Mikael Backlund never envisioned reaching 1,000 games early in his NHL career.
In fact, the Calgary Flames captain wasn't sure he'd be sticking around long enough when injuries, adversity and "bumps in the road" made that number feel unattainable in his early 20s.
"It was really tough and hard," Backlund told NHL.com. "I remember calling my agent saying 'Maybe I should go home' and he said, 'Yeah, there's no way you're going home.' My family was really supportive at that time.
"My career it wasn't a straight path to the NHL. There were times I wasn't sure I was going to be able to stay in the league a long time. It took a long time to establish myself in this league. Even when I finally did, it wasn't really until I played my 500th game that I was like 'It'd be really cool to play another 500.' That's the first time I really remember thinking about looking at 1,000.
"It's something very special."
The 35-year-old, selected in the first round (No. 24) of the 2007 NHL Draft by the Flames, is expected to play his 1,000th game when Calgary visits the Utah Hockey Club at Delta Center on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; Utah16, SN360, TVAS).
He'll become the 397th skater to accomplish the feat — as well as the 19th Sweden-born skater and just the third active — to meet the milestone.
"I remember him, it had to be his first training camp... he had these white skates on," said Mark Giordano, teammates with Backlund from 2009-21 and a member of the 1,000-game club. "He came in with all white Reebok skates. He had the long flow going. He might've even had some highlights in his hair. He took a lot of heat for those white skates.
"You could see right away he was a special player. His two-way game was so good you knew he was going to play. He got bigger and stronger over the years, and he turned into the player he is. That adversity at the start of his career probably helped him a bunch."
Backlund, who is eighth in franchise scoring with 536 points (202 goals, 334 assists) in 999 games, will join former teammate and Calgary captain Jarome Iginla as the second Flames player to skate in his first 1,000 NHL games with the team.
Much like earlier in his career, there was some uncertainly in the summer of 2023 as to whether or not he'd accomplish that goal.
Backlund, set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season, signed a two-year contact last September for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons in part to ensure he'd get to 1,000 games with Calgary -- and give himself an opportunity to chase Iginla's franchise record of 1,219 games played.
"If he wanted to, he had an opportunity to go anywhere he wanted," Giordano said. "He's that type of player that everyone would want. There's a lot of pride... you play in the city and grow up in the city and you feel like you owe it to the fans and the people in the city as well. I know I felt like that a bit. The city of Calgary is such a great place to live and have your family there. You just get to appreciate that so much. I think that's a big part of it.
"I think ultimately he had thoughts, probably, and that's natural, but in the end he always knew he wanted to stay there. To play 1,000 games in one jersey, I don't know how many guys have done it in the history of the league, but it's not many."
Flames general manager Craig Conroy, who negotiated the $9 million contract, saw Backlund's desire to reach the milestone with the only organization he's ever played for first-hand.
"He's just a special person, and to be able to do it with one team ... extremely special," said Conroy, who was also teammates with Backlund from 2009-11 and played 1,009 games in his NHL career. "I mean, you know, him and Jarome would be the only two guys here. That's something special, and for me to see it from the beginning to the end -- and he's gonna have a long time to go after this -- but to see him get that 1,000th game, it's special.
"All the blood, sweat and tears have been here with the Flames. He wants us to do well. He wants to be a Flame, and he wants to be a Flame for life. He just takes pride in here. He loves the city. He loves being a part of this here. He's what you want your captain to be."
It's something Backlund, who will become just the 73rd player to skate his first 1,000 games entirely with one franchise, holds close to the heart.
"Very proud," he said. "It's something you don't expect once you get drafted. It's just so far down the road you don't think of it. It feels really special to do it. It was one of the reasons we decided to stay. We love it here. We were thinking about our situation, and when you've been in one place for a long time you get curious what's out there, but we felt like this was our home and where we want to be. I feel so much pride playing 1,000 games for just the Calgary Flames.
"It means a lot to me and my family."
