Nicklas Backstrom has proven himself to be among the elite centers in the NHL for several seasons, yet has never been recognized for his performance with a selection to an all-star team.
That streak ended on Wednesday.
The Washington Capitals’ top-line center was named an all-star for the first time in his ninth season and will join fellow first-time invitee Braden Holtby, the Capitals’ goaltender, and decorated left wing Alex Ovechkin on the Metropolitan Division team for the All-Star Game.
That team will be coached by Barry Trotz, who earns the honor by virtue of the Capitals’ first-place standing in the division. With Ovechkin, Backstrom and Holtby all selected to play in the game, which will be held Jan. 31 in Nashville, Washington will be represented by three players for the first time since the 1984-85 season.
“To be honest, I was kind of surprised, but absolutely an honor and I’m excited about it,” Backstrom told reporters on Wednesday, following the team’s practice at Boston University. “It will be fun.”
Backstrom led the league with 60 assists last season and has finished with more than 50 assists five times in his first eight seasons. Teammates have long bemoaned the lack of recognition Backstrom has received around the league for his consistent, two-way play; Trotz, who said his selection was “a long time overdue,” has frequently said that he wishes Backstrom would get additional consideration for the Selke Trophy, which is given to the forward with the best defensive ability.
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This year, Backstrom has 11 goals and 24 assists through 36 games, having missed the first three as he recovered from offseason hip surgery. Entering Wednesday, he ranked second in the league with 14 power-play assists and was tied for fourth with 16 power-play points, and his 2.06 assists per 60 minutes ranked sixth in the league.
“I’m extremely happy for Nick,” Holtby said after practice on Wednesday. “He’s the most deserving guy that you can imagine for that role. It doesn’t really make a difference to him, all-star or not, but it’s great for him.”
Holtby will also be making the trip to the first time, though his wait was significantly shorter. After two years of sporadic appearances, Holtby stuck with the Capitals for the first time during the 2012-13 season, but didn’t take over as the unquestioned full-time starter until last year.
He has a 1.93 goals-against average, the second-best in the league, and ranks fourth with a .932 save percentage. With a 25-4-2 record this season, Holtby is 17-0-2 over his last 20 games and is the first goaltender to have a point in 19 consecutive games since the 2010-11 season.
“It’ll be an experience,” Holtby said. “It’ll be fun, but my main thing is to get through it without losing focus of what we’re trying to do here with the Caps.”
Trotz, who spent his first 15 seasons coaching the host Nashville Predators, has guided the Capitals to a 29-7-3 record, the best in the NHL through Tuesday night’s road victory over the Boston Bruins.
Ovechkin was selected to the team last week after he received the most fan votes of any Metropolitan Division player. It is his seventh selection; the left wing has 21 goals this season, the most on the Capitals and the fifth-most in the league.
The league again overhauled the format for the All-Star Game this season, transforming it from one game into a three-game affair. The four divisions will be pitted against each other in a pair of 20-minute, three-on-three games, with the winners to advance to a tournament final.
Backstrom liked that the three players, plus Trotz, will have a chance to experience the weekend together.
“I mean, obviously, we’re first overall in the NHL right now, so that’s just a sign that we have been doing something good so far this year,” he said. “It will be fun to have a couple guys going.”
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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