Backes wasn't sure he would ever get to experience a moment of this magnitude. It had eluded him for the first 12 seasons of his NHL career, 10 of which were played with the St. Louis Blues, one of Boston's potential opponents in the Cup Final.
His last opportunity came with the Blues in the 2016 Western Conference Final. The Blues lost to the San Jose Sharks in six games and after being eliminated, Backes was rocked to his core, fighting back tears as he discussed the disappointment.
"You don't know when you are going to get these opportunities," Backes said Thursday. "It's something that we have stressed to the youngers guys: You are pretty darned fortunate to be in a Stanley Cup Final. Some guys play their whole career and never get this opportunity. We're trying to let them know how important this moment is."
Backes signed with Boston less than a month after that heartbreaking loss with St. Louis, leaving behind the only team he had known in the NHL and relinquishing his captaincy.
He moved, in part, because he believed the Bruins were on the cusp of a championship.
He says he saw the core remaining in place from the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2011 against the Vancouver Canucks and went to the Final two years later, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks. He believed Tuukka Rask was a Cup-caliber goalie and he marveled at the leadership and culture the Bruins had developed.
But, in his first season, the Bruins lost to the Ottawa Senators in the first round. Last season, it was a second-round loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
This season, as whispers circulated that the game was passing him by, Backes wondered what the future held for him and the Bruins.
They made the postseason, but he was losing his grip on a regular roster spot. His seven goals and 20 points in 70 regular-season games were each the fewest of his NHL career.
Backes was scratched for the final two games of the first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the first three games of the second-round against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Backes was standing still, an extra, excess to coach Bruce Cassidy's needs.
"When you're out, it's kind of like a psychology experiment; what are you going to do with your brain?" Backes said. "Are you going to let it go wild and have a pity party for yourself or are you going prepare for the next opportunity and capitalize on it when it comes and make it tough for them to take you back out of the lineup? I think I have chosen the latter and made an impact."
Since returning to the lineup in Game 4 of the second round, Backes has two goals and two assists in seven games. He has been a net-front menace and a wrecking ball on the forecheck. The Bruins are 7-0 since he returned to lineup.