Capitals Salute Nicklas Backstrom Before Flyers Game

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Jon Sorensen

backstrom-winter-classic

The Washington Capitals held a pre-game ceremony today to honor Nicklas Backstrom for recording his 500th NHL/Capitals assist. 

During the ceremony, Backstrom received a special gift, a golden hockey stick from Capitals owner Ted Leonsis. The Capitals also ran a tribute video, which included special comments from his team mates.

Backstrom registered his 500th NHL/Capitals assist on Jan. 7 at Ottawa, becoming the first player in Capitals franchise history to record 500 career assists and the first player from the 2006 Draft class to reach the 500-assist plateau.

nick-backstrom
Photo: Washington Capitals

In addition, the Gavle, Sweden, native became the 10th Swedish-born player in NHL history to reach 500 assists and the second-fastest Swedish-born player to reach the 500-assist plateau (691 GP), trailing Peter Forsberg (551 GP).

Backstrom is one of only four players who debuted in the NHL since 1989 to reach the 500-assist mark in fewer than 700 games, joining Forsberg (551), Sidney Crosby (554) and Jaromir Jagr (642).

Since he entered the NHL in 2007-08, Backstrom ranks third in the NHL in assists (505), trailing Joe Thornton (539) and Henrik Sedin (536) and ranks second among active players (min. 600 GP) in career assists per game (.728).

NoVa Caps congratulations video:

He has earned a point in five consecutive games (1/5-1/13: 3g, 7a) and registered 31 points in his last 28 games (11/15-1/13: 11g, 20a).

By Jon Sorensen

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
This entry was posted in News and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

5 Responses to Capitals Salute Nicklas Backstrom Before Flyers Game

  1. Sandra says:
    January 15, 2017 at 1:42 pm

    what happened to the whip shawed guy?

    Reply
  2. Sandra says:
    January 15, 2017 at 11:35 pm

    Whip Shawed…article of the year. Same guy who did Caps Ground Jets. Great puns. https://novacapsfans.com/2016/09/30/whip-shawed-nhl-commits-unforced-error-with-shaw-suspension/

    Reply

  3. Pingback: Nicklas Backstrom Named NHL’s First Star of the Week | NoVa Caps

  4. Pingback: Capitals Daily Report: Carlson Out, Only Seven Players on Ice for Optional Skate | NoVa Caps

Leave a Reply