#mean lars

The humor of Nicklas Backstrom can be summarized with a simple rule: If you turn your back, watch out. Defenseman Nate Schmidt learned the hard way one afternoon at Washington’s practice facility, waiting in line for lunch. “I see this face pop over my shoulder,” Schmidt recalls. “It’s Nicky and he goes…” (Schmidt drops into a voice that sounds a little Silence of the Lambs-ish, just as creepy, but higher-pitched.) “…’HEY SCHMITTY.’ I was like, ‘Hey man.’ He goes, ‘Just thought I’d come over and say hi. It looked like you were lonely.’ Then he just walks away.”

The brilliance of Nicklas Backstrom can be boiled down to a similar, albeit twisted, credo: If he turns his back, keep watch just the same.