Washington Capitals Nicklas Backstrom Living it Up in Moscow -NHL Lockout Update
Putting their career on pause in the National Hockey League (NHL) is the last thing any player would want to do, but after seeing how unforgiving the lockout has been for most of them, most NHLers had no other choice but to continue playing elsewhere.
One of the biggest names that is overseas at the moment is Washington Capitals Nicklas Backstrom, who is reportedly living the good life in Moscow, Russia, where he is playing for the Moscow Dynamo with Capitals teammate and captain, Alex Ovechkin.
Being a native of Gavle, Sweden, Backstrom might not have been used to the Russian environment, but it has not taken long for him to adapt and call the Russian capital his new home for now as long as the lockout is in place.
The 24-year-old is still under contract with the Washington Capitals after he signed on to a 10-year deal, worth $67 million prior to the 2010-2011 NHL regular season and remains an integral part of the team, but keeping the lockout in view, there is nothing
else he deemed right to do.
“I was happy to finally go on the ice, not just train, but play! I didn't play for four and a half months. We won confidently. But for me personally it was a typical game of the hockey player who was taking a long break. Besides, I can still feel the difference
in time zones to acclimate,” Backstrom said while talking to a media source and translated by AlexOvetjkin.com.
Backstrom is a former fourth overall pick during round-one of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals and has established himself to be one of the biggest names on the club in such a short time. He is a player that is able to score in the triple
digits, which the team saw back in 2009-2010 in which he put up 101 points (33 goals, 68 assists).
In total of 365 games played up until now, all with the Washington Capitals, Nicklas Backstrom has 367 points under his belt, consisting of 101 goals and 266 assists.
He is set to continue playing in Russia, until the lockout comes to an end that is.
Tags: