Backlund gets extremely emotional in touching gesture from Flames

Last night marked a major achievement in the career of Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund.

Suiting up for his 949th career game last night, Backlund tied former Flames defenceman Mark Giordano for second all-time in Flames history for games played. The always-dependable 34-year-old was his usual self, recording an assist in what was a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators.

While seeing him skate in game number 949 was a thrill for Flames fans, an even better moment took place minutes before the outing began. Walking into the dressing room to deliver his usual pregame speech, head coach Ryan Huska was joined by Backlund’s wife, Frida, and their two children, Tillie and Oliver.

Tillie, the older of Backlund’s two children, was tasked with reading out the starting lineup. She was able to do so with ease thanks to some assistance from her mom, while her very proud and emotional father watched.

On a special night for Backs, a couple of very special guests were on hand to read the starting lineup 🥹 pic.twitter.com/4bJgM1w6is

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 10, 2024

This video exemplifies the type of person Backlund is, and seeing how excited his teammates were in it goes to show why he was named captain this past September. While often thought of by fans for his excellent and consistent two-way play on the ice, he is an even better person off of it.

Thanks to his assist in Wednesday’s win, Backlund now has eight goals and 21 points on the season. While those numbers are down from a year ago, they are quite consistent with what he has done throughout his entire career.

Tomorrow’s game versus the Arizona Coyotes will see Backlund take sole possession of second in the Flames’ all-time games played list. He’ll have to continue playing for some time if he hopes to land first on that list, as Jarome Iginla currently occupies that spot with 1,219 games. It’s a long way to go, but given how impactful he remains on a nightly basis, perhaps it isn’t completely out of the question.

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