Back To Brynas and Bauer For Nicklas Backstrom

Last month, hockey club Brynäs IF in Sweden made headlines by announcing the signing of former Washington Capitals star Nicklas Backstrom to a one-year contract. For Backstrom, this is more than just a homecoming to the organization where he honed his skills in the early 2000s before crossing the Atlantic. It’s also a personal comeback after years of injury struggles, and an equipment comeback that will bring a wave of nostalgia to longtime hockey fans.

Backstrom’s final years in the NHL were defined as much by surgeries and rehab as by his skillful playmaking. After battling hip issues that sidelined him for large portions of multiple seasons, including the entire 2024-25 campaign, many wondered if he would ever lace up the skates again. 

Now 37 years old, he’s healthy, skating with energy, and ready for a new chapter back in Gävle with Brynäs IF for the 2025–26 season. He has already participated in many practices and even suited up for a preseason game, showing flashes of the brilliance that made him a Stanley Cup champion and one of the NHL’s premier playmakers.

While his return to Brynäs IF is exciting on its own, equipment enthusiasts have noticed another twist, Backstrom is once again using Bauer gear. Thanks to Brynäs’ partnership with Bauer, players are required to wear the company’s gloves, helmets, and pants. That part of the switch wasn’t negotiable. 

But what caught the attention of some was Backstrom’s decision to swap out his longtime Warrior sticks for Bauer as well. At his first few practices, Backstrom still clung to his familiar Warrior stick, the brand he’s been synonymous with since the fall of 2014. But a few weeks later, he surprised many by showing up with what appeared to be a Bauer Nexus Tracer in hand. For fans of gear history, this was a full-circle moment.

Backstrom’s relationship with Bauer runs deep. From his rookie season with Washington in 2007-08 through the 2014 season, he was one of Bauer’s most visible ambassadors. His face graced promotional posters, and he was often tied to the brand’s marquee releases, including the beloved Vapor APX 2 line. 

For years, Backstrom was seen as one of the defining Bauer athletes in the NHL. But that all changed abruptly in late 2014, when he made a surprising switch to Warrior sticks. Soon after, the gloves then followed, and by the end of the 2015 season he added a Warrior helmet as well. This was essentially the beginning of a partnership that stuck for over a decade.

Now, as Backstrom steps onto the ice for Brynäs IF, he does so with both a sense of nostalgia and renewal. His return to Bauer may largely be a result of the team’s sponsorship deal, but it feels symbolic nonetheless. 

After years of carving his NHL legacy with Warrior, he’s back in the equipment that helped launch his career and establish his reputation as one of hockey’s elite playmakers. 

For Brynäs IF fans, it’s a chance to see one of their club’s most celebrated alumni back in action. For equipment aficionados, it’s a nod to a different era, when Nicklas Backstrom was a fixture in Bauer ads and a driving force behind the company’s identity in pro hockey.

As the 2025–26 season unfolds, you could say that Backstrom’s story has come full circle. He’s back in Brynäs, back in Bauer, and back to doing what he does best. Making plays and writing new chapters in an already remarkable career.

Photo Credit: Brynas IF