him all these years later.

It wasn’t because he was the scoring
hero – in fact, he has yet to pull the trigger in Montreal and has just one
assist in his games there. No, Burrows remembers his first game against the
Habs in January 2007 for the heroics of his netminder Roberto Luongo.

“My best experience was when Lou
got his neck crushed the day before (he took a puck to the throat in practice) and
went to the hospital all night,” Burrows recalls. “He came back and played unbelievable
for us and got a shutout. That was my favourite memory in the building for us.
Besides that, being a kid and getting souvenirs and going to the game with my
dad and my friends.”

Burrows’ parents will be there on
Wednesday and will follow the team to Ottawa and on to Toronto, too. He says
his dad may do the New York portion of the trip next week, as well. These will surely
be special nights for the Burrows family who must realize these opportunities won’t
last forever. On Wednesday, they’ll have the chance to share another memory —
possibly for the final time.