Déclarations de Nicklas Backstrom et des Capitals de Washington : « Compte tenu de ma blessure actuelle, j’ai décidé de prendre du temps et de m’éloigner du match »
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brobroma
@Capitals de Washington
Déclarations de Nicklas Backstrom et des Capitals de Washington : « Compte tenu de ma blessure actuelle, j’ai décidé de prendre du temps et de m’éloigner du match »
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brobroma
45 Comments
Very sad for him. He’s got a lot of heart and I’m sure it was a difficult decision. He’s probably in a lot of pain combined with getting older
Pain. But this is likely the right move for him. He hasn’t looked horrible on the ice from what I have seen and I hope he’s okay
Demotion from PP1, noticeably one of the slowest guys in the league. It sounds like he’s unhappy with his level of play and I think we may have just watched the last game of his career. Very depressing news, but if there’s any silver lining maybe we can use his huge cap hit towards talent up front.
God speed #19
Damn, this may be it for him
Damn, feel like this could be it for him. End of an era, he’ll always be a legend in this town.
I was really hoping he could finish out strong after surgery and rehab. Thanks for everything, Backy!
Yeah this one hurts. Hope he can enjoy a pain-free life after hockey. Dude has been through the ringer these last couple years.
One of my favorites to ever do it. Happy he was able to get his cup
Ugh. This is not how I wanted to start my Wednesday.
Holy emotional
Is he talking about his hip? Before the season he said it was fine and people should stop asking about it.
I’m holding out hope that he can get back up to speed a bit, but I also know it isn’t likely.
I know he hasn’t been up to his standard this season, but he’s also looked more like himself, just older. If this is it, I’m glad we got to see a little more of that before he was done.
He’s the first player from the team that I latched onto when I was first starting to watch the caps. This is really sad.
Nooooooooooo
Who knows what happens next but as it looks now major respect for him doing everything to try and get back. Also major respect for him to step away.
We’ve been blessed/spoiled
It’s probably time for him to retire and enjoy what he’s contributed to this team….which is a lot.
Ugh that’s so tough I hope he’s okay.
This is great for the team, as he’s clearly lost a step.
But it SUCKS as a fan 😔.
Hate…HATE to see potential retirement dictated by injury. If this is truly it for him, he can absolutely hold his head high for all he accomplished. Hope that he eventually gets a HOF nod.
Well this genuinely made me tear up this morning which is not common for me with hockey
But then after I cried a voice inside me whispered: cap space
Im taking a sad stroll around the office building after hearing this. Love you 19 one of the best
I’m happy he got a cup and is easily a future HOFer. I think it’s time for him to hang up his skates though, if they want to LTIR him for the remainder of this year, fine, but I’d like to see him actually retire next year so we can move on from his massive contract hit
I wish him the absolute best. It’s been such a privilege watching him play throughout the years. I hope he comes back, but I understand if this is it.
Backstrom is my dad’s guy. This is heartbreaking.
I love Nick and his commitment to this team.
But I’ll be the asshole to say it right now – The Caps should have pushed him to retire at the end of last season, and paid him the remainder of his contract to become a scout/coach/FO staffer etc.
Anybody who didn’t KNOW this was the most likely outcome, hasn’t paid attention to hip-injuries and NHLers.
Sadly, athletes don’t usually release these kinds of statements if they believe they will return to their sport. He could’ve easily gone on IR, if that were the case.
We love you, Backy ❤️
I’ll repost what I said in the r/hockey thread:
That hip resurfacing is an absolute bitch, he and Jovanovski are the only two men to ever come back and play after it. The Undertaker literally had to relearn how to walk following his.
Nicklas Backstrom shed tears, lost blood, and battered his body and brain in a quest for glory. In 2018 he reached that mountaintop and this organization and every Capitals fan owes him lifelong love and admiration for not only that Cup win, but his near two decade dedication to his teammates, his team, his city. He’s more than earned it
Thank you, Nicky
On a personal note, Nick went out of his way to support and encourage my aunt during her battle with cancer. She sadly didn’t make it to see the run in 2018, that moment Alex handed the Cup off to Nick and they embraced I’ve never felt more from sports. I fucking love Nicklas Backstrom
Very sad. Nick has been a fixture with the Caps since his drafting. He’s had a tough few years with injuries so best of luck to him moving forward.
Thank god we got our cup
My favorite thing about Backstrom is how competitive he is. When we got embarrassed by the Isles and Trotz in the COVID playoffs it looked like he was one of the only guys that was pissed off.
[Silber]: « Capitals also want to reiterate that Backstrom did not retire. He is a very proud individual, and he wants to take the time away to see how his hip responds. »
[https://twitter.com/sammisilber/status/1719733164422091228](https://twitter.com/sammisilber/status/1719733164422091228)
I haven’t really noticed him on the ice at all this season, which is obviously super uncharacteristic for him. So while he hasn’t been bad, it seems the offseason did not grant him as much progress as he wanted.
Pain. This is sad to see, but also understandable. Wishing him the best, regardless of what this leads to for him 💙
Getting older and dealing with injuries and physical decline is so very difficult. I wish him all the best, and hope that without the incredible stress of competition at the NHL level he is able to heal and have a high quality of life. There are a lot of ways he can remain involved in hockey and contribute without being in pain and sacrificing his future comfort and mobility. Based on what we have seen on the ice, he has given every effort to keep playing and done all he can. There is no shame in stepping away and acknowledging his own limitations. I say all that as someone getting older too, dealing with my own limitations, calling the doctor today to talk about surgical options.
I’ll always have a spot for Backsy, but his game was never predicated on speed and now with the bad hips he looks like he has cement in his skates.
I’ll be there whenever they give him a well deserved sendoff.
Thank you #19 ❤️
Thanks for everything Nick.
19 will definitely be going up in the rafters, right?
GOAT Caps center and Nobel prize finalist
Hate to see this but his health is 100% the most important thing. Had to be a very tough decision.
Nick will always be one of the best players to ever wear the Caps sweater.
I thought he actually looked surprisingly well this year at camp and during the first few games of the season.
Hopefully this isn’t the end and they’re just going to Kucherov him on LTIR until April.
I knew this day would come eventually but man it’s sad to see someone I watched for years most likely played their last game for us.
I missed the last couple of games. Was it one play he got injured on, or has this been nagging him for the last few games?
Honestly, for everything he’s given to the team and the community, I just hope he’s happy and healthy for the rest of his life. It would be great to see him back in top form but I don’t know if that’s realistic. I’d love to see him stick around as a coach/scout but more importantly, I wish him the best in whatever he chooses to pursue. He’ll always be one of my favorite Caps.
I’d like to see him back in the league in a coaching capacity. He’s got elite skill and a superior hockey mind – the problem is he can no longer execute with his battered body, but my god, if that hockey brain along with his intimate knowledge of the center position wouldn’t be valuable to someone somewhere than I don’t know shit.
(Very strong possibility I still don’t know shit…)