Niklas Oskar Bäckström (born February 13, 1978 in
Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish professional ice
hockey goaltender who plays for the Minnesota Wild
of the National Hockey League.
Bäckström was the third goaltender for Team Finland
in the 2006 Winter Olympics, but did not play any
games. In the Finnish SM-liiga he played for HIFK,
SaiPa and Kärpät. Bäckström led Kärpät to two
consecutive league titles in 2004 and 2005.
Bäckström signed a one-year contract with the Wild
on June 1, 2006.
In the beginning of the 2006-2007 season, Bäckström
was the backup for the Wild's starting goaltender,
Manny Fernandez. Fernandez suffered a knee injury
mid-season and Bäckström was forced into the
starting position. Bäckström played exceptionally
over the second half of the season, finishing first
in the league in both goals against average and save
percentage, while tying Dwayne Roloson's team record
with five shutouts in just 36 starts.
He has re-signed with the Wild for multiple years.
