'The Rev' recalls fond memories of Ducks in return to Anaheim

Published Mar. 6, 2015 5:45 p.m. ET

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It feels like he never left, but maybe that's because it's only been a few days since former Anaheim Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy became a Pittsburgh Penguin for the second time of his career.

Lovejoy, aka "The Rev" or "Lovie" as he's known around the Honda Center was the fan favorite and dressing room favorite that was dealt to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline Monday afternoon, in exchange for defenseman Simon Despres. He's back to face the Ducks Friday night (starting at 6:30 p.m. on Prime Ticket) and also to begin the process of moving his family back to Pittsburgh, the place where he began his NHL tenure.

"I came in here (today) with two huge duffle bags. I'm going to pack some stuff, I'm going to ship some stuff and I'm going to travel heavy on the plane," he said. "I'm excited to be a Penguin right now, but this is going to be an emotional game tonight."

It wasn't even three full seasons that he spent in Anaheim, but it was a place that him and his wife took an instant liking to and a team that he made an immediate impact with. Lovejoy's gregarious personality made him an instant favorite with the media and fans -- his sunny disposition was a perfect fit in a place where the sun shines about 350 days a year.

On the ice, he helped bring up young defenseman Cam Fowler and got the Ducks get back into the postseason after a season off with his steady play on the blue line night after night.

"There's so many memories -- not even really memories because they just happened -- but I loved my time here," he said. "I can't even say it, tonight isn't just another game for me. I hope that once the game starts happening that it will be just like a normal game."

He doesn't even take a breath before adding, "Ah, that's not true."

Lovejoy and his wife, Avery, will now pack up the house that they've been renting from former Duck Bobby Ryan and move to a neighborhood they're familiar with in Pittsburgh, closer to his family in New Hampshire, and just a few hours away from hers in Philadelphia. But there's a deep emotional bond the family has with Orange County and that house in particular: It's where the couple brought their daughter, Lila, home for the first time. 

Luckily, Lila, who was born in Tustin last December, has a winter coat that mom and dad have been looking to break out of the closet.

"This has been an amazing place for her, for us," he said. "My joke is that she's started to go a little soft with all of this sunshine so we've got to get her back to the east coast to introduce her back to real life. A lot of you people here are very spoiled because this is an amazing place."

Lovejoy know he's not a franchise player, and that means he's trade-able. But if he was going to be traded again, he was happy to be traded back to the Penguins. 

"I thought this door was closed," he said. "I had a great five years in Pittsburgh and I just never thought that I would be back. Now that I am, after leaving Anaheim, it would have been my first choice, now that I think about it. Pittsburgh was home, Pennsylvania was home for me for five years. I have a ton of friends that are still there. Monday, I got 45 text messages from people from Pittsburgh, 15 of them were related to the Penguins and everyone else was just people around the area that I had grown very fond of during my time there."

Lovejoy is gone, but won't be forgotten by the media or the fans any time soon.

Don't worry Orange County, he won't forget you either.

"If I didn't have a problem touching people -- because I don't like germs -- then I would want to give everyone a hug," Lovejoy said. "I have bonded with so many people both inside the rink and outside the rink and in the seats in the rink. I will miss that and look back very fondly.

"I don't know how superstars who spend 10 years in a place ever come back without just being an emotional wreck."

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