Ralph Backstrom

Ralph Backstrom
Born	(1937-09-18) 18 September 1937 Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
Died	7 February 2021(2021-02-07) (aged 83) Windsor, Colorado, United States
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey player, coach, entrepreneur, hockey executive
Years active	1956–1977 (player), 1980s (coach)
Known for	NHL player with Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Black Hawks; six-time Stanley Cup champion; Calder Memorial Trophy winner; University of Denver head coach; founder of Colorado Eagles

Ralph Gerald Backstrom (September 18, 1937 – February 7, 2021) was a Canadian ice hockey centre who later transitioned into roles as a coach, entrepreneur, and hockey executive. His professional playing career spanned from 1956 to 1973 in the National Hockey League (NHL), where he represented the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, and Chicago Black Hawks. Following this, he competed in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1973 to 1977 with the Chicago Cougars, Denver Spurs/Ottawa Civics, and New England Whalers. Backstrom achieved six Stanley Cup victories with Montreal and was honored with the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in 1959. After retiring as a player, he coached the University of Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey team during the 1980s.

Playing career

Backstrom’s junior hockey tenure lasted from 1954 until 1958 with the Montreal Junior Canadiens, who relocated and became the Ottawa-Hull Canadiens in 1956. Serving as captain, he led his squad to win the George Richardson Memorial Trophy in 1957 and secured the Memorial Cup championship in 1958.

He turned professional by joining the Montreal Canadiens for the 1958–59 season, immediately earning the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. Throughout twelve seasons with Montreal, Backstrom collected six Stanley Cup titles and participated in six NHL All-Star Games between 1958 and 1967. Following the conclusion of the 1969–70 season, he requested a trade and briefly contemplated retirement but returned to Montreal temporarily before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings in January 1971. During his time with Los Angeles, he netted 14 goals across 33 games, playing a key role in helping the Kings avoid finishing last—a move that strategically benefited Montreal by allowing them to acquire a high draft pick used to select star player Guy Lafleur. Midway through the 1972–73 season, Backstrom was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks where he concluded his NHL playing career.

In 1973, Backstrom became both a player and part-owner of the WHA’s Chicago Cougars. He led this team in scoring during his first season with 33 goals and a total of 83 points. The Cougars advanced to the Avco Cup Finals in 1974 but were defeated by the Houston Aeros; Backstrom tied for most points in that postseason with 14. He also took part in the 1974 Summit Series representing Canada on a WHA all-star roster. After experiencing a decline in his production during the following season (1974–75), Backstrom was selected by the Denver Spurs through the WHA expansion draft. Despite leading Denver in scoring, franchise instability forced a relocation to become the Ottawa Civics before folding mid-season. He finished that year with the New England Whalers, tallying 35 goals and accumulating 83 points. Backstrom played one more season with New England before retiring in 1977 at age 39. Over his professional career, he achieved at least seven NHL seasons with a minimum of 20 goals and two WHA campaigns exceeding 30 goals.

Coaching

Following his playing retirement, Backstrom joined the University of Denver’s coaching staff as an assistant under head coach Marshall Johnston. Three years later he returned to the NHL as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings for one season before taking over as head coach at Denver after Johnston departed for an NHL position with the Colorado Rockies.

Backstrom navigated through difficult seasons at Denver during the early 1980s before leading a breakthrough campaign in 1985–86. That year, he guided Denver to an impressive record of 34 wins along with capturing both their conference regular-season championship and tournament title—their first such achievements in thirteen years—and secured their first appearance at the Frozen Four since 1973. His efforts earned him the prestigious Spencer Penrose Award as national coach of the year. Despite these accomplishments, sustaining that level of success proved challenging for subsequent seasons, culminating in Backstrom’s resignation following the 1989–90 season, passing leadership to Frank Serratore.

Backstrom then transitioned into professional coaching for the 1990–91 campaign with the Phoenix Roadrunners. In his inaugural season, he led them to a competitive playoff run that pushed top-seeded Peoria Rivermen to a decisive seventh game during the Turner Cup semifinals. However, performance declined sharply in his second year as Phoenix finished last among ten teams in the league. Subsequently, Backstrom stepped down from his coaching role.

Front office

Backstrom, together with Dennis Murphy and Larry King, was instrumental in establishing Roller Hockey International and took on the role of its commissioner. The league encountered financial setbacks, leading to the suspension of the 1998 season and a final campaign in 1999 before ceasing operations in 2001. In the 1999–00 season, Backstrom made his return to the NHL as a scout for the St. Louis Blues.

Following three years with the Blues organization, Backstrom launched the Colorado Eagles of the Central Hockey League in 2002. He held ownership of the franchise and fulfilled the duties of general manager and president during its initial three seasons. Under his guidance, the Eagles secured a CHL championship in 2004–05. Throughout his leadership tenure, the team dominated their division six times, reached the championship finals on five occasions, and captured the Ray Miron President's Cup twice within eight years before transitioning to the ECHL in 2011–12 and subsequently advancing to the AHL in 2018–19.

Awards and achievements

• Memorial Cup* winner — 1958
• Calder Memorial Trophy* recipient — 1959
• NHL All-Star Games* participant — 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1965, 1967
• Stanley Cup* winner — 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969 (with Montreal)
• Paul Deneau Trophy* winner — 1974

Personal life

Backstrom’s family originated from near Vaasa, Finland before settling in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. He was related to NHL player Daren Puppa but had no familial connection to goaltender Niklas Bäckström or center Nicklas Bäckström.

He married Frances Richard in April 1961 and later wed Janet in 1985; they remained married until his passing. Backstrom fathered three children: Martin, Diana, and Andrew.

He passed away on February 7, 2021, at age 83 at his residence in Windsor, Colorado after a prolonged illness. Subsequent examinations revealed he had stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Career statistics

Source:

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1954–55	Montreal Jr. Canadiens	QJHL		21	7	6	13	2		5	2	1	3	4
1955–56	Montreal Jr. Canadiens	QJHL		18	10	8	18	4		—	—	—	—	—
1955–56	Montreal Jr. Canadiens	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		10	5	4	9	6
1956–57	Ottawa-Hull Canadiens	OHA-Jr.		18	10	8	18	4		—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	Ottawa-Hull Canadiens	EOHL		18	7	10	17	4		—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		3	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	Ottawa-Hull Canadiens	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		15	17	11	28	19
1957–58	Rochester Americans	AHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1957–58	Ottawa-Hull Canadiens	OHA-Jr.		26	24	27	51	64		—	—	—	—	—
1957–58	Ottawa-Hull Canadiens	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		13	17	9	26	24
NHL totals				1,032	278	361	639	386		116	27	32	59	68
WHA totals				234	85	129	214	76		38	10	18	28	12

International

Year	Team	Tournament		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1974	Canada	SS-74		8	4	4	8	10
Senior career totals				8	4	4	8	10

Head coaching record

{{CIH yearly record subhead |name = Denver Pioneers |color = color:white; background:#8B2332; |startyear = 1981 |conflong = Western Collegiate Hockey Association |conference = WCHA |endyear = 1990 |}

See also

• List of NHL players with 1,000 games played