'A Very Proud Calgarian'

Mikael Backlund didn’t know this week’s Flames fathers trip would have such a special significance.

The team is jetting away from the polar vortex and into the balmy climes of Arizona and Las Vegas later this week, and the Flames captain finds himself staring down a significant franchise milestone ahead of tonight’s home tilt against the Senators. Get tickets

When he hits the ice at the Scotiabank Saddledome this evening, the 34-year-old will skate in his 949th career game as a Flame, tying him with Mark Giordano for second all-time in appearances for the club.

And Backlund’s dad will be here to see it.

“When we talked about the fathers trip during camp, when we should have it, this was one of the trips,” Backlund said following Tuesday’s morning skate. “At the time, I had no idea I was going to tie Gio tonight, potentially next game become all-time second alone.

“To have my dad here tonight, it’s going to be very special too; I didn’t plan that, so it feels very special that he’s coming over today, and he’ll be here for this week and a little bit of next week as well.”

It’s the type of achievement that creates cause for reflection, and it’s a real source of pride for Backlund, too.

He’s known only one NHL home since being selected 24th overall in the 2007 NHL Draft, and committed to two more seasons here this past September, all while being named the 21st captain in franchise history (the 20th, by the way, was Giordano).

“Early days, in Calgary, I didn’t know how long I was going to play in the NHL,” Backlund said. “To be tied with Gio is very special too, growing up, having him as my mentor and looking up to him.

“Sliding in second right behind Jarome (Iginla) as well, being my first captain here, and the biggest franchise player here, it’s very special.”

Flames head coach Ryan Huska coached Backlund in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets, winning a league title in 2009.

He’s seen his captain grow in the 15 years since, both on and off the ice.

“For our team, he’s been a real good voice in our dressing room, and a great example of how you have to play the game, night in and night out,” Huska said Tuesday. “In regards to the city, I think everybody knows the different charities that he and his wife are involved in, he takes a real big role and he’s a very proud Calgarian, and I think that’s what makes him the type of player that you want to have around, for sure, because he wants to be a Calgary Flame, he always has, and over the course of the summer he decided that he wanted to stay that way.

“He means a tremendous amount to our team, for sure, and the city in general.”

As one example, Mikael and Frida Backlund’s Uncorked for ALS event raised over $183,000 for the ALS Society of Alberta and the Flames EvenStrength program this past November.

Backlund was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy last June for his efforts in the community, too, becoming the first Flame since Iginla in 2004 to claim the award.

Defenceman Rasmus Andersson touched on Backlund’s benevolence when asked about the milestone Tuesday as well.

“If I need anything around the house, a car, or anything, I call Backs and he sends me in the right direction right away,” Andersson said. “It was the same with daycare for my son, he helped me with that; whatever it is, he always helps out.

“It’s been like that since day one, since I got drafted, he was one of the first guys who congratulated me when I got drafted; 10 years later, we’re really good friends.”

He’s been a consistent contributor, and part of the fabric of both his team and his community.

For Backlund, that loyalty is a quality he figures runs in the family.

“When I made the decision to stay here this summer, I thought of my grandpa, I thought of my dad, both of them working in the same company for such a long time, being a loyal person,” Backlund recalled.

“I just felt like that was kind of in the family, and I thought it was probably meant to be that way for me, too.”