| Birth Date: | January 2, 1955 |
| Birth Place: | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 10 |
| Weight Lb: | 175 |
| Position: | Right wing |
| Shoots: | Right |
| Played For: | New York Rangers |
| Draft: | Undrafted |
| Wha Draft: | 100th overall |
| Wha Draft Year: | 1975 |
| Wha Draft Team: | Quebec Nordiques |
| Career Start: | 1978 |
| Career End: | 1986 |
Michael Charles Backman (born January 2, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He was drafted by the World Hockey Association's Quebec Nordiques in the seventh round, 100th, of the 1975 WHA Amateur Draft; however, he never played in that league. Despite being un-drafted in the National Hockey League, he played eighteen regular-season and ten playoff games in the NHL with the New York Rangers over three seasons from 1982 to 1983. Backman first played NHL hockey with the Rangers in the 1981-82 season, playing three games. He registered two assists that first year and the following year scored his first NHL goal.[1]
Backman's elder son Sean was also a professional ice hockey player, as are his sons-in-law Jonathan Quick and Matt Moulson.[2]
He won the 1983-84 CHL championship, the Adams Cup, as a member of the Tulsa Oilers team coached by Tom Webster.[3]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||
| 1974–75 | Montreal Juniors | QMJHL | 38 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 85 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 24 | ||
| 1974–75 | Saint Mary's University | CIAU | 6 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Saint Mary's University | CIAU | 19 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Saint Mary's University | CIAU | 19 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Saint Mary's University | CIAU | 17 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 15 | ||
| 1978–79 | Toledo Goaldiggers | IHL | 66 | 25 | 38 | 63 | 171 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 17 | ||
| 1979–80 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 74 | 18 | 28 | 46 | 456 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 14 | ||
| 1980–81 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 62 | 27 | 27 | 54 | 224 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 1981–82 | New York Rangers | NHL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1981–82 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 74 | 24 | 27 | 51 | 147 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | New York Rangers | NHL | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1982–83 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 71 | 29 | 47 | 76 | 170 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | New York Rangers | NHL | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 50 | 12 | 28 | 40 | 103 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 22 | ||
| 1984–85 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 72 | 10 | 36 | 46 | 120 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 292 | 81 | 119 | 200 | 951 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 43 | ||||
| NHL totals | 18 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||||