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This article was published 17/12/2017 (2826 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Same double-twos on his back, same long, black hair jutting out of his lid, same grit and tenacity.

Same Chris Thorburn, just a different jersey.

The ex-Jets right-winger made his return to Winnipeg Sunday afternoon, admitting he needed some help from new St. Louis teammate Brayden Schenn finding his way to the opponents’ dressing room while visiting town with the rest of the Blues.

But he was pretty excited to be back at the downtown rink in the city his family called home for six NHL seasons.

“I was telling my trainer it’s a cool experience. Not many people get to experience this, as far as playing for an organization for a long period of time and then leaving and then coming back,” said Thorburn, who chatted with reporters prior to the game.

“I’m just going to try and embrace it and have fun with it.”

Hockey fans at Bell MTS Place gave him a warm Winnipeg welcome back. Thorburn, a fan favourite for his dogged play and willingness to drop the mitts, received a nice cheer when he was shown on the big screen during the anthems and then got a standing ovation when he was officially greeted during a stoppage of play midway through the opening period.

The Winnipeg/Atlanta franchise leader for regular-season games played (709) from 2007 to 2017 was signed by the Blues on July 1, the opening day of the NHL’s free-agency period. The two sides agreed on a two-year, US$1.8 million contract, meaning he stayed in the Central Division.

The battle with his former Winnipeg teammates — the teams’ second in as many days — was the 34-year-old forward’s 21st contest of the 2017-18 campaign. Coming into Sunday’s contest, he had three assists in a familiar fourth-line role.

Thorburn said the butterflies were flapping prior to Saturday’s battle in St. Louis — a 2-0 triumph for the Western Conference powerhouse Blues.

“It was strange. Even hearing their voices calling for pucks and stuff like that. It was fun, it really was,” he said. “I got a bump on (Jets blue-liner) Benny Chiarot early, and it’s always nice to bump Benny. It was an exciting game, Obviously, the biggest concern for us was we were coming off two games with losses, so rebounding was huge.”

Thorburn’s route to employment with St. Louis was intriguing, to say the least.

A pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), he was a surprise selection of the Vegas Golden Knights during the June expansion draft; his name was called as the result of a trade in which Vegas steered clear of several unprotected Jets, including defenceman Toby Enstrom.

Instead, the Golden Knights took Thorburn and acquired Winnipeg’s first-round (13th overall) pick in the NHL Draft just days later and a third-round choice in the 2019 draft. The Knights shipped their 24th overall pick in the 2017 draft to Winnipeg.

Thorburn, who scored 24 goals and chipped in 32 assists as a Jet, said those were some wild summer days.

“It was cool, just to be drafted twice in my career. Not many people can say that, especially me,” he said, laughing. “It was a weird day because we were headed to Michigan Adventure, which is an amusement park in Michigan, and I kind of got tipped off. I didn’t even know I qualified (for being taken by the Golden Knights) because I was a UFA, so I didn’t even know I was in the mix.

“I was told that I’d be getting drafted, so panic immediately set in. But once I got to understand the whole process I was a UFA no matter what, we had fun with it.”

Ultimately, the Blues were the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Sault St. Marie, Ont., product’s third team in about 10 days. He was targetted by St. Louis after the club traded rugged Winnipegger Ryan Reaves to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“I was just honoured to have other teams interested… to realize there are still teams that need my services,” he said.

Blues head coach Mike Yeo said Thorburn’s work ethic and veteran presence have been appreciated in the dressing room and on the ice.

“First off, he’s a fantastic teammate. He’s a great pro. He’s a guy that comes to the rink and brings a great energy,” said Yeo. “His play on the ice, he brings momentum, he brings energy and he’s a guy that’s tough to play against.”

Thorburn, who skated for four seasons with the Thrashers and six more with the Jets, said the thought of finishing his career with Winnipeg had crossed his mind.

“There was that thought, but we knew there’s kids pushing. They’ve got a good farm system, they drafted well. The organization’s strong right now,” said the father of a seven-year-old son and 13-month-old daughter.

“For me, I felt I still had some hockey left in me, it just wasn’t going to be here. But at the same time this place holds a big part in my heart and my family.

“They’re a first-class organization. It was almost mutual… it was a good breakup. Winnipeg’s doing great this year, as well as St. Louis, so it’s working out for both sides.”

He’s well aware his time as the franchise leader in games played is nearly done.

“Bryan Little’s right behind me (706) so I have to hurry up and get him traded or he’s going to pass me quick here,” joked Thorburn, who played on a line with centre Kyle Brodziak and winger Scottie Upshall.

“It’s something I’ll probably think about more when I’m done, but at the same time, to be able to play in one organization for that long… I’m very honoured.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell