There’s a reason the Calgary Flames chose to make Mikael Backlund the franchise’s 21st captain before the 2023-24 season.
While Backlund’s strong 200-foot game makes him a player many try to model their game after, it’s his leadership qualities off the ice that really make him stand out.
Last night, the Flames captain hit a huge milestone as he suited up for the 1,000th game of his NHL career. In typical Backlund fashion, however, he wasn’t thinking about himself but the people who helped him reach the major milestone.
In a recent interview on Flames Talk with Pat Steinberg and Wes Gilbertson, it was mentioned that Backlund was about to take the Flames’ training staff out for dinner. He confirmed that to be true while mentioning that one other teammate would be tagging along.
“I’m taking out our training staff. They always do so much for us, and a lot of those guys have been here before I was here,” Backlund said. “It’s a lot of guys who’ve been here for a long time. They do the heavy work for us, so I want to show them my appreciation.
“I’m also taking [Rasmus Andersson] out. I’ve been taking care of him for 500 games almost, so I figured I gotta take care of him for one more dinner. He’s the only Swede left!”
Often, players who get to 1,000 games at the NHL level are ones who were dominant at their craft, at least at one point. Backlund is well aware that he’s not that type of player, but he was able to get there thanks to his relentless work effort and attention to detail night in and night out.
“I’m not a top scorer. I’m not going to win any of those flashy trophies like the individual prizes and awards,” Backlund said. “For me, I take a lot of pride in being a really solid, consistent player that plays hard for the team, plays the right way, and does it every night.”
Unfortunately, the Flames weren’t able to pull out a win for Backlund on his big night, following the Utah Hockey Club by a 5-1 final.
They’ll look to get back in the win column on Friday at the Saddledome, as they are set to take on the New Jersey Devils. It will be an equally big game for Backlund, who will get plenty of recognition for his big achievement ahead of puck drop, which is set for 7 pm MT.
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