Capitals' Backstrom the 'quietest superstar' in the NHL

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Nicklas Backstrom is the point-a-game playmaker who toils in the large shadow of Washington Capitals teammate Alex Ovechkin, goal-scoring

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Nicklas Backstrom is the point-a-game playmaker who toils in the large shadow of Washington Capitals teammate Alex Ovechkin, goal-scoring rock star and a constant headliner on the NHL's marquee.

So, it's not surprising the unassuming Backstrom has never really gotten more attention for his accomplishments.

''Nicky is the quietest superstar in the league,'' Capitals forward Brooks Laich said. ''Great players make other people look better, and I think Nicky is the king of that.''

Backstrom flies under the radar like no other current player with 600 career points. Only six active players have more points a game since he entered the league and they're the best of the best: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Ovechkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Getzlaf and Patrick Kane.

Yet somehow this weekend will be Backstrom's first All-Star appearance.

''Is this his first All-Star Game?'' incredulous former linemate Mike Knuble. ''It is, really? Holy cow. That's crazy.''

Believe it. Backstrom has never wanted the attention and wanted to make it clear that he didn't ask his coach, Barry Trotz, to go on an All-Star campaign for him.

Perhaps it's the Swede in him that makes him want to go about his business without the fanfare or the thirst for attention. Maybe it's just the 28-year-old's humility, but he's honored his coach and teammates have taken a stand to bring him the deserved recognition.

''It's nice to kind of get appreciated, maybe?'' Backstrom said. ''But at the same time, it's not that I haven't gotten any recognition at all. I'm happy with the way it was or is.''

The way it is, Backstrom dazzles teammates every day in practice. When stay-at-home defenseman Karl Alzner is afraid to mess up a drill, he sees Backstrom fire a backhanded saucer pass 50 feet across the ice. When Laich works on the penalty kill he sees how Backstrom moves opponents around to exactly where he wants them.

Opponents don't get too close to Backstrom because they know he's can make them look bad.

''He knows how far everybody's going to come out to challenge him,'' Knuble said. ''He'll go right up to the edge like a dog on an invisible fence. He knows where that line is where they won't cross.''

Around the league Backstrom has a reputation as a very good player. But the true appreciation of Backstrom comes from seeing him up-close.

''I watched him before, too, and I knew he was great,'' said Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin, who played with Backstrom at the Sochi Olympics. ''But I didn't think he was (that good). He was so much fun to play with on the same line - great passer, great vision. Just the way he skates and moves, he's easy to play with.

''He's up there in the league for sure among centermen.''

Likewise, Trotz gained a better appreciation of Backstrom's brilliance when he witnessed it from behind the bench every game. Now it bothers him that Backstrom is constantly overlooked, whether it be as an All-Star, a candidate for the Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward, or simply as an elite talent.

''When you have a player of his caliber, to not be recognized I think it is a little bit of a travesty in some ways that he hasn't got the attention that he deserves,'' Trotz said. ''People are missing that moment where they recognize a great player playing on a nightly basis and not really pay attention to it. I think Nick's OK with it, but I wasn't.''

Neither are the Capitals.

Knuble likened Backstrom to a less physical Peter Forsberg, a Hockey Hall of Famer. Backstrom's career might be one better understood when he hangs up his skates and his stats speak for themselves.

''You're going to look back at his whole career and see how many points he gets, and it might be the quietest Hall of Fame number of points that you might see in a long time,'' Trotz said.

Backstrom is only nine years into his career, but talk of the Hall of Fame is not far-fetched considering Ovechkin's the fifth-fastest player to 500 goals and that he did it alongside Backstrom.

Ovechkin said Backstrom makes him better every day. Their chemistry has led the Capitals to seven playoff appearances with an eighth looming, and the Ovechkin-Backstrom duo could go down as one of the best in hockey history.

''It's just a perfect match,'' Laich said. ''You've got an all-time shooter with an all-time passer.''

---

Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SWhyno .