Nicklas Backstrom was born November 23, 1987 in Gavle, a small port city situated by the Baltic Sea in east central Sweden. He is the second child born to Anders and Catrin Backstrom, whose other son, Kristoffer, was born in 1985.

In his early days growing up in Gavle – which is about 110 miles northwest of the capital city of Stockholm – there wasn’t a sport that Nicklas didn’t like. If he wasn’t playing hockey, he could most likely be found on a soccer pitch, tennis court or golf course, where he sports an 8-handicap today. Athletics consumed his childhood.

Sports encompass the entire Backstrom family. Catrin and Anders have always been very athletic, and they certainly have passed on their competitive genes to their two sons. Catrin played pro handball in Sweden. Anders played hockey for Brynas IF Gavle of the Swedish Elite League, and was selected by the New York Rangers in the 10th round of the 1980 draft. Nicklas and Kristoffer have always gone hard against one another at whatever game they’ve played.

Early on, Nicklas showed an incredible aptitude for hockey. At 10-years-old, he played on a local team coached by his dad. Soon after, Nicklas began playing up on teams that were two age groups older.

Once in secondary school, he chose carpentry for his vocational studies, thinking that it would land him a job upon graduation. But by the time he turned 16, hockey had become an overwhelming priority.

For three seasons, he played to rave reviews for Brynas in a Swedish U18 league. He made the move up to the Swedish Junior League at the end of the 2003-04 season, and two years later, he was named the Swedish Elite League’s rookie of the year when he scored 10 goals with 16 assists in 46 games.

That summer, the Washington Capitals selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2006 draft, which was held in Vancouver. On hand that night to present Nicklas with a Caps jersey was Alexander Ovechkin. The image of the pair on stage provided a window into to Caps’ future as the two would later form one of the most lethal scoring lines in NHL history.

Despite the offer of a three-year contract, Nicklas elected to remain in Sweden for the 2006-07 campaign. He also represented Sweden on the international stage, playing in the World Junior Championships and World Championships.

After his final SEL season, where he led Brynas with 40 points, he shifted his career sights toward the National Hockey League. A skilled playmaker, Nicklas made his highly anticipated NHL debut on October 5, 2007 when the Caps opened the 2007-08 season in Atlanta.

As an NHL rookie, he was one of four Caps to appear in all 82 regular-season games. He finished with 14 goals and 55 assists for 69 points, good for second-best among rookie point producers. Nicklas was named one of the three finalists for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie.

He followed up his strong freshman season with an even more remarkable sophomore campaign, netting 22 goals with 66 assists. He finished ninth in the league in point production, and fourth in assists. And for the second consecutive time, he appeared in all 82 regular-season games, only one of two Caps’ players to do so.

The 2008-09 season also provided Nicklas with a pair of NHL milestones. He registered career point No. 100 with a first-period, power-play goal on Dec. 13 at Montreal’s Molson Centre against goalie Jaraslav Halak. Career assist No. 100 came a few months later, when on Feb. 15 at Florida, Nicklas helped on Ovechkin’s first-period, power-play tally.

The future remains undoubtedly bright for Nicklas. He has excellent hockey sense, and sees openings that few others can, and his slick flip passes have become a trademark. Although he’s not the strongest physically, he is very tough customer to knock off the puck. His other strengths include his soft hands and fine technical skills; really making it look easy when moving the puck and stick-handling through traffic.