Minnesota Wild left wing Zach Parise pumps his fist after scoring one of his three first-period goals in Thursday night's win over the Calgary Flames at Excel Energy Center. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Minnesota Wild left wing Zach Parise, facing, is congratulated by teammates after scoring his first of three goals against the Calgary Flames in the first period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Minnesota Wild left wing Zach Parise is congratulated by Minnesota Wild center Charlie Coyle after scoring his second of three goals against the Calgary Flames in the first period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon scores his second shot on the night with this backdoor shot past Calgary Flames goalie Niklas Backstrom in the third period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk keeps stays in front of the puck as ca67 looks for an opening in the third period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)



Minnesota Wild center Charlie Coyle hits the ice as he tries to stop the puck from getting past him as the Wild take on Calgary in the first period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Minnesota Wild head coach John Torchetti against the Calgary Flames in the first period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon absorbs a mid ice check from Calgary Flames center Freddie Hamilton in the first period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Minnesota Wild right wing David Jones fights past Calgary Flames center Sam Bennett to chase the puck in the second period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Minnesota Wild left wing Thomas Vanek lines up a shot on Calgary Flames goalie Niklas Backstrom in the second period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)



Calgary Flames goalie Niklas Backstrom gets caught out of position and Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon takes advantage and pokes the puck in for a goal in the second period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

The Minnesota Wild celebrate defenseman Jared Spurgeon goal against Calgary Flames goalie Niklas Backstrom in the second period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Calgary Flames goalie Niklas Backstrom tries to corral the bouncing puck shot from the Wild in the second period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk slaps the puck away from Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan in the third period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk gets wrapped up around Calgary Flames center Joe Colborne stick in the third period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)



The Minnesota Wild celebrate Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon second goal on the night as Calgary Flames goalie Niklas Backstrom looks on in the third period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Minnesota Wild right wing Nino Niederreiter scores a goal against the Calgary Flames in the third period at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

It was a rough night for former Wild goalie, now Calgary Flames goalie Niklas Backstrom as he gave up 6 goals to his former teammates at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Wild beat the Flames, 6-2. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

The first time I saw Nik Backstrom go through his pregame routine, I was scared to death.

Seriously. I hid behind a potted plant.

An hour and a half before game time, Backstrom would take his “ghost walk” around the bottom floor of the arena. Head up, eyes down, blank expression, arms pumping in super slow-motion, he’d creep along like a zombie oblivious to anything and everything around him. A “hello’’ met with no response. It was as if he were among the walking dead.

“You’re just trying to get into your own world,” he explained later. “Is it that bad?”

Bad? I told him I thought he was possessed. After a while, we all got used to it. Just like we got to used seeing Backstrom between the pipes night after night.

Nik was the best goaltender in Wild history. And it almost was by accident, really. He wasn’t supposed to be a long-term proposition when he arrived here from Finland as a 28-year-old rookie in 2006.

Yet 10 years and 194 Wild victories later and in the twilight of his unlikely NHL career, Backstrom made a final ghost trek around Xcel Energy Center on Thursday night. Only this time it was as the starting goaltender for the Calgary Flames, who lost to the Wild 6-2.

“It was weird,” Backstrom said after the game. “I’m glad it’s over. It’s been a pretty tough couple of days coming in here to The Cities, and I haven’t really been able to go anywhere without people talking about the game. I wish the outcome would have been different. For the first time in my life, I’m pretty much happy that the game is over. And so you can move on.”

Yes, but it was a terrific run in Minnesota while it lasted.

Heading into the 2006-2007 season, the Wild’s No.1 goaltender was moody, mercurial Manny Fernandez, as high maintenance as any Kardashian. The backup was supposed to be young Josh Harding. But then-general manager Doug Risebrough didn’t want to just hand the job to Harding. So he was looking for a goalie he could bring in for one year on the cheap.

“(Backstrom’s) name had been bouncing around for the last three years,” Risebrough said at the time. “Then you say to yourself, ‘Why is his name still bouncing around?’ You’ve got to get lucky sometime.”

Risebrough and the Wild got lucky. Backstrom not only supplanted Harding as the No. 2 goalie, but by season’s end he also had become the top man, leading the league in save percentage (.929) and goals against average (1.97). Furthermore, by way of his quiet, pleasant demeanor, he quickly became known as the anti-Manny.

Backstrom was, and is, no acrobat. He does not have a Slinky for a spine and he’s never made a save while turning a cartwheel. Instead, he is more of a mathematician, calculating the angles as plays develop and then placing himself in the line of fire.

For the last decade, he and fellow Finn Mikko Koivu were the constants on the team, although the two couldn’t be more different. I don’t believe in stereotypes such as, you know, all Americans are boorish and all Frenchmen are rude. That said, I have met very few jovial Finns.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mikael Granlund smile. Or Erik Haula. I saw Mikko smile once, but I think it was because he saw me get hit in the groin by a stray TV camera.

Yet Backstrom was fun to be around. And funny, too. A few days after the birth of his first child, I walked past his locker and called out: “Hey Nik, that kid got a job yet?” With no hesitation he shot back: “No, he wants to play golf this summer.”

Well, he’s about at the end now. He’s been physically breaking down for a few years and had been relegated to spectator status with the Wild. The Flames, in dire need of a backup goalie, acquired him at the deadline. It’s strictly short term. The Flames aren’t going anywhere this year.

But Backstrom is going out in full armor and not in street clothes. He won his first game in two years Sunday in Montreal. And he got to make perhaps a final appearance at Xcel on Thursday.

There was a video tribute to him in the first period, after which Backstrom received a standing ovation. Unfortunately, the Wild had scored twice by then.

“They’ve always been there supporting me and helping me,” he said of the Minnesota fans. “It was a great way to end a chapter.”

As for the next chapter, Backstrom shrugs.

“I’m just trying to enjoy every day,” he said. “Trying to get everything I can out of every day.”

There aren’t many pregame ghost walks left. Thursday’s is one he likely won’t ever forget.