Backlund still basking in his golden moment
Flames centre on top of the world after captaining Team Sweden to gold medal
The “C” stitched over his heart on his national team uniform, a gold medal dangling around his neck.
Mikael Backlund couldn’t have scripted it any better.
The Calgary Flames centre capped an otherwise frustrating hockey campaign by captaining Sweden to a perfect record, a trophy presentation and an anthemsinging celebration at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark.
“I always dreamed of winning gold for Team Sweden, but I don’t think I ever could imagine being captain,” Backlund said. “It’s amazing, an unbelievable feeling. I was very proud of the guys that we got to raise the trophy. And to be the leader of the team, it was a new experience for me, but I enjoyed it fromDay1.
“I’m so happy they gave me the ‘C.’ It’s been so much fun and such an honour to be the captain. I thanked the coach and all that, and they all seem pretty happy.” They should be.
Thanks to their 3-2 shootout triumph over Switzerland in Sunday’s gold-medal showdown in Copenhagen, the Swedes repeated as world champs for the first time since 1991-92.
Backlund, who had to decline his invite to the world championship last spring due to a back injury, finally added a golden showpiece to a collection of keepsakes that includes three silvers and four bronze.
“I played my first international game at Under-18s. In 2007, got my first bronze,” Backlund said. “So it’s been a lot of tournaments, a lot of games, without a gold, and it feels amazing to finally have it.
“We’re still looking at pictures and video clips and all that and trying to take it all in. And talking to a lot of people, it seems family and friends are all excited for you, and that kind of brings the memories back. It was a surreal feeling, an unbelievable feeling to be a part of it.”
The 29-year-old Backlund was a big part of it.
He recorded two goals and seven assists in 10 tournament outings, including a hat-trick of helpers in a semifinal shellacking of Johnny Gaudreau and Team USA.
The coaching staff for each team is asked to single out their top three performers at the event, and Backlund was among Sweden’s selections, sharing that praise with blueliners Adam Larsson (Edmonton Oilers) and Oliver EkmanLarsson (Arizona Coyotes).
With just 28 seconds left in fouron-four overtime in Sunday’s goldmedal nail-biter, No. 11 was tabbed for a crucial defensive zone faceoff.
And there was that letter on his chest, something the Flames’ shutdown centre did feel the weight of during the knockout stage.
“A couple of games, it was really tough for me — the quarter-final (against Latvia) and the final,” admitted Backlund, who has only occasionally sported an “A” in Calgary. “Those were big games and games that we were supposed to win, against teams that were on paper not as good as us. And they were playoff games — just one game, you win or lose. So those games were really nerve-racking for me, especially because I was captain. It made it extra hard. But after the first periods in both games, I felt better and better.
“Against the U.S., too, in the semis, but I felt that game, it was equal teams almost,” he added. “Being the captain, if we lose in the quarter-finals, you know I was going to be the guy to take all the responsibility for us losing in the quarters. If we lost in the final, I knew I was going to be the guy who lost again and got another silver medal and lost to Switzerland with that great team we had.”
Backlund is still bummed about missing the Stanley Cup playoffs, but 2018 has nonetheless been a special year.
He signed a six-year contract extension with the Flames.
He’ll marry his sweetheart, Frida, in mid-August.
He captained his country to a golden moment.
“It was good timing, too, in my career — it was a tough season in Calgary, personally and for the team, and I said I wanted to finish up on a better note, and we definitely did,” said Backlund, who registered 14 goals, 45 points and an ugly minus-21 rating for the Flames. “I’m definitely going to bring this with me next year into Calgary, all these positives and all the lessons I’ve learned.
“When playoff time comes around next year, hopefully we’ll be there. And I’ve played in these big games, and I’ve played in these big games being the leader, too, which for my career is going to be a great experience.”
I always dreamed of winning gold for Team Sweden, but I don’t think I ever could imagine being captain