Backstrom led the Pioneers through a few lean years in the early 1980s before having a breakout season in 1985–86 when he led Denver to still-team record 34-win season including a conference regular season title, a conference tournament title (their first in 13 years) and reached the team's first Frozen Four since finishing second in 1973. Backstrom earned both the conference and national coach of the year awards for the impressive season, but he was unable to sustain the high level of play for the remainder of his tenure. Backstrom resigned after the 1989–90 season, turning the team over to Frank Serratore. Backstrom jumped into the professional ranks in 1990–91 when he took over the Phoenix Roadrunners. After a good first season including pushing the #1 seeded Peoria Rivermen to a seventh game in the Turner Cup semifinals, Phoenix dropped to dead last in the 10-team league and Backstrom was dropped as the coach. Backstrom, along with Dennis Murphy and Larry King, founded Roller Hockey International and served as commissioner for a time but it soon became apparent that the league was in financial trouble and it suspended the entire 1998 season before playing one final campaign in 1999. While the league didn't officially disband until 2001, Backstrom meanwhile returned to the NHL in 1999–00 as a scout for the St. Louis Blues. After three seasons with the blue notes Backstrom founded a new CHL team called the Colorado Eagles. In addition to owning the team, Backstrom served as General Manager and President of the team for the first three seasons, including a league title in 2004–05. With Backstrom as owner, the Eagles finished atop their division six times, made the finals five times, and win the Ray Miron President's Cup twice in eight seasons before making a move to the ECHL in 2011–12. Backstrom's parents, John Albin Backstrom (died 1983) and Ester Bertils (died 1996), both immigrated (separately) to Canada from Ostrabothnia, the Swedish-speaking region of Finland, in the 1920s. His father worked as a gold miner in Kirkland Lake. A local hockey prodigy from a town that produced many NHL players, Backstrom was scouted by the Montreal Canadiens at age 16 and began his professional career soon thereafter. Backstrom has been married twice. His first wife was Frances Richard of Aylmer, Quebec (married 1961); his second is Janet Price of Nashville, Tennessee (married 1985). They currently reside in Windsor, Colorado.