Sad News: Nick Backstrom Is Stepping Away From Hockey

God damn this is the saddest news on a Wednesday. Here I was hoping we'd get some good news like Ron Rivera is stepping away from the Commanders, but nope, one of the best, most beloved athletes in DC history is "stepping away from the game". To put it lightly, this suckssssssssss.

Backy is 2nd all time in games played for the Caps, 4th in goals, and 1st in assists. He's always been Robin to Ovi's Batman, and is definitely a large reason Ovi will break Gretzky's record. 

Backstrom entered the league at 20 years old in 2007, never played in the AHL, notched 101 points in the 09-10 season, and of course is a Stanley Cup champion.

Bruce Bennett. Getty Images.

You have never heard a bad thing about Nick Backstrom and it is so god damn unfortunate this hip injury has cut his incredible career short. Hopefully he can recover and live a pain-free life. We appreciate you and what you did for DC and the Caps. Namaste.