ELITE COMPANY

Since coming to Calgary in 1980, two players have reached the 900-game mark with the Flames.
Jarome Iginla and Mark Giordano.
Both put their heart and soul into their time in Calgary, carving out a special place in the hearts of Flames fans who will also associate them with the club.
It obviously takes a lengthy history, incredibly hard work, and a special connection to achieve the status that Iginla and Giordano have established in Calgary. Not many players could manage to elevate themselves to that level with a single organization.
But today, a third name joins the ranks.
Mikael Backlund will suit up for his 900th game this afternoon when the Flames host the San Jose Sharks at the Scotiabank Saddledome and just like the two before him, he has entrenched himself as key member within the organization's history.

"It's special. I never thought or expected I'd play 900 games for one organization," Backlund said. "I feel very privileged and it feels very special to be the third player to do that, alongside Jarome (Iginla) and (Mark Giordano). It makes it even more special. Those are some very special players - Hall of Fame, Norris Trophy winner - so yeah, it makes me feel a little special too, being in that same club soon. I'm very thankful that Calgary stuck with me and that I'm still here playing for them.
"They were great teammates, great leaders. I learned a lot from both of them - just how to approach the game, how to be off the ice, in the locker room, with the fans, in the community, just everything. Both of them were two big warriors out on the ice so I learned a lot from the two of them. They're great players and people as well."
The way Backlund looked up to Iginla and Giordano is how many of his younger teammates view him now.
"He's a guy, coming to the rink, that you look up to. It's crazy that he's been here the whole time," Dillon Dube said earlier this week. "One of the best, professional humans I've been around.
"I can't emphasize enough how important he is to this city and this team."

His fellow Swede Rasmus Andersson has been singing his praises all season, making note of Backlund's presence in the locker-room and his relationship with his teammates.
"Backs is our leader. He's been really good this year," he said. "I'm happy for him that he's been having such a good year.
"He's our leader, night-in and night-out."
It's hard to imagine Backlund, Iginla, or Giordano in any other numbers expect 11, 12, and 5. Their numbers are synomous with hard work, dedication, and a deep commitment to not only the team but the city as well.
But 11 wasn't always his first choice.
When he was told he would be staying in the NHL, earning him a permanent number, he had a couple of other options in his head.
"I said 'Hey, I don't want 11.' I had a feeling, for some reason, I was going to get 11. I want 8 or 19. And then the next day, I came in and Depo said 'Darryl said you're wearing 11.' That was it. It turned out great though. That's my wife's favourite number, she was born on 11-11. I always wore 11 in soccer - I just thought it was a soccer number."
Backlund was drafted by Darryl Sutter in 2007, going 24th overall after a strong season with VIK Västerås HK's organization and his international play with Sweden. Even at 18 years old, Sutter could see the components of Backlund's game that he felt would give him a leg up as he worked to get himself to the NHL.

"You could see with Backs, because he was an elite player in his age group over there - he was always on the powerplay, all that stuff - but when you're like that, you might not play quite as much attention to the detail part of it and what it's going to take to play over here. It was pretty easy to see his IQ. You just watch him for a couple of games, it was pretty easy to see that kid knew the game. He just had to play the whole game."
In 2008-09, the team watched Backlund help Sweden capture silver at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship, scoring five goals and seven points in six games, and decided to bring him over to North America to further his career in the WHL. After one game with the Flames, he joined the Kelowna Rockets and went on to capture the WHL Championship and play in the Memorial Cup tournament.

During his short stint in the WHL, he posted 30 points in 28 regular season games and 23 points in 19 postseason skates.
"That probably helped him as much as anything," Sutter said of his time in the WHL. "He went there and then he played in the NHL after that so it wasn't like he did his training in the American League or anything like that. He was a step above that ... he was quite a bit ahead of the curve."
Backlund has established himself as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL and has been tasked with shutting down the league's top players for many years. Looking back on how he has grown into this role, the 34-year-old pointed to his short stints in the AHL as the place he learned to really hone in on how to make himself the most effective two-way player he could possibly be.
"I had no choice. I came in here and Brent (Sutter) and Darryl told me, 'You go to Abbotsford and learn how to play defence.' There was no choice. If I wanted to play in the NHL, there was one way. It was a tough time in Abbotsford but I learned a lot there. It definitely helped me be a better two-way player and to become the player I am today."

With such an impressive milestone on tap, and being played on home ice to boot, Backlund's family is in Calgary to watch him skate in Game 900.
"His mom's in town and I haven't seen his mom since the draft so I had a good visit with her. It's pretty awesome," Sutter said. "It goes fast - if you think about someone like Mikael. He's having a hell of a year - numbers-wise and quite honestly, performance-wise, it might be his best year. It speaks volumes about him."