The Capitals’ Swedes have been keeping busy in the off-season. This Friday, Nicklas Backstrom, Christian Djoos, and Andre Burakovsky were part of a star-studded charity game in Sweden between Valbo HC and the Icebreakers at the Nickback Arena.
The Icebreakers are a charity team founded in 2002 by Peter “Foppa” Forsberg and other NHLers. The team raises money for special needs and underserved youth.
Forsberg – who is looking good at 45 – laced up his skates and joined the Icebreakers. He provided a sweet assist on a Nicklas Backstrom goal.
The other NHL players included Anton Forsberg (Blackhawks), Mattias Ekholm (Predators), Elias Lindholm (Flames), Elias Pettersson (Canucks), and Adrian Kempe (Kings).
Backstrom skated during warm ups with green hat that included a tassel on top.
— jo (@meanlars) August 17, 2018
Backstrom switched sides during the game, throwing on a Valbo jersey over his Icebreakers gear. He faced off against his Capitals teammates – including Burakovsky, who made the mistake of trying to check Backstrom. It went about as well for Burky as you’d expect. He must not have listened to Mike Babcock’s sage advice.
Mike Babcock: “As much as you pressure Backstrom, he puts his big ass into you and he holds you off and he makes those (elite) plays.”
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 14, 2017
A gala followed after the game, and the Swedes were brought on stage together. Backstrom revealed that he is a fan of the half tuck.
Credit: @hockeyboden
As the game took place in Sweden, Backstrom’s jersey featured umlauts on top of the a and o. The Montreal Canadiens are the only team in the NHL that have featured accent marks, when they printed it for Daniel Brière.
Headline image: gd.se
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