Nicklas Backstrom’s grandmother might need to work on her pep talks.
The 26-year-old Washington Capitals forward is only one day away from making his Winter Olympics debut with Team Sweden, but he probably shouldn’t turn to Nana for any encouraging words before he takes the ice. According to a Google translation of a Swedish story, Backstrom’s 84-year-old grandmother, Britt, didn’t pull any punches when it came to predicting how her grandson will play in the Winter Games.
“He will make a fool of himself,” she told Östersundsposten. “He has played so poorly. For a long time.”
Maybe something got lost in translation or maybe Grandma has some impossibly high standards because Backstrom leads all Swedish NHL players with 56 points in 59 games this season. He also ranks third in the NHL with 45 assists.
Britt’s trash talk wasn’t just reserved for family members, either. She also took a shot at the Capitals, saying, “On the whole, they’ve got no game.”
Backstrom had no comment when asked about his grandmother’s remarks, which is for the best since she’d probably critique whatever he had to say anyway.
Sweden will face Czech Republic on Wednesday as the men’s tournament gets underway.
Photo via Twitter/@NHL
