Nicklas Bäckström plays a vital role in the center of the ice for his team – the Washington Capitals. Whether on the right foot or defensively, the hockey player’s contribution is felt.
Bäckström, who plays center for his team, was selected as the fourth pick by Capitals in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He reached the position of alternate captain of the team and holds the record for most assists by any player in Washington Capitals history.
Who is the NHL’s Nicklas Bäckström?
Nicklas is Swedish. He was born in his home country on November 23, 1987.
Bäckström started his career playing for the junior team of Swedish professional hockey team Brynäs IF. In his three seasons as a junior, he recorded 34 points and was called up to the senior squad. After his first season in the top league, he scored 26 points in the second season and 40 points in the third. For his second season, he was named Junior Player of the Year in Sweden and Elitserien.
A year after it was drafted by WashingtonCapitales, he signed a three-year entry-level contract on May 21, 2007, ahead of the 2007–08 season. On October 5, 2007, Bäckström recorded his first point for the team, an assist in the game against the Atlanta Thrashers. He was quickly promoted to the team’s front line after an injury to his first-choice center Michael Nylander kept him out. Bäckström went on to break NHL records and team records while helping the team’s star winger Alexander Ovechkin win a plethora of titles.
Nicklas finished his rookie season with 69 points, Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane narrowly missed out on the Rookie of the Season award. He was, however, named to the all-star team. During the 2008-2009 season, the Swede improved his game with 88 points (22 goals, 66 assists). This record ranks him among the top 10 NHL scorers for the year and allows him to lead Washington and all Swedish NHL players in assists. He also added 15 points to his team heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs semifinals.
Nicklas Bäckström finished the 2009–10 season as the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer with 101 points. At the end of their season, he was granted a ten-year contract extension worth $67 million.
After two relatively disappointing seasons after the 2009-2010 season, he played for Russian Dynamo Moscow in the KHL due to the NHL lockout in 2012-2013. In a game against the Boston Bruins on March 15, 2015, Nicklas impersonated the likes of Alexander Ovechkin and Michal Pivoñka to become Capital’s leading franchise assistant. He finished the season with 78 points, including 60 assists to rank first in NHL assists for the season.
Following arthroscopic hip surgery on May 27, the star center recovered fairly quickly in 2015 to record 70 points (20 goals and 50 assists). He participated in his first all-star game at the end of the campaign.
Over the next two seasons, he improved his point total for 2015-16, although it took him more games to do so. Bäckström also recorded 13 points in 13 games in the 2016-17 playoffs.
Nicklas has also represented Sweden at international competitions. He participated in the 2006 World Championships for the national team, where he won the title. He also recorded six points for his team at the 2010 Winter Olympics and won the silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Nicklas Bäckström: Everything you need to know about him
1. Nicklas comes from a sporty family
It turns out that part of Nicklas’ reason for Sweden, Brynäs IF, is playing because his father, Anders Bäckström, played his entire hockey career – ten seasons – for the club. His mother, Catrin, was also a professional handball player between the 1970s and 1980s in the Swedish and Finnish leagues.
He also has an older brother, Kristoffer, who played in the second tier of the Swedish hockey league.
2. Nicklas Bäckström was the youngest player in the Swedish team in 2006
When Bäckström showed up for Sweden at the 2006 World Championship, he was already a talent to watch. However, due to his looks, he became the youngest player from Sweden to ever represent his country in a world championship event. He was 18 years and 6 months old at the time.
3. The Swede has his own family
The talented Swede is not married, however, he started a family with his longtime girlfriend Liza Berg. The couple have two children. The first, a daughter named Haley, was born on October 8, 2013, after which a son, Vince, came on August 26, 2016 to Washington.