page_title: Eric Brewer
section_title: St. Louis Blues
hierarchical_section_title: Eric Brewer / Playing career / St. Louis Blues
caption_attribution_description: Eric Brewer with the St. Louis Blues versus the San Jose Sharks
context_page_description: Eric Peter Brewer is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League, last suiting up for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He is an NHL All-Star and Olympic gold medalist.
  He began his career as a distinguished junior ice hockey player, named to the Western Hockey League West Second All-Star Team and the Western Conference roster for the 1998 WHL All-Star Game. Drafted in the first round, fifth overall by the New York Islanders in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Brewer has spent parts of his sixteen-year NHL career with the Islanders, the Edmonton Oilers, the St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks and Maple Leafs, and captained the Blues for two years. He has also suited up for the Prince George Cougars of the WHL and the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League. In 1999, Brewer was selected for the Prince George Cougars' all-time team in a Canadian Hockey League promotion.
  Brewer has represented Canada at eight International Ice Hockey Federation-sanctioned events, winning three Ice Hockey World Championships gold medals and one World Cup of Hockey gold medal.
context_section_description: In August 2005, following the lockout, the Oilers traded Brewer, Jeff Woywitka and Doug Lynch to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenceman Chris Pronger. At the time of the trade, Brewer was a restricted free agent, so on August 15, 2005, Brewer accepted the Blues' qualifying offer, signing a one-year, $2-million contract. Brewer's first season with the Blues was a particularly poor one. After playing the first 18 games of the season, Brewer separated his shoulder on November 16, 2005, in a 2–0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Brewer missed ten games before being activated from the injured reserve list, returning to the St. Louis line-up for a game on December 17, 2005, against the Philadelphia Flyers. Less than a month later, in a game on January 13, 2006, against the Atlanta Thrashers, Brewer collided with the Thrashers' centre Karl Stewart, and dislocated his left shoulder, which ended his season. In just 32 games, Brewer finished his season with nine points, including six goals, two shy of his career best of eight set in the 2002–04 season. Despite his limited play, the Blues re-signed Brewer to a one-year, $2.014 million contract for the 2006–07 season.
  Brewer's second season with the Blues began as a disappointment. By the first half of December 2006, Brewer had only amassed six points and a plus-minus rating of –11, often referred to as "the worst player on the ice" by both the media and Blues fans alike. Brewer was often involved in trade rumours, as he was set to become an unrestricted free agent following the completion of the season. Brewer believed his performance was the result of having only played in 32 NHL games since the 2003–04 season. However, after the firing of head coach Mike Kitchen on December 11, 2006, Brewer began playing much better under new head coach, Andy Murray. Over the next nineteen games, Brewer changed his –11 into a +2 and became an integral part of the Blues' defence. His turnaround was rewarded on February 24, 2007, when, rather than being traded as was previously rumoured, Brewer signed a four-year, $17-million contract extension with the Blues. Brewer continued his turnaround through the end of the season, finishing the year with six goals and 23 assists for 29 points, tying his career high for points set in the 2002–03 season and setting a new career high for assists.
  In his third season with the Blues, Brewer continued to do well under Andy Murray. Brewer evolved into one of the top two-way defencemen in the NHL, with comparisons being made between him and former first overall draft pick Chris Phillips of the Ottawa Senators. His play and leadership abilities were recognized, when on February 8, 2008, Brewer was named as the nineteenth captain in the history of the St. Louis Blues, filling the vacancy created when former Blues captain Dallas Drake had his contract bought out following the 2006–07 season. On February 17, 2008, in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Brewer set a career high for points in a game with four, all assists, eclipsing his previous career high of three points set on January 16, 2007. Brewer finished the season with only one goal in his 77 games played, his lowest goal total since the 1999–2000 season, although he added 21 assists, three short of a career high. At the completion of the season, Brewer underwent reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder to repair damage suffered in a fight in the Blues' season opening game against the Phoenix Coyotes on October 4, 2007.
caption: Brewer protecting the net in a game versus the San Jose Sharks.
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