| Niklas Bäckström | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 13, 1978 Helsinki, Finland |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb) |
| Position | Goaltender |
| Catches | Left |
| NHL team Former teams |
Minnesota Wild SM-liiga HIFK SaiPa Kärpät Elitserien AIK |
| National team | Finland |
| NHL Draft | {{{draft}}}Undrafted |
| Playing career | 1996–present |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Competitor for Finland | ||
| Winter Olympics | ||
| Silver | 2006 Turin | Ice hockey |
| Bronze | 2010 Vancouver | Tournament |
| World Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2008 Quebec City | Ice hockey |
| World Junior Ice Hockey Championships | ||
| Gold | 1998 Finland | Ice hockey |
Niklas Oskar Bäckström (born February 13, 1978) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has won both William M. Jennings Trophy and Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award.[1] He also has won both Urpo Ylönen trophy and Jari Kurri trophy twice. Bäckström is a Swedish-speaking Finn.
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Niklas Bäckström won the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships as a backup goaltender for the Finnish national team, along with players like Olli Jokinen, Niklas Hagman, Mika Noronen, Niko Kapanen, Toni Dahlman and Eero Somervuori. Bäckström was the third goaltender for Team Finland in the 2006 Winter Olympics, but did not play any games. In the Finnish SM-liiga he played for HIFK, SaiPa and Kärpät. Bäckström led Kärpät to two consecutive league titles in 2004 and 2005. Bäckström signed a one-year contract with the Wild on June 1, 2006.[2]
At the beginning of the 2006–2007 season, Bäckström was the backup for the Wild's starting goaltender, Manny Fernandez. Fernandez suffered a knee injury mid-season and Bäckström was forced into the starting position. Bäckström played exceptionally over the second half of the season, finishing first in the league in both goals against average (GAA) and save percentage, while tying Dwayne Roloson's team record with five shutouts in just 36 starts.
Upon the trade of Fernandez in 2007, Bäckström became Minnesota's starting goaltender. He recorded 33 wins in the 2007–08 NHL season, and was the starter for Minnesota's first round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, which Colorado won in six games.
Though he was due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2009, Bäckström signed a four-year, $24 million contract on March 3, 2009 to remain with the Wild.[3] Despite Bäckström's 37 wins and strong goaltending, the Wild ultimately did not qualify for the playoffs in 2009. In that season, Bäckström was the second runner-up for the Vezina Trophy.
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | OT | SO | GA | SA | SV% | GAA | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | HIFK | SM-liiga | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .824 | 5.85 | — |
| 1997–98 | HIFK | SM-liiga | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | HIFK | SM-liiga | 16 | 9 | 5 | 1 | — | 1 | 26 | — | .932 | 1.69 | — |
| 1999–00 | HIFK | SM-liiga | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .785 | 6.58 | — |
| 2000–01 | SaiPa | SM-liiga | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .924 | 2.55 | — |
| 2001–02 | AIK | SEL | 40 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 111 | 1,073 | .897 | 3.05 | 2,186 |
| 2002–03 | Kärpät | SM-liiga | 36 | 16 | 8 | 9 | — | 4 | 77 | 1,080 | .929 | 2.16 | 2,136 |
| 2003–04 | Kärpät | SM-liiga | 43 | 24 | 8 | 8 | — | 7 | 87 | 1,353 | .936 | 2.03 | 2,572 |
| 2004–05 | Kärpät | SM-liiga | 47 | 27 | 10 | 10 | — | 7 | 102 | 1,387 | .927 | 2.17 | 2,819 |
| 2005–06 | Kärpät | SM-liiga | 51 | 32 | 9 | 10 | — | 10 | 86 | 1,422 | .940 | 1.68 | 3,077 |
| 2006–07 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 41 | 23 | 8 | — | 6 | 5 | 73 | 1,028 | .929 | 1.97 | 2,226 |
| 2007–08 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 58 | 33 | 13 | — | 8 | 4 | 131 | 1,629 | .920 | 2.31 | 3,408 |
| 2008–09 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 71 | 37 | 24 | — | 8 | 8 | 159 | 2,059 | .923 | 2.33 | 4,088 |
| 2009–10 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 60 | 26 | 23 | — | 8 | 2 | 158 | 1,632 | .903 | 2.72 | 3,489 |
| 2010–11 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 51 | 22 | 23 | — | 5 | 3 | 158 | 1,566 | .916 | 2.66 | 2,978 |
| NHL totals | 281 | 141 | 91 | — | 35 | 22 | 653 | 7,914 | .917 | 2.42 | 16,190 | ||
| Tournament | Year | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EHT | 2004–05 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 180 | 7 | 1 | 2.23 | .928 |
| IHWC | 2005 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 310 | 12 | 1 | 2.32 | .902 |
| EHT | 2005–06 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 124 | 3 | 0 | 1.45 | .956 |
| Totals | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 614. | 22 | 2 | 2.14 | — | |
| Preceded by Jussi Markkanen |
Winner of the Urpo Ylönen trophy 2003–04, 2004–05 |
Succeeded by Juuso Riksman |
| Preceded by Esa Pirnes |
Winner of the Jari Kurri trophy 2003–04, 2004–05 |
Succeeded by Miika Wiikman |
| Preceded by Miikka Kiprusoff |
Winner of the Jennings Trophy 2007 (with Manny Fernandez) |
Succeeded by Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek |
| Preceded by Cristobal Huet |
Winner of the Crozier Award 2007 |
Succeeded by Dan Ellis |