STOCKHOLM – It was announced today that Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Bäckström has accepted an invitation to join the Swedish national team in time for the quarter-finals of the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Bäckström is expected to arrive in Stockholm on Tuesday if everything works out. Sweden plays Latvia in the final game of the Preliminary Round that night at the Globe Arena. Bäckström’s Washington Capitals were eliminated from the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday. This will be Bäckström’s fourth time representing Sweden at the World Championship. Previous to this tournament, he was a member of the 2006 gold medal winning team in Riga, Latvia where he played four games. Bäckström was also a regular contributor for Sweden’s 2007 and 2008 entries that both finished four in those respective tournaments. In 22 World Championship games, Bäckström has scored four goals and 13 points.