Mikael Backlund wears the "C" for Calgary for a reason.
Ahead of the Calgary Flames game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Prime Monday Night Hockey analyst and former New York Islanders defenseman turned MSG analyst Thomas Hickey shared a heartwarming story about Flames' captain Mikael Backlund.
This summer, Hickey was back home in Calgary after losing his mother. One morning, he was grabbing a coffee when he ran into the Flames' veteran leader.
"It was a particularly difficult time in my life," Hickey said as he looked into the camera while between the benches. "My mom had just passed away, and I saw a familiar face in the coffee shop. It was Mikael Backlund. This is a guy that I was drafted with. I played against him in juniors, and I also played against him in my NHL career, but I had never met him before in my life.
"And this was just shortly after Johnny Gaudreau had passed, and he asked me what I was doing back in town since I was from Calgary. I told him my mom had just passed away and offered my condolences to him, as he did to me."
The two ran into each other again on Nov. 11, when Hickey was working another Amazon game between the Los Angeles Kings and Flames months later.
"I was hoping to speak with Mikael in the morning. I didn't get to, but during warm-ups, he came up and shook my hand," Hickey recalled. "He asked me how I was doing with everything. Said, 'I know your mom passed away. Just thinking about you. You doing okay with everything?' I thought, you know what, what a classy guy. This is just unbelievable. And as a Calgarian, I'm proud that he's the captain of the Flames.
"I'm proud that he's in the community, and you can see how important he is to the entire organization. But Calgary, you've got yourself a classy captain, not just on the ice, but in your community as well."
Nobody wears the "C" in the NHL on accident, and it's not a role that any captain holds lightly.
These players who get that opportunity don't change who they are because they have a letter on their sweater. Because of who they are, on and off the ice, the organization feels they are the right people to be recognized with such an honor.
Backlund was named an alternate captain ahead of the 2018-19 season, his 11th season in the NHL. He held that role for four seasons before being awarded the "C" ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
Hickey is one of the most down-to-earth, kind-hearted people you will meet in this great game, so for him to talk about Backlund the way he did on the telecast tells you all you need to know.