Nicklas Backstrom was convinced he wouldn't be an All-Star.
So convinced, in fact, that the Washington Capitals forward booked a vacation to the Turks and Caicos for the break.
"I haven't been to an All-Star Game in eight years, so I definitely didn't think, 'You're going to get in the ninth,'" Backstrom told Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post.
"I booked it because I didn't think. I was kind of surprised when they picked me. I'm honestly excited about it."
Backstrom joins teammates Braden Holtby and Evgeny Kuznetsov, as well as Capitals head coach Barry Trotz, on the Metropolitan Division squad in Nashville.
Trotz says Backstrom has never expected to be an All-Star despite his qualifications, which include four 60-assist seasons, six campaigns with at least 65 points, and a 33-goal, 101-point effort in 2009-10.
"That's Nick," Trotz said. "He's always so unassuming and maybe he doesn't realize how good he is. That’s maybe the greatness of Nick Backstrom, that he does a lot of stuff quietly. But his greatness is there every night ... Anybody who watches him really closely knows he's a true All-Star. I'm happy for him that he's going for the first time. I'm absolutely shocked that it's his first time, but he's excited about it."
Capitals teammate Brooks Laich agrees.
"Nicky is the quietest superstar in the league," Laich told Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. "Great players make other people look better, and I think Nicky is the king of that."
Backstrom, who ranks second on the team this season with 45 points in 44 games, will take part in the All-Star Skills Challenge on Saturday.
