1. Mr. 1,000

October 30, 2024 is going to be date that will always stand out in Mikael Backlund’s mind.

The veteran centre is set to play his 1,000th NHL game this evening, an incredible milestone made even more impressive by the fact he’s suited up for the Flames for his entire career.

The only other player to hit 1,000 games all in the Flaming C? Jarome Iginla.

The rarity of being able to log that many games with one club, making such a mark on an organization, isn’t lost on his teammates.

“It’s pretty remarkable,” Blake Coleman said. “It’s something I’ll never see again in my career, I wouldn’t imagine. A thousand games is hard enough as it is, but with one team? It’s pretty special.

“I know how much it means to him. I know the organization appreciates everything he’s done for them over the years. It shows what a good pro he is and how important he is to the city of Calgary.”

Backlund’s career has spanned 17 seasons – a franchise record for consecutive seasons played by a player – and has seen him pot 202 goals and 536 points. He’s etched himself into the Flames franchise record books as the second-longest serving player in games played, the eighth-ranked skater in all-time points, the second-ranked short-handed goal-scorer (17), the third-ranked overtime goal-scorer (8), and the sixth-ranked game-winning goal-scorer (36). Since his first game in 2008-09, he leads all Flames skaters in takeaways with 793 and ranks second in hits over this span with 759.

Those numbers are indicative of his evolution as a player, starting back in 2007 when the Flames selected himself 24th overall in the NHL Draft. He’s developed into one of the best defensive forwards in the league, a player who can be relied on at any point of the game.

“He’s a great skater, he’s strong, he’s competitive, in battles it’s hard to knock him off pucks. His overall 200-foot game has continually gotten better every year, and I think a lot of that has to do with his skating and what he does off the ice,” said Backlund’s former teammate and now-general manager Craig Conroy.

“He’s really a person that could be up for the Selke every year. It seems like now, if you don’t put up a tonne of points, you’re not in that conversation, which is a little unfair. For me, when you think of a defensive forward, you think of Mikael Backlund. I feel he should be recognized more for that, but I think he’s just out there to win every night and he’s always been such a competitor, right from the beginning all the way to now.”

The Flames will celebrate his 1,000 games on Friday when they host the New Jersey Devils at 7 p.m. MT. Fans are advised to be in their seats early to take in the pregame ceremony. Tickets are available HERE.

2. Know Your Enemy

Utah’s first season in the NHL has started out on an up-and-down note. With wins in their first three games, they were off to a flying start but have cooled down in the back half of the month, dropping their last four games.

They’re coming off a 5-4 overtime setback to the San Jose Sharks, despite holding a 4-1 lead in the third period.

“That’s not who we are and that’s not who we want to be,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny told NHL.com. “You have that kind of a lead, that’s not the way we want to play. That’s not who we want to be.”

With the loss, Utah now holds a 4-4-2 record and sits sixth in the Central Division.

Utah is led in scoring by Clayton Keller, who has five goals and 10 points in 10 games this year. Nick Schmaltz (9 points) and Dylan Guenther (8 points) round out their top three in scoring.

In net, Connor Ingram has a 4-2-2 record with a 3.87 GAA and a .868 save percentage. Karel Vejmelka is 0-2-0 with a 3.04 GAA and a .889 save percentage.

Tonight’s matchup marks the first game between Calgary and Utah.

2024-25 Stats

3. Fast Facts

How Swede It Is

Backlund will be just the 19th player of Swedish descent to skate in 1,000 NHL games and will join two other active-Swedish-born skaters (games played this season) with 1,000 games-played: Victor Hedman (1,060) and Erik Karlsson (1,012).

Quick Strike

Last weekend against Winnipeg, Backlund scored his fifth-career opening-minute goal. Only four players in Flames franchise history have more: Theo Fleury (7), Eric Vail (7), Jarome Iginla (6), and Colin Patterson (6). His came just 28 seconds into the game and marked the second-fastest opening goal this season, behind Danton Heinen on Oct. 22 (00:21 w/ VAN).

Draft Class Stats

Backlund will become the ninth player from the 2007 NHL Draft class to reach the 1,000-game plateau. Selected 24th overall, he’s the eighth-highest scoring player from that year’s draft.

Wearing #60

Prior to picking No. 11, Backlund briefly wore No. 60 for the Flames. He made his NHL debut in No. 60, skating against the New York Islanders on Jan. 8, 2009.

4. Players To Watch

Flames – Mikael Backlund

Pretty self-explanatory. The captain’s major milestone is the storyline of the evening, a deserved honour for the long-time Flame.

While he has yet to face off against Utah, Backlund’s career stats against the Arizona Coyotes are 14 goals and 25 points through 46 games, with two of his career game-winning goals coming against Arizona.

Utah Hockey Club – Dylan Guenther

The Alberta-born forward has scored some very pretty goals for Utah in their inaugural season and currently leads them in that category. He lit the lamp on Monday in their 5-4 OT loss to San Jose, a game in which he had three shots on net and was a plus-two in his 19:46 of ice time.

5. Quotable

“It’s because of your discipline that you’re here now, 1,000 games, and I feel like I always knew that you would get here.” – Frida Backlund in the Backlunds sitdown interview, discussing his career and their time in Calgary