Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Erik Karlsson Takes Ice For 1,000th NHL Game

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Harrison Smajovits | Last updated 4/13/24

Erik Karlsson adds a major milestone to the resume. When he took the ice for the Pittsburgh Penguins game against the Boston Bruins, he did so for the 1,000th time in his NHL career. The Penguins held a ceremony in honor of the achievement, with Karlsson and his family on the ice for the event.

During the ceremony, Sidney Crosby came out to award Karlsson with a silver stick. Kris Letang joined Crosby wielding flowers, which he handed to Karlsson’s daughter. The group posed for a photo. Along with the silver stick and flowers, Karlsson received a painting with the number 1,000 on it and different images of Karlsson on all three teams he has played on in his career.

The @penguins present Erik Karlsson with a silver stick ahead of his 1000th game pic.twitter.com/Qa4K9UhJt5
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 14, 2024

Karlsson played 627 games for the Ottawa Senators – the team that drafted him – 293 games for the San Jose Sharks and now 80 games for the Penguins.

According to the Penguins PR staff, the three-time Norris Trophy winner is the 129th defenseman and 396th player total to play 1,000 games in the NHL. His 813 career points are the ninth highest by a defenseman at the time of reaching the milestone.