Ex-Capitals veteran Nicklas Backstrom makes his feelings known on Brynäs IF debut following long injury hiatus

Nicklas Backstrom played his first game for Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League after a long break due to a back injury. The 37-year-old forward contributed with two assists in a 4-1 win against Timra. One assist was a flip pass to Jakob Silfverberg during the power play. He also set up new teammate Kieffer Bellows for the first goal.

Backstrom said it felt fantastic to wear Brynas' jersey again.

"It was a fantastic feeling to put on the Brynäs jersey again," Backstrom said. (Translated from Swedish via Google). "I'm happy about that."

Backstrom admitted he felt nervous before the match since he hadn't played in a while.

"To be completely honest, it was a bit of a whirlwind. I haven’t played in a while,” Backstrom said in a video posted on Instagram by Sportbladet. “I was pretty nervous before the match, too. You get a little nervous and a little more passive, maybe. But now I’ve played the first match, and now I’m going to try to work more and more into it."

Backstrom explained that his nerves were not because of physical problems. Instead, they came from being away from hockey.

"Nothing physical," Backstrom said about his first game. "It was mostly because I hadn’t played in a while and … I haven’t played in Swedish hockey in a while either. But it was really fun."

It's been nearly two decades since Nicklas Backstrom played Swedish hockey. He last donned a Brynas IF shirt during the 2006–07 season, when he was sporting an "A" in the Elitserien.

Goaltender Collin Delia also impressed in his debut for Brynas. He almost had a shutout, but Anton Lander scored late to make it 3-1. Jack Kopacka finished the game with an empty-net goal for Brynas.

Capitals owner Ted Leonsis' special post for Nicklas Backstrom

Earlier in July, Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis thanked Nicklas Backstrom after his move to Brynas IF. He called Backstrom one of the best players in Caps history.

Leonsis wrote a message on X to share his thoughts:

"Thank you, Nicklas Bäckström. One of the best to ever lace 'em up for the @Capitals and a pillar of our team and our community! @Brynas just got a whole bunch of new fans here in Washington, DC. We look forward to watching you play and welcoming you back to DC soon! #ALLCAPS"

Backstrom last played in the NHL in the 2023-24 season, and in that too, he was limited to just eight games and one assist.