Capitals pelt Backstrom with apples after celebrating 1,000th NHL point

How do you like them apples?

After a big night that included the Washington Capitals celebrating his 1,000th career point, forward Nicklas Backstrom was pelted with squishy, toy apples - a fan giveaway a part of his special ceremony - in the locker room after a 4-3 victory against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

Backstrom scored a goal and had an assist in the game, brining his NHL career point total to 1,006.
The apples were a fitting giveaway for fans. At the time of his 1,000th career point [on March 9 against the Edmonton Oilers] 737 of them came from assists, sometimes called apples. They had a special logo printed on them to celebrate Backstrom's milestone.

He became the second player in Capitals history to reach 1,000 points, joining teammate Alex Ovechkin.
Hours before the apple onslaught in
a special pregame ceremony
, Backstrom was joined by his fiancé, Liza, his children, Haley, Vince and Eliza, his parents, Catrin and Anders and his brother, Kristoffer on the ice.

A special video tribute played which featured congratulatory messages from fellow 1,000-point club members including Ryan Getzlaf, Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby and Ovechkin.
"Having played against you all these years I know how competitive and consistent you are," Crosby said in the tribute video. "It was only a matter of time before you hit this mark. So, hope you have a great night celebrating it and congratulations on 1,000 points."

Ovechkin ended the video with a sweet message.
"Congrats on 1,000 points. I'm very happy for you, for you family. I'm very proud I'm your teammate after all those years. Just keep it going," Ovechkin said.
Backstrom received a Tiffany crystal from the NHL and a golden stick from the Capitals to commemorate his achievement.