A good year got just a little bit better for Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom on Sunday.
One night after recording his 200th career point in a 4-1 win over New Jersey, Backstrom was named to Sweden’s Olympic hockey team and will participate in February’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
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“The Olympics have been a dream since you were a kid,” said Backstrom, who will help the Swedes defend their 2006 gold medal from Torino. “It was fun to hear the news. I’m excited about this.”
The 22-year-old is simply building on his best season as a pro. He ranks sixth in the NHL in points (45) with 15 goals and 30 assists. Backstrom tops the Caps in assists and is second only to Alex Ovechkin in goals. His three-point game against the Devils on Saturday gave him 202 points for his career. He is one of 10 active NHL players averaging a point per game for their career. Over his last 13 games for the Caps, Backstrom has 11 goals and 11 assists.
“Not a surprise. He’s an unbelievable player,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “What you’re seeing is the tip of his iceberg. He does everything for us. He now kills penalties. He’s on every power play and important situation and he’s shooting the puck. It’s a pretty cool thing.”
Backstrom is the latest Caps player headed to Vancouver. Ovechkin, Alex Semin and rookie goalie Semyon Varlamov were named to the Russian Olympic team on Christmas Day. Meanwhile, defenseman Mike Green (Canada), forward Tomas Fleischmann (Czech Republic) and defenseman Milan Jurcina (Slovakia) will learn this week if they have been selected. The Czech and Canadian rosters will be announced Wednesday. Slovakia is set for a Tuesday unveiling.
“Now the roster is finally out and the team knows who is on it,” said Backstrom, who will be the youngest player on Team Sweden. “I feel like [the Olympics] were always in the back of your head this season. Now it’s closer.”
