BACKLUND THRILLED TO STAY IN CALGARY LONG-TERM

On a personal level, the 'til-death-do-us-part marriage vows with fiancée Frida are set for August.
On a professional level, Mikael Backlund couldn't wait quite that long to re-pledge his troth.
"We're keeping the 11 thing going,'' announced Backlund, after putting pen to paper (six copies) on a highly-anticipated contract extension Friday in the Calgary Flames' hockey-ops boardroom.
"The wedding's on August 11. We were engaged on May 11. Frida was born 11/11."
And the trademark number on the back of Backlund's Flames' jersey, for any Calgarian encased in a cryogenic chamber or off meditating in a Tibetan monastery the past few years, just happens to be, of course, 11.
And will be for six winters following this one.

The Swedish centreman might've missed out on another lucky 11, by only five days, signing on on the 16th of the month, but in this case you won't hear him quibbling.
The 28-year-old fulcrum of Calgary's 3M Line, among the top two-way pivots in today's game, ended any suspense about possible upcoming free agency on July 1, agreeing to a six-year, $31-million deal to remain, happily, in the only NHL home he's ever known.
"This,'' he said, "has always been my mindset. Last year as a line, we had a good year.
"We have a good team. We're getting better and better.
"Our goal our whole time was to sign here and stay in Calgary. Since the first day I got here, and then Frida got here, we've loved the city.
"This is where we wanted to be; where we wanted to stay."

The term of a contact that averages out to $5.35 million per season is striking, taking Backlund to age 34.
"We've made a commitment and the team has made one, too,'' he agreed. "It's a big deal. Six years. We're talking about our future, so it's always been a big decision. We wanted a longer (term).
"So it's a dream come true to sign a contract like this, especially here in Calgary, where it began for me.
"I've tired to push myself to get to this point. Some years were tougher than others, sometimes maybe people wondered, maybe I wondered sometimes, too, but I always hoped that this would happen.
"And now it has."
Now in his ninth season in the organization, the sense of continuity, of enticing key parts of the mechanism to remain, is absolutely essential for a franchise entertaining high aspirations.
Part of that is offering a welcoming, vibrant atmosphere which to set up shop.
"This is where we want to start a family,'' chimed in Frida. "We know this city. We know our way around. We know where everything is. We're comfortable here.
"That's important.
"We want to have a find a home here and have kids. Maybe even Canadian kids."
Backlund executed a comedian's exaggerated cart-before-the-horse eyebrow-raise.
"Why not?'' he teased after a moment. "We have Canadian dogs."

His value to a franchise that drafted him 24th overall back in 2007 has grown by leaps and bounds over the past three campaigns. He's now a trusted, vital part of coach Glen Gulutzan's set-up - kills penalty, receives powerplay minutes, acts as fulcrum to a top-notch second line alongside sidekicks Matthew Tkachuk and Michael Frolik, is often deployed to shut down the opposition's top players.
As well, he's become a fixture community-wide in charitable endeavours, donating his time to worthy causes.
All that would've been a shame to end.
"There's risk and reward in everything,'' Backlund said of the prospect of free-agency. "We're comfortable here. This is home for us. Has been for a lot of years.
"It took awhile to get done but, if this makes any sense, it was an easy decision.
"It's a relief, sure. But a happy day, too."
As the season ground on with no news of an agreeement, the torrent of social media opinions on Backlund's upcoming UFA status only intensified.
So, for peace of mind, about a month ago he started to tune everything out.
"Even if you don't say it's distracting, but in the back of your mind, it is,'' he conceded. "I was trying to get away from it. We talked at home during the season about everything and after awhile we were 'OK, let's talk about something else.' It's a big decision. That's why you've got to think it through.
"Now I can just focus on winning games, not having this hanging over my head.
"There's a lot of stuff going on. The wedding, building a house back home.
"It's been pretty busy."

And hopefully gets insanely busy through April, May and into June.
"This team and me, we've been through the rebuilding part, had some tough years together,'' said Backlund. "Brad (Treliving) just wants to win. He wants got get a winning team here. The same goes for Burkie and the owners. Everybody wants the same thing.
"They're committed to it.
"That was a big part, for me: The winning mentality. The future here in the next few years is not about rebuilding.
"It's about pushing forward.
"It's about winning a Stanley Cup. And I want to be a part of it."