Statements from Nicklas Backstrom and the Washington Capitals: “Given my ongoing injury situation, I decided to take some time and step away from the game”
Statements from Nicklas Backstrom and the Washington Capitals: “Given my ongoing injury situation, I decided to take some time and step away from the game”
Very sad for him. He’s got a lot of heart and I’m sure it was a difficult decision. He’s probably in a lot of pain combined with getting older
mark_dink
Pain. But this is likely the right move for him. He hasn’t looked horrible on the ice from what I have seen and I hope he’s okay
jb__19
Demotion from PP1, noticeably one of the slowest guys in the league. It sounds like he’s unhappy with his level of play and I think we may have just watched the last game of his career. Very depressing news, but if there’s any silver lining maybe we can use his huge cap hit towards talent up front.
God speed #19
bleached_n_tiedyed
Damn, this may be it for him
easy_Money
Damn, feel like this could be it for him. End of an era, he’ll always be a legend in this town.
Climboard
I was really hoping he could finish out strong after surgery and rehab. Thanks for everything, Backy!
jdono927
Yeah this one hurts. Hope he can enjoy a pain-free life after hockey. Dude has been through the ringer these last couple years.
Unfair_Fact711
One of my favorites to ever do it. Happy he was able to get his cup
_StrudelBob_
Ugh. This is not how I wanted to start my Wednesday.
BobbyHolikFan
Holy emotional
advester
Is he talking about his hip? Before the season he said it was fine and people should stop asking about it.
beardyman22
I’m holding out hope that he can get back up to speed a bit, but I also know it isn’t likely.
I know he hasn’t been up to his standard this season, but he’s also looked more like himself, just older. If this is it, I’m glad we got to see a little more of that before he was done.
He’s the first player from the team that I latched onto when I was first starting to watch the caps. This is really sad.
BicycleParking5977
Nooooooooooo
206ert
Who knows what happens next but as it looks now major respect for him doing everything to try and get back. Also major respect for him to step away.
We’ve been blessed/spoiled
InfallibleBackstairs
It’s probably time for him to retire and enjoy what he’s contributed to this team….which is a lot.
musuak
Ugh that’s so tough I hope he’s okay.
Dyne_Inferno
This is great for the team, as he’s clearly lost a step.
But it SUCKS as a fan 😔.
Joshottas
Hate…HATE to see potential retirement dictated by injury. If this is truly it for him, he can absolutely hold his head high for all he accomplished. Hope that he eventually gets a HOF nod.
bobbimorses
Well this genuinely made me tear up this morning which is not common for me with hockey
But then after I cried a voice inside me whispered: cap space
Beans8843
Im taking a sad stroll around the office building after hearing this. Love you 19 one of the best
saltyfingas
I’m happy he got a cup and is easily a future HOFer. I think it’s time for him to hang up his skates though, if they want to LTIR him for the remainder of this year, fine, but I’d like to see him actually retire next year so we can move on from his massive contract hit
woodmanalejandro
I love Nick and his commitment to this team.
But I’ll be the asshole to say it right now – The Caps should have pushed him to retire at the end of last season, and paid him the remainder of his contract to become a scout/coach/FO staffer etc.
Anybody who didn’t KNOW this was the most likely outcome, hasn’t paid attention to hip-injuries and NHLers.
UnderCoverDoughnuts
We love you, Backy ❤️
26265273
I’ll repost what I said in the r/hockey thread:
That hip resurfacing is an absolute bitch, he and Jovanovski are the only two men to ever come back and play after it. The Undertaker literally had to relearn how to walk following his.
Nicklas Backstrom shed tears, lost blood, and battered his body and brain in a quest for glory. In 2018 he reached that mountaintop and this organization and every Capitals fan owes him lifelong love and admiration for not only that Cup win, but his near two decade dedication to his teammates, his team, his city. He’s more than earned it
Thank you, Nicky
On a personal note, Nick went out of his way to support and encourage my aunt during her battle with cancer. She sadly didn’t make it to see the run in 2018, that moment Alex handed the Cup off to Nick and they embraced I’ve never felt more from sports. I fucking love Nicklas Backstrom
Express-Buy-3061
My favorite thing about Backstrom is how competitive he is. When we got embarrassed by the Isles and Trotz in the COVID playoffs it looked like he was one of the only guys that was pissed off.
espnrocksalot
[Silber]: “Capitals also want to reiterate that Backstrom did not retire. He is a very proud individual, and he wants to take the time away to see how his hip responds.”
26 Comments
Very sad for him. He’s got a lot of heart and I’m sure it was a difficult decision. He’s probably in a lot of pain combined with getting older
Pain. But this is likely the right move for him. He hasn’t looked horrible on the ice from what I have seen and I hope he’s okay
Demotion from PP1, noticeably one of the slowest guys in the league. It sounds like he’s unhappy with his level of play and I think we may have just watched the last game of his career. Very depressing news, but if there’s any silver lining maybe we can use his huge cap hit towards talent up front.
God speed #19
Damn, this may be it for him
Damn, feel like this could be it for him. End of an era, he’ll always be a legend in this town.
I was really hoping he could finish out strong after surgery and rehab. Thanks for everything, Backy!
Yeah this one hurts. Hope he can enjoy a pain-free life after hockey. Dude has been through the ringer these last couple years.
One of my favorites to ever do it. Happy he was able to get his cup
Ugh. This is not how I wanted to start my Wednesday.
Holy emotional
Is he talking about his hip? Before the season he said it was fine and people should stop asking about it.
I’m holding out hope that he can get back up to speed a bit, but I also know it isn’t likely.
I know he hasn’t been up to his standard this season, but he’s also looked more like himself, just older. If this is it, I’m glad we got to see a little more of that before he was done.
He’s the first player from the team that I latched onto when I was first starting to watch the caps. This is really sad.
Nooooooooooo
Who knows what happens next but as it looks now major respect for him doing everything to try and get back. Also major respect for him to step away.
We’ve been blessed/spoiled
It’s probably time for him to retire and enjoy what he’s contributed to this team….which is a lot.
Ugh that’s so tough I hope he’s okay.
This is great for the team, as he’s clearly lost a step.
But it SUCKS as a fan 😔.
Hate…HATE to see potential retirement dictated by injury. If this is truly it for him, he can absolutely hold his head high for all he accomplished. Hope that he eventually gets a HOF nod.
Well this genuinely made me tear up this morning which is not common for me with hockey
But then after I cried a voice inside me whispered: cap space
Im taking a sad stroll around the office building after hearing this. Love you 19 one of the best
I’m happy he got a cup and is easily a future HOFer. I think it’s time for him to hang up his skates though, if they want to LTIR him for the remainder of this year, fine, but I’d like to see him actually retire next year so we can move on from his massive contract hit
I love Nick and his commitment to this team.
But I’ll be the asshole to say it right now – The Caps should have pushed him to retire at the end of last season, and paid him the remainder of his contract to become a scout/coach/FO staffer etc.
Anybody who didn’t KNOW this was the most likely outcome, hasn’t paid attention to hip-injuries and NHLers.
We love you, Backy ❤️
I’ll repost what I said in the r/hockey thread:
That hip resurfacing is an absolute bitch, he and Jovanovski are the only two men to ever come back and play after it. The Undertaker literally had to relearn how to walk following his.
Nicklas Backstrom shed tears, lost blood, and battered his body and brain in a quest for glory. In 2018 he reached that mountaintop and this organization and every Capitals fan owes him lifelong love and admiration for not only that Cup win, but his near two decade dedication to his teammates, his team, his city. He’s more than earned it
Thank you, Nicky
On a personal note, Nick went out of his way to support and encourage my aunt during her battle with cancer. She sadly didn’t make it to see the run in 2018, that moment Alex handed the Cup off to Nick and they embraced I’ve never felt more from sports. I fucking love Nicklas Backstrom
My favorite thing about Backstrom is how competitive he is. When we got embarrassed by the Isles and Trotz in the COVID playoffs it looked like he was one of the only guys that was pissed off.
[Silber]: “Capitals also want to reiterate that Backstrom did not retire. He is a very proud individual, and he wants to take the time away to see how his hip responds.”
[https://twitter.com/sammisilber/status/1719733164422091228](https://twitter.com/sammisilber/status/1719733164422091228)