backlund on backlund is over :(

while he hadn't written anything since the world championship last spring, mikael backlund's blog has been officially removed from the airwaves.

bummer.

we'll miss your insight, mickis.

backlund on backlund

Thank goodness that mickis has time to write. cause i sure don't. bless'im for being the only author at hitthepost to ever share anything these days.... bummer he's totally unaware of it.

ps: someone should tell poor backlund that he's not playing in the world cup.
;)


On Monday, we went out into the Calder Cup Finals with the Heat Abbotsford. Then I thought of course that the season was over and that it was time to take time off and rest ... But that did not happen when I got a call by Bengt Ake Gustafsson, just minutes before I could go on the flight back to Sweden where he said he wanted me to come and represent the Swedish national team and play the World Cup. I got a big shock but was very happy and it was not on the map that I would say no! The only problem was simply that my luggage was checked and would go all the way to Gothenburg. So when I landed yesterday Thursday here in Germany at Frankfurt Airport, so I got and Mats Naslund GM for the national team trying to stop my bags before they were flown home. We managed to stop them but it took almost 1.5 hours to get all the bags when they apparently got a little scattered! But finally I got the bags and we could take the car and drive an hour to arrive at the hotel in Mannheim where the World Cup is played. So I got to the hotel at 15 times and it was just to eat lunch and then sleep until 17 o'clock before it was time to go up again and get ready for my World Cup debut.

It felt really cool and fun to slide on the ice with all the guys in the Tre Kronor jersey. Even if I had slept little and had a long trip so I felt quite refreshed and I still think the match went pretty well and I had so much fun! I had to play 11 minutes and had three shots on goal. It was a bit strange to play on the big ice again and outer wing but thought I could handle it well anyway.

Tomorrow is a new game and then waiting Canada. There will be a tough match with a lot of speed and tough game! Should be fun to play against my teammates Rene Bourque, Mark Giordano and extra fun to play against my former teammate Tyler Myers who I played with last year in Kelowna. I hope we win so I do not invite him to dinner when the free food tastes much better!

Today I just rested all day and tried to take back some power from a busy week with much flying, migratory, poor sleep and colds.

It feels really good to have the same timing as Sweden again and be in Europe and have been so close to home! Must run now hockey final weeks of this season and then go home and take a much needed rest!

update on backlund by backlund

mickis gives us an idea about how rough travel is on an abbotsford team.... from his blog:

Division Finals

Tomorrow starts Round 2 of the 2010 AHL playoffs, and we meet with Hamilton Bulldogs after winning the Rochester Americans. It was a tough series that we managed to win but it took seven games for us to be able to pinch victory. We started the series well and won the first match but then lost three straight games and then it felt very heavy and driving, but we came back and became stronger as a team and lifted us and won their last three matches and thus the series! It was not the only game in terms of a tough series but also resmässigt. We began to play two matches away in Rochester and then after the second game we went bus 3 hours to Toronto, got there at 2 am and fell asleep at 3. At 5:30 bell rang again when it was time to wake up again and fly home to Abbotsford. The plane left at 7:15 and we made a stopover in Edmonton for about 50 min. The flight took about five hours in total. Then we played three home games and flew then back day after the 5th game and then it was the same trip again, sleep late, get up early (5:20) and fly at 7:15 and then land in Toronto at 16 because there is 3 hour time difference and after it was the three-hour bus and then we came to Rochester again! So there is no [luxury] not here in the AHL clean the backyard of the NHL, one can say where it is luxury o glamor.

After the 7th match which we won, we went in the bus just over 2.5 hours to come to Hamilton to play against us tomorrow. Travel becomes a bit easier now because Hamilton is just 45 minutes from Toronto. But we still played only two away games, tomorrow and Sunday and then three home games and then two away again if needed!

I look forward to playing this series when Hamilton was the second best team in the league this year so there will be a tough match series but I think we have a really good chance because we are a true warrior gang!



i'm not sure which part of the translation i prefer, "pinch victory" or "warrior gang."

[sutter(s) dismissal countdown: day 56]

update on backlund, by backlund

now that the word is out that mickis is a dirty blogger, i feel like i have to keep tabs on his day-to-day in order to "break the news" before everybody else gets to it... i have to say that, in addition to the continual strengthening his on-ice prowess, he is always the most excited guy in a flaming C; he's excited and grateful to be out there every game (and i wish that kind of enthusiasm would infect the other players). ps: "tagged and loaded" is effin' awesome.


this year's game!!

Yep it bang on Friday when it is this year's game against Colorado. After we won the last 2 games and Colorado lost two in a row so is it just 2 points and it can be just after Friday's game if we win it in the battle for the last playoff spot! I am really looking forward to the match and there will be a cruel war and traction on the ice.

So after my birthday we got a little injury that made me have to start playing again and it's been really good since I had the chance in addition to 3 matches where I'm not on top but otherwise I think it has gone quite well! Too bad that the team just could not find a longer winning streak, but we can hopefully start on a long now that it's only 5 games left in the season! Yes we must, in principle, to win every match if we are to stand any chance of reaching finals and in particular away game tomorrow against Colorado, which is this year's game! I am cruelly tagged and loaded for the match. So today there will be a quieter day with a bit lighter bike and ice bath and then becomes the 2-hour flight to Colorado and then tonight it will be to go out and eat dinner there and then tomorrow it is entirely focused on the match!

After the Colorado game we fly on to Chicago and trained there on Saturday and then play there on Sunday at 2 Central Time. After the game we fly home to Calgary again and then my mom and little sister Maddening be there waiting for me at the hotel for those flying in to Calgary on Sunday and land at 12 times of the day. It will be so fun to meet them and that they should see me play in the NHL is going to be awesome! Then, it will be extra fun to meet little Maddening again that I have not met since the 17th August when I left Sweden dear! Mom and Madde will be here until Tuesday 13 April, so they have time to see 2 home games and then they will fly to Vancouver and then the last and final match against grundserie Vancouver next Saturday, April 10. So I hope we can win the match and that means that we have gone to the finals!

Let's go for the playoffs!


shep: my swedish lesson for today, if you don't mind, would be a translation to "grundserie." many thanks.

update on backlund, by backlund

happy 21st birthday to mickis tomorrow !!!! the lucky guy got hisself borned on st.paddys day, but it doesn't sound much like he's all that interested in getting messed up on green beer.... fyi: if you wanna catch up with him, hit ikea on thursday march 18th and stake out the cafeteria. ;) anyhow, an update from his blog ---the highlights being that he'll find out tomorrow morning (wednesday) if he'll lace up in colorado.... eff, you might as well. i vote: let mickis play !!!

*****

"Now when I write this, it's my 21 - year day in Sweden, but we still have 6 hours left here in Colorado, USA. Just 21 years is indeed a big deal here in the U.S. when you finally get to go out over here! Birthday will be celebrating in Denver, Colorado, as I said, we play here tomorrow and then fly home after the game. So I had thought that I would go to IKEA on Thursday when I come home and eat my favorite cake, prinsesstårta! May be that it will be buying the Daim and also a nice lunch with meatballs, potatoes, gravy and lingonberry jam!

I have not played game for a while now. I've been in the gallery since we played against New Jersey, March 5, so it was a bit boring because you always want to play! But I have fought on and drove hard fys and extra skating. For now, it has been pretty okay since I was called again. We started of course with a heavy loss against Minnesota, but then came back and won against New Jersey and then we won three consecutive games after that. But then we went to Vancouver on Sunday and had a heavy match there and lost, and since yesterday we played against Detroit at home and lost again after a really tight game in which Detroit won by 1-2! The match could have gone anyway but it was a heavy loss for us and now we are 3 points for playoff spot, we hunt and the remaining 13 games! So we should win 10 of those if we are going to the playoffs and I really hope!

I myself of course hope to play soon, we want to be with and help the team when it is a bit frustrating to sit in the stands and not be able to help the team. 'll See if I get the chance again tomorrow for my birthday, get to know tomorrow morning after warming! There will be a really tough match tomorrow, we meet a strong, young Colorado who has gone quite well this year and is on 6th place 7 points ahead of us. I hope and believe that we win tomorrow then we had two heavy loss which gives us a real pleasure revenge.

After the match tomorrow as I say we fly back to Calgary again and play at home on Friday against San Jose and then we fly back on Saturday and play on Sunday away against Minnesota. It's a tough schedule we have with the game almost every other day and a lot of traveling! But it's the most fun time in the season when it starts to tighten and every match is like an end-game match for us!

Today I was, Pardy and McGrattan down and drove fys before we flew to Colorado where I sit now in the hotel room. Soon it's time to go and eat dinner with a bunch of the team."

*****

i understand the word "fys" to be like practice of some sort, but maybe shep can offer more info.
hit the post: helping you learn swedish one word at a time.... ;)

more on my thoughts re: the state of the flames tomorrow. the post is pretty much done but i wanted to get this view from the inside up.

[sutter(s) dismissal countdown: day 13]

blog updates: backlund on backlund

firstly, congratulations to freddan for knocking up his ladyfriend... he announces it in swedish over on his blog (that i will continue to read cause i still love that guy). ;)

mickis has also updated his blog and it translates loosely as follows:

"6 benefits 1 loss on the roadtrip, NHL now! Yes, our roadtrip during the Olympics went really well for us! We started to play against Toronto on and won with 5-1, where I had 2 goals. Then we flew on to Providence and played 3 matches in 3 days only to Providence, where we lost 2-4 I had 1 assistant then drove (2 hours bus) we have to Bridgeport and played and won by 1-0 then ended the weekend in Providence where we took revenge and won 5-2 and I had 1 goal. After the weekend we had 1 days off and then I took the opportunity to take care of my body so I and Kronwall went to the Westin Hotel and drove hottub and steam room! Then later that day I took a full body massage at our hotel.

The second week of our roadtrip began in Bridgeport and we won the match 3-2 o I had 2 ass. After the game we drove to Worcester (2.5 hours bus) and when we arrived it was time to check out Sweden's quarterfinals and it was not so good as you all already know! It was very disappointing in my room and Kronwall threw things about themselves in sheer frustration! Roadtrip ended with two matches against Worcester and we won both, the first after penalties and the other during the regular time, I had 4 points in those games.

So in total we won 6 matches and lost only 1, it will also be added that the team had played two matches before I flew over there and they won both of those as well so it was a really good roadtrip, 8-1-0! For me, it was also really good, I had good speed in skates and created very positions and played with a cruel good self-esteem! I was also praised for my game as Player of the Week in AHL during the second week of the roadtrip! So it was really fun to have such a nice prize!

We flew home on Sunday to Vancouver again and landed in the early 3e period in the Olympic final so after we got our luggage, we looked at the match at the airport and it was good pressure there! All watched the match over the entire airport! A very exciting and good game! We took the bus also home to Abbotsford, and I got on the road know that I would be named later on Monday or on Tuesday. So I went home and packed, washed and got into the apartment.

On Monday I went down the hall to run a bit fys and the ice bath and then I got my plane ticket to Calgary and later on Monday evening, I landed in Calgary! I was so happy to be named again, although I knew the roadtrip that I probably would be named if I'm good! It was a nice feeling to sit on the flight back to Calgary and it felt really good at training on Tuesday. Yesterday Wednesday we played our first match after the break and I can not exactly say it went well, we lost by 0-4 at home! For me, it was however quite good but it felt good to lose lodge first game after the break, and especially not at home! So for us pulls us up to tomorrow's match at home against New Jersey!

So we play at home tomorrow and then we play away against Minnesota on Sunday and gone to Detroit on Tuesday! Must be great to play against all the Swedes in Detroit and in particular against Lidas!

It feels so good to be cruelly named again and I hope to stay here in the NHL now, the rest of my North American career! I've been playing really well at the end since I was named the first time and the coaches and management are pleased with me so I'll just continue to show them that it is in the NHL that I'll play!"

this is pretty much the only happy news in flamesville, but i gotta say i'm stoked for the guy....
maybe shep shed some light on what word always translates to "cruel good" and "cruelly" (but both mean good things). anyhow....
:)