For close to two decades, Alex Ovechkin pursued history with Nicklas Backstrom by his side. The pair grew up together in Washington, with Backstrom feeding Ovechkin pucks for goal after goal as his longtime centerman, and the two became one of the sport’s most iconic duos in recent memory.
Backstrom won’t be on the ice when Ovechkin finally passes Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goals record — lingering hip issues forced him to step away from the game early last season and his playing days appear to be over — but no teammate has played a bigger role in Ovechkin’s chase for goal no. 895. But when asked about his part in the milestone, Backstrom was happy to let his winger take the spotlight.
“Obviously this is all him,” he said Friday. “I’m not going to take any credit for that.”
As he has done throughout his career, Backstrom once again undersold his own contributions to Ovechkin’s legacy. No player has factored into more of Ovechkin’s goals: Backstrom 279 assists rank far above John Carlson’s 155 helpers for the top spot.
Monumental Sports Network’s Tarik El-Bashir pushed back on Backstrom’s modest self-assessment, responding, “Someone had to pass him the puck, Nick!” Backstrom, however, wanted the attention focused squarely on Ovechkin.
“Yeah I get that,” he replied. “But I’m not going to take away his moment to shine. I just feel like I’ve been very fortunate to be, first of all, playing for the same organization for many years, and playing with him. I think we should probably thank Bruce Boudreau for putting us together.”
Backstrom’s matter-of-fact assessment of his role in Ovechkin’s career continued as he discussed what, exactly, went into getting the puck on Ovechkin’s stick time and time again, remarking that he was “pretty good on giving it flat most of the time, and he just seemed to like that.” When asked what advice he’d give to Ovechkin’s more recent centermen? “Give him the puck.”
Still, Backstrom acknowledged that he wished he could be on the ice for the big moment.
“100 percent,” he said. “Would love to be a part of it.”
Demure as he may be about his supporting role in his winger’s career, Ovechkin’s record-breaking milestone will likely boost Backstrom’s own legacy even after he has hung up his skates. Backstrom already has an impressive resume on his own, with 1,033 points, 1,105 games played, and a Stanley Cup ring to his name, but his part in Ovechkin’s pursuit of Gretzky further highlights his achievements as he nears Hockey Hall of Fame eligibility.
Though Ovechkin got a two-season head start on Backstrom in the NHL, their careers have been intertwined since Backstrom first joined the team. It was Ovechkin, still not confident speaking in English, who announced Backstrom’s name at the 2006 draft.
“I remember the decision to tell Alex Ovechkin, ‘This is the guy you’re going to be playing with for a long, long time. You go and draft him,'” Capitals owner Ted Leonsis later recalled of that day.
The years to come saw the two go from up-and-coming stars to elder statesmen, all while cementing their success as a duo. The pair played over a thousand games together, largely on the same line — their names both litter the Capitals’ record book and sit side-by-side on the Stanley Cup. Backstrom looked back Friday on how he’d sum up their partnership.
“Biggest takeaway was probably explaining to him that he wasn’t always open, but he wanted the puck the whole time,” he joked. “I honestly think that the first time when we started playing with each other — I just think that we were a good match. I was more of a playmaker and he was a goal-scorer, so I just think that was a good matchup. And don’t forget the third guy we had on our lines over the years, too, because they were — you have (Mike) Knuble, (Viktor) Kozlov, all the players we played with [have] been incredibly important.”
When Ovechkin and Backstrom entered the league, Gretzky’s goals record seemed nigh-untouchable, with the idea that Ovechkin could catch up even coming up as a punchline during a broadcast in 2006. As the goals racked up, however, Backstrom was one of Ovechkin’s biggest advocates.
“I think I said, maybe four years ago or something like that, when this conversation started to happen, ‘Could he do it?’ And I always said that if there’s any guy who could do it, it’s him,” he recounted. “He’s capable of it, and we’re seeing it right now. He’s sitting here, seven goals away, and he’s going to do it. It’s just a matter of time. That’s the kind of goal scorer he is. Sometimes it seems like the puck just finds him, you know? And he’s got that ability to put the puck in the net like no one else.”
Their relationship has held strong even as Backstrom’s hip kept him off the ice, whether he’s celebrating Ovechkin’s milestones in the locker room or helping him rehab his fractured fibula, and he plans to travel with the team as Ovechkin nears history. Nearly 20 years after that fateful draft day, the pair’s friendship lives on.
“I think he’s always been the same, which I’m so thankful for,” Backstrom said of Ovechkin. “Because the first time I met him he’s the same kind of person that he is today. I always said, ‘Never underestimate Alex.’…[He’s] the same kind of outgoing person. Obviously, maybe changed a little bit when we both got kids and we didn’t hang out as much, but at the same time I think we knew where we had each other. It’s been great.”
