Nicklas Backstrom received a hero\u2019s welcome in his first Swedish Hockey League game since 2007 \u2013 a span of 6,753 days. The former Washington Capitals great, after a nearly two-year hiatus from competitive hockey due to his surgically-repaired hip, suited up in Bryn\u00e4s IF\u2019s SHL regular-season opener against the V\u00e4xj\u00f6 Lakers at Monitor ERP Arena on Saturday.<\/p>\n
While Bryn\u00e4s fell 7-4, the day was still one to remember for Backstrom.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to play hockey and to be back,\u201d Backstrom said to Aftonbladet<\/a>, per a translation by Google Translate. \u201cJust try to forget this and move on on Tuesday.\u201d<\/p>\n Bryn\u00e4s fans marked Backstrom\u2019s incredible comeback with a hand-painted tifo<\/a>, a large mosaic, that included his smiling team photo and two older photos \u2014 one from his youth and one from his adult playing days \u2014 alongside two newspaper clippings.<\/p>\n \u201cOne time Bryn\u00e4s, always Bryn\u00e4s, welcome home,\u201d the bottom of the tifo read, per a translation by Matilda Wrigsj\u00f6.<\/p>\n Fans waved flags and cheered as Bryn\u00e4s took to the ice for their first regular-season game of the new year.<\/p>\n Fire shot up as music blared across the loudspeakers.<\/p>\n Centering the second line, Backstrom skated with Oskar Lindblom (a former player for the Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks) and former Capitals\u2019 teammate Axel Jonsson-Fj\u00e4llby. Backstrom received 20:28 of ice time \u2014 second only to Johan Larsson (21:42) among Bryn\u00e4s forwards. Backstrom had one shot and one hit while winning 8 of 12 faceoffs (66.6 percent). He also upended an official while skating along the boards, apologizing with a smile when he returned to the bench.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Bryn\u00e4s outshot V\u00e4xj\u00f6 26 to 18 and got goals from Larsson (2), Lucas Pettersson, and Kieffer Bellows. A back-and-forth affair through the first 37 minutes, V\u00e4xj\u00f6 scored three unanswered goals at the end to take the game.<\/p>\n Backstrom was asked what his feelings were like before the match, especially considering the big expectations he\u2019s received from fans. Before the season started, he was voted<\/a> most likely to be the SHL scoring leader and MVP at year\u2019s end, as well as the best new acquisition over the summer.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to describe, it\u2019s emotional,\u201d Backstrom said. \u201cBut once the game is underway, you forget about it. But we\u2019re not quite there today. It\u2019s just a matter of recharging.\u201d<\/p>\n Backstrom was impressive during preseason and Champions Hockey League play, notching two<\/a> multi-point games<\/a> and even delivering a highlight-reel hit<\/a>. Heading into Saturday\u2019s game, Backstrom admitted that he had nothing but positive vibes.<\/p>\n