Now into quadruple digits, now with a commemorative silver stick to hang on his wall at home, the next major games-played target for Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund is 1,220.
That is the total required to eclipse Jarome Iginla’s franchise record.
“That would be pretty cool to beat Jarome,” Backlund allowed. “I mean, what a player he was, and such a legend in Calgary.”
These two were teammates for parts of five seasons at the Saddledome.
In fact, when the Flames selected Backlund in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft, many envisioned him as Iginla’s eventual centre on the top line. While they didn’t skate side-by-side all that often, they now share a perch in the club history books — the only players to log 1,000-plus regular-season appearances in the Flaming C logo.
Backlund hit that milestone in Wednesday’s lopsided loss in Utah. He will be presented with his silver stick — one of the NHL’s coolest traditions — prior to Friday’s home date with the New Jersey Devils.
And now … next stop 1,220?
“I definitely would be happy for him,” said Iginla, who also reigns as Calgary’s all-time leader in goals and points — it will be a long while before there is a threat to either of those marks — and is now working with the Flames’ hockey-ops brain-trust as special adviser to the general manager. “If people are going to break a record or whatever that milestone number is, I think it’s cool when you know them as a friend and a teammate. So I’m pulling for him and I’m excited for him, and I think he’s got lots left.”
A lot will need to go right for Backlund to bump Iginla into second spot on this particular list.
He needs to remain healthy. It’s a good sign that the 35-year-old won the fittest Flame crown this fall, something that Iginla made a habit of during his own heyday. As Backlund told reporters Friday: “I feel better physically today than I did when I first came in the league as a rookie.”
He needs to remain effective. This shutdown centre and ace penalty-killer led all Flames forwards in average icetime during the month of October, so he’s certainly showing that he can still be leaned on for a major workload.
He would need at least one more contract with the club. Given his reputation in the locker room and the community, given that the ‘C’ is stitched on his jersey, that hardly seems far-fetched.
If Backlund remains an every-night lineup lock, he could potentially hit 1,220 GP during the late stages of the 2026-27 campaign, right around his 38th birthday, although he seemed to hint that the early portion of 2027-28 might be more realistic.
“I love playing in Calgary and if I can play that many games, that probably means I’m playing in the new arena, as well, so that would be very special,” Backlund said. “I’m going to keep doing what I can to stay healthy and keep up with the young players so I can stay in this league as long as I want to.”
Long enough to suit up for 1,220 games in Flames’ silks?
After Friday’s morning skate, and just hours before Backlund’s silver stick salute, his current teammates weren’t willing to rule it out.
“He’s an old man in a young body,” teased his linemate Blake Coleman, poking fun at Backlund’s early bedtime on off nights. “He takes good care of himself and he does the right things. So if anybody could hang on and maybe get there, it’d be him.”
“I think he can do it,” agreed fellow forward Martin Pospisil. “He’s a pretty special player. The way he acts and the way he treats the players around him, it’s very special. When we had the Dad’s Trip last year, my dad, he could tell right away who was the captain. We were talking — ‘That’s the version that one day I want to be.’ ”
Around the Saddledome, they’re hoping for an extended run from this version of No. 11 — and not just because of this record quest.
“He definitely makes teams better,” praised Iginla, a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee who totalled 1,554 career appearances when you include his stints in Pittsburgh, Boston, Colorado and Los Angeles. “He’s made a lot of Calgary Flames teams better over the years, and he still is now … He’s still going really well.”
“Like I told him, ‘You’re still a young man. You’ve got lots of game left,’ ” added Flames general manager Craig Conroy. “I mean, I didn’t get to 1,000 games until I was 39. So he’s very young. And just the way he plays, the way he takes care of himself, I easily could see him tracking that record down.
“Backs plays hard, but he’s always taking care of himself, and that’s going to give him longevity in the game. And he just loves the game, that’s the other thing, and that is part of it. You see some guys where they’ve played a long time and hey, they’ve had enough and they’re ready to go on to do something else. But watching Backs, he just loves the game and I think he’ll play as long as he can.
“So yeah, I think it’s within grasp,” Conroy concluded, starting to chuckle. “But Jarome, being on this side now (in management), he might have something to say about that.”