One of the Calgary Flames coaches had casually observed Mikael Backlund wrapping up his post-game meal in a take-out container and wondered.
“They said, ‘Oh, are you taking some home for your wife?’” Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan said. “He said, ‘No, I stop and drop it off to a homeless guy before I go home.’
“So, he’s thinking about that after games and makes a quick stop and gives a guy a meal and goes home. We didn’t know that until about 60 games (into the season).”
The touching story and selfless act provides a small glimpse into Backlund’s character, which was, once gain, recognized on Thursday as he was nominated by the team for the NHL’s Foundation Player award.