Technology has come a long way since Mikael Backlund moved 7,000-and-some kilometres away from home as a teenager to continue to chase his NHL dream.
As the Calgary Flames embarked on their annual Dads Trip, and with his son on the brink of another major milestone, Jan Backlund was reminiscing about the challenges of trying to follow the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets on a grainy web stream in 2008-09.
“I couldn’t see the puck,” Jan quipped. “I’m sitting at the computer and it was like the old days when you couldn’t see anything. But at least I could hear them talk.”
Jan wasn’t complaining about his view or vantage point Tuesday.
He was, with a pack of other proud papas, in a suite at SAP Center in San Jose as the Flames concluded their Dads Trip with a 6-3 loss to the Sharks.
Despite the disappointing result, and despite an undisclosed injury that prevented him from practising the previous day, this was another special night for Jan’s son and Calgary’s captain. The 36-year-old centre was suiting up for his 1,100th career game.
“To come to NHL is big,” Jan said. “But to be here so long, it’s crazy. And with the same team also.”
The NHL’s 1,100-game club actually added two members Tuesday, with Backlund and San Jose’s Jeff Skinner both hitting that round number. They’re now tied for 236th on the all-time list.
Backlund is one of only a dozen Swedes to skate in this many — and we are talking about a nation that has produced some incredible talents. He will soon be climbing past Nicklas Backstrom (1,105 GP) and Calle Johansson (1,109 GP) to move into the Top 10 in games played among his Tre Kronor countrymen.
“At the end of November, when I saw that it was getting close, I started counting games and saw it was going to potentially be on the Dads Trip and I got really excited about it,” Mikael told Postmedia before the Flames and their fathers departed for Los Angeles and San Jose. “Just to play 1,000 games, it meant a lot to me. You look, there are a lot of guys that play 1,000. But to reach 1,100, it feels like that is even more special because the list gets even shorter and the players above me are pretty special.
“I could never have dreamt of this coming into the league. When you’re a kid, you dream about playing in the NHL. But you don’t dream of playing for such a long time. It’s been a hell of a ride.”
For both father and son.
At home in Sweden, Jan is up in the wee hours to watch almost every single game. If the puck drops at 7 p.m. MT at the Saddledome, that means his alarm barks at around 3 a.m.
Nonetheless, he guesstimates that he’s probably skipped only 20 out of the 1,100. Unlike those way-back-when webcasts from the WHL, he doesn’t have to wonder whether his boy has the puck on his blade.
“He actually missed the Buffalo game,” Mikael said, referring to a 7-4 victory over the Sabres last week. “Because he always texts me after the game and I didn’t get a text. So the next morning when I woke up, he had texted me and said, ‘I can’t believe I missed the game. I slept through it.’ He was really upset and I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s fine. You need to rest up, too.’”
Because his son is signed for another two seasons with the organization that made him a first-round draft pick in 2007, putting him on track to eventually eclipse Jarome Iginla’s franchise record for career games played.
There will be more early wakeups for Jan, more milestone celebrations for all of the Backlunds. Mikael’s sister keeps them all updated on his standing on the various all-time lists.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs,” Mikael said. “But I’m really proud of where I am and proud that still I have a lot left in me. I’m excited that I have a few more years.”
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