Whether through words or by example, on the ice or in the community, Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund’s primary goal is to make a difference.
Three years ago, Backlund, received one of the highest honours of his NHL career when he was named the 21st captain in Flames franchise history. Backlund has played his entire 1,071-game NHL career with the Flames, making him the longest-tenured active skater on the team.
“You always work at becoming a better leader,” Backlund told NHLPA.com. “The main thing from taking over the captaincy to now is the comfort level that I have going into this year. A few years ago, when it was all new – it shouldn’t change much, but it does – I might have put too much pressure on myself. I’ve learned that a big part of being an effective leader is counting on others in the leadership group and working together. You understand you can only do so much and that you can’t forget about yourself in the process.”
Although he’s fine-tuned certain aspects of his leadership approach over time, the core pillars have remained unchanged since the moment the 'C' was stitched onto his jersey.
“Being happy, bringing good energy and coming in with a positiv
e mindset are big keys to leadership,” said Backlund, who signed a two-year contract extension with the Flames on Sept. 17. “I think being a respected leader is something you work on every day.”
Backlund, who played his 1,000th NHL game on Oct. 30, 2024, became just the second skater in Flames history to reach that milestone with the club, joining Jarome Iginla in the feat.
Heading into the 2025-26 season, Backlund sees a motivated, determined team focused on a singular objective: returning to the playoffs.
Having missed the postseason in four of the last five campaigns, the Flames are hungry to return to playoff contention after last qualifying in 2022.
“Last year, we created an identity that we are a hard-working team who is hard to play against – that is what we spoke about prior to the season and that was the shared goal. We want teams coming into Calgary or teams we face on the road to know they are going to go up against a determined group who won’t make things easy on them, that is going to be a long night and a hard night for them. That’s the mindset we had last year.”
Backlund sees plenty of reason for optimism as they chase that goal.
“We have some young talent that is going to make us even better. Wolfie [Dustin Wolf] was unbelievable in net and we know he is only to get better and better. We have some young guys on the front and back end who are going to help us now and in the future. Together, we think we can make a positive impact.”
That same vision guides Backlund and his wife, Frida, off the ice.
The Backlund name is well known and deeply respected in the Calgary community.
Together, Mikael and Frida support several local causes, one of which is especially close to Frida’s heart.
When the couple started dating, Frida shared the story of her mother, Ann, who passed away from ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
“In 2013, when I was talking to my wife, I had no clue what ALS was,” recalled Mikael. “Since it hit so close to home to her, I wanted to know more. Frida explained what it was and from that moment, we knew we wanted to get involved in some way.”
“I remember when we started dating that she told me she wanted to make a difference in the ALS community. Years later, our dream is to play a small part in helping find a cure for ALS, to help those who have been affected by it and raise money and awareness for ALS.”
Their commitment deepened further when the late Flames assistant general manager, Chris Snow, was diagnosed with ALS in 2019.
Inspired by her mother’s battle with ALS, Frida wrote a children’s book titled “Our Guardian Angels”. Through their involvement with the ALS Society of Alberta, Mikael and Frida have raised significant funds for the cause and have hosted over 100 families affected by ALS at Flames home games.
“The most rewarding part is when people come up and have a story about how maybe they went to a game years ago with a family member diagnosed with ALS, met Mikael and had a great night watching hockey – how they still remember that and that they had a good time together, making memories,” said Frida.
“Or when we found out that some of the money raised at our first event, Uncorked for ALS, later on helped Chris Snow.”
The Backlunds also support Kids Cancer Care and Special Olympics Calgary.
Mikael had a childhood friend diagnosed with cancer, who has since passed away, and a cousin who was born with Down syndrome. Over the years, Mikael has invited more than 500 guests to attend Flames games and meet with him afterward.
Additionally, the couple teamed up with Calgary-based Parachutes for Pets in 2021 and have since established Lily and Dexter’s Legacy, named after their beloved dogs who passed away. The program provides support to children and families undergoing hardship, working to help keep beloved pets with their owners sides by assisting with essential resources ranging from food to veterinary care.
“Since day one, the people of Calgary have been so friendly and welcoming to our family, so it feels important to contribute to the community,” said Frida.
The couple is also supporting and donating money each month to Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids (also referred to as BB4CK), a community-funded, nonprofit organization that has been working for over 30 years to make sure kids across Calgary have access to the food they need.
Frida will be bringing other player wives with her this season to pack lunches at BB4CK.
“It was about a year ago when our daughter had just started kindergarten and I was getting used to packing her a snack every day – in Sweden the food is always provided at school except for field trips. I saw on the news that so many kids go to school hungry every day right here in our city, and I made a mental note to find out how I can help.”
“It is important to us to help others,” added Mikael, who won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his humanitarian efforts throughout the 2022-23 season, becoming the first Flames player to win the award since Jarome Iginla in 2003-04. “It is also important that our kids know that helping people is something we should all be doing throughout our lives. It is special to be in a position to help others. It means so much to us both. We want to make the most of the platform I have to help others. We do care about other people, and it means the world to us to help in any way we can.”
On the ice, Backlund’s focus is helping Calgary re-establish itself as a playoff contender in 2025–26.
“I believe in this group. We have a lot of guys returning and we are very close off the ice. We played for each other, and we are going to do that again this year. We want to play for each other rather than with each other – there is a big difference. That is something Coach Huska brought up and something everyone bought into.”
Beyond the NHL season, Backlund also has his sights set on one more dream – representing Sweden at Milano Cortina 2026.
Wearing the Tre Kronor on the Olympic stage is a lifelong dream for the veteran forward.
“It would be a dream come true. It will be hard to make the team, but growing up, as a kid and playing junior hockey, even as a pro, it is so special. Being able to call yourself an Olympian would be amazing.”
Feature Photo: Getty Images
