Niklas Bäckström facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Niklas Bäckström |
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Bäckström with HIFK in 2016
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| Born | 13 February 1978 Helsinki, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 197 lb (89 kg; 14 st 1 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Goaltender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Caught | Left | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Played for | HIFK SaiPa AIK IF Kärpät Minnesota Wild Calgary Flames Tappara |
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| National team |  Finland |
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| NHL Draft | Undrafted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1996–2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Niklas Oskar Bäckström (born 13 February 1978) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He is now a goaltending coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames.
During his career, Bäckström won the William M. Jennings Trophy and the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award. He also won the Urpo Ylönen trophy and Jari Kurri trophy twice each. Niklas is a Swedish-speaking Finn, but he also speaks Finnish.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Early Years in Finland
Niklas Bäckström helped the Finnish national team win the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He was a backup goalie for the team. He played alongside future stars like Olli Jokinen and Niklas Hagman.
Bäckström was also the third goalie for Finland in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. He did not play in any games there. In Finland's top league, called SM-liiga, he played for HIFK, SaiPa, and Kärpät. Bäckström led Kärpät to win two league championships in a row in 2004 and 2005. After these wins, he signed a contract with the Minnesota Wild in the NHL in 2006.
Time with the Minnesota Wild
When Bäckström joined the Wild, he was expected to share playing time. But an injury to another goalie made him the main backup. He played his first NHL game on 7 October 2006. He made 17 saves and helped his team win 6–5.
First NHL Shutout
Bäckström got his first shutout (meaning he didn't let any goals in) on 24 November 2006. This was a 4–0 victory against the Phoenix Coyotes. When the main goalie got injured, Bäckström became the starter. He played very well, winning 8 out of 11 games. He even stopped 41 shots in one game.
Winning Awards
Bäckström's amazing play helped the Wild have a great season. He finished first in the NHL in two important stats: goals against average (GAA) and save percentage. This earned him the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award. He also shared the William M. Jennings Trophy with another goalie. This award is for the team that lets in the fewest goals.
Becoming the Starter
Before the 2007–08 season, the Wild traded their other main goalie. Bäckström then became the team's clear starting goaltender. He started the season strong, winning his first four games. He was even nominated for the NHL All-Star Game.
On 28 March, Bäckström set a new team record with his 31st win of the season. He helped the Wild win their first division title in team history. He finished the season with 33 wins. However, the Wild lost in the first round of the playoffs that year.
Career Highs and All-Star Game
In the 2008–09 season, Bäckström had his best year. He set new career highs for games played and wins. He recorded his 15th career shutout early in the season. He continued to play well and was chosen for his first NHL All-Star Game.
He set a new team record for not letting in a goal for a long time: 149 minutes and 14 seconds. He signed a new four-year contract with the Wild. He finished the season as one of the top goalies in the league. He set new team records for wins (37), games played (71), and shutouts (eight). He was also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the NHL's best goalie.
Later Seasons with the Wild
The next few seasons were tougher for Bäckström and the Wild. He reached his 100th career NHL win in November 2009. He also became the Wild's all-time leader in wins. He was chosen to play for Team Finland in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Bäckström faced some injuries during these years. He missed games due to back, groin, and hip injuries. Despite this, he continued to set records for the Wild. He recorded his 20th career shutout in November 2010. He also had a long home winning streak against the Edmonton Oilers.
Final Years with Wild
In his last seasons with the Wild, Bäckström continued to battle injuries. Other goalies also started to play more. He set a personal and team record with 48 saves in a shutout game in February 2012. He had ankle and hip surgeries during these years.
In the 2012–13 season, Bäckström returned as the Wild's starter. He played well and helped the team make the playoffs. However, he got injured during warmups before the first playoff game and could not play. He had more surgeries in the off-season.
His last season with the Wild was 2014–15. He struggled with injuries, including nerve damage in his hand. The Wild brought in a new goalie, Devan Dubnyk, who played very well. Bäckström did not play any more games for the Wild after January 2015.
Short Time with Calgary Flames
In February 2016, Bäckström was traded to the Calgary Flames. He played in four games for the Flames, winning two and losing two. This was his last stop in the NHL.
Return to Finland
After his time in the NHL, Bäckström returned to Finland. He signed a one-year contract with his old club, HIFK, in June 2016. In May 2018, he signed with another Finnish team, Tappara. He finished his playing career there.
Coaching Career
In July 2019, Niklas Bäckström started a new role. He was hired as the European goaltending development coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He worked in this role for four years. After that, he moved back to the United States. He now serves as the Blue Jackets' main goaltending coach.
Personal Life
Niklas Bäckström is married to Heidi. They have two children named Benjamin and Isabella.
Records and Achievements
Minnesota Wild Team Records
- Most wins: 194
- Most shutouts in a season: 8 (2008–09)
Awards and Honors
- Kanada-malja Champion (Finnish League Champion): 2004, 2005
- Jari Kurri trophy (Finnish League Playoff MVP): 2004, 2005
- Urpo Ylönen trophy (Finnish League Best Goalie): 2004, 2005
- Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award (NHL Best Save Percentage): 2007
- William M. Jennings Trophy (NHL Fewest Goals Allowed): 2007
- NHL All-Star: 2009
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1994–95 | HIFK | FIN U18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | HIFK | FIN U18 | 12 | — | — | — | — | 700 | 44 | — | 3.77 | — | 4 | — | — | 203 | 9 | — | 2.66 | — | ||
| 1996–97 | HIFK | FIN U20 | 21 | — | — | — | — | 1244 | 57 | — | 2.75 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | HIFK | SM-l | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 30 | 3 | 0 | 6.00 | .824 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | PiTa | FIN.2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | 390 | 24 | — | 3.69 | .875 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | HIFK | FIN U20 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | — | 846 | 42 | 2.98 | .907 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1997–98 | Hermes | FIN.2 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 468 | 23 | 1 | 2.95 | .912 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | HIFK | FIN U20 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3.01 | .902 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | HIFK | SM-l | 16 | 9 | 5 | 1 | — | 923 | 26 | 1 | 1.69 | .932 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | HIFK | SM-l | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 155 | 17 | 0 | 6.58 | .785 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | FPS | FIN.2 | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | — | 1322 | 50 | 1 | 2.27 | .928 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 178 | 8 | 0 | 2.69 | .913 | ||
| 2000–01 | SaiPa | SM-l | 49 | 22 | 24 | 2 | — | 2826 | 120 | 2 | 2.55 | .924 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | AIK | SEL | 40 | — | — | — | — | 2186 | 111 | 1 | 3.05 | .897 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Kärpät | SM-l | 36 | 16 | 8 | 9 | — | 2136 | 77 | 4 | 2.16 | .929 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 990 | 33 | 1 | 2.00 | .939 | ||
| 2003–04 | Kärpät | SM-l | 43 | 24 | 8 | 8 | — | 2572 | 87 | 7 | 2.03 | .936 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 926 | 36 | 1 | 2.33 | .925 | ||
| 2004–05 | Kärpät | SM-l | 47 | 27 | 10 | — | 10 | 2819 | 102 | 7 | 2.17 | .927 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 720 | 15 | 3 | 1.25 | .950 | ||
| 2005–06 | Kärpät | SM-l | 51 | 32 | 9 | — | 10 | 3078 | 86 | 10 | 1.68 | .940 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 195 | 6 | 0 | 1.85 | .897 | ||
| 2006–07 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 41 | 23 | 8 | — | 6 | 2227 | 73 | 5 | 1.97 | .929 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 297 | 11 | 0 | 2.22 | .924 | ||
| 2007–08 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 58 | 33 | 13 | — | 8 | 3409 | 131 | 4 | 2.31 | .920 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 361 | 17 | 0 | 2.83 | .900 | ||
| 2008–09 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 71 | 37 | 24 | — | 8 | 4088 | 159 | 8 | 2.33 | .923 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 60 | 26 | 23 | — | 8 | 3489 | 158 | 2 | 2.72 | .903 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 51 | 22 | 23 | — | 5 | 2978 | 158 | 3 | 2.66 | .916 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 46 | 19 | 18 | — | 7 | 2590 | 105 | 4 | 2.43 | .919 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 41 | 24 | 15 | — | 3 | 2368 | 98 | 2 | 2.48 | .909 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 21 | 5 | 11 | — | 2 | 1094 | 55 | 0 | 3.02 | .899 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 19 | 5 | 7 | — | 3 | 1005 | 51 | 0 | 3.04 | .887 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | 0 | 232 | 13 | 0 | 3.35 | .881 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | HIFK | Liiga | 17 | 8 | 5 | — | 4 | 382 | 32 | 1 | 1.87 | .923 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 105 | 6 | 0 | 3.42 | .864 | ||
| 2017–18 | HIFK | Liiga | 7 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 314 | 13 | 1 | 2.48 | .894 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Tappara | Liiga | 15 | 11 | 1 | — | 2 | 863 | 26 | 2 | 1.73 | .921 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | ||
| Liiga totals | 287 | 151 | 76 | 20 | 28 | 16,098 | 589 | 35 | 2.20 | — | 49 | 30 | 18 | 2986 | 96 | 5 | 1.93 | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 413 | 196 | 144 | — | 50 | 23,481 | 975 | 28 | 2.49 | .914 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 658 | 28 | 0 | 2.55 | .911 | ||||
International Play
| Year | Team | Event | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Finland | WJC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 120 | 5 | 1 | 2.50 | .911 | |
| 2005 | Finland | WC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 310 | 12 | 1 | 2.32 | .902 | |
| 2006 | Finland | OG | DNP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2006 | Finland | WC | DNP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2008 | Finland | WC | 8 | 6 | 2 | — | 483 | 17 | 1 | 2.11 | .922 | |
| 2010 | Finland | OG | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 110 | 2 | 1 | 1.09 | .952 | |
| 2016 | Finland | WC | DNP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Senior totals | 15 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 903 | 31 | 3 | 2.06 | .919 | |||
