ARLINGTON, VA — John Carlson is set to play his 1,000th NHL game Saturday night, suiting up for the big milestone against his hometown Boston Bruins. The blueliner will become the second Capital to reach the threshold this season, joining TJ Oshie two weeks after his big night against the Vancouver Canucks.
Of the 391 players who have reached the 1,000-game threshold, just 80 have played that many games for a single franchise, per NHL Stats; only Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have done so for the Capitals. Carlson reflected on the rarity of his achievement as he prepared for his landmark game.
“It’s special,” he said. “There’s so much that goes into it. Obviously talent and how good of a player you are, you’re lucky with injuries and all that sort of thing, and teams change. I mean, we’ve had the luxury of being an elite to a good team my entire career. So I think that helps a lot too.
“There’s a lot of different things that could happen. And so I’m just thankful that I get to call this place home and to do it with one team and especially a great special organization like this one.”
Carlson hit another major milestone earlier in the season when he tallied his 500th NHL assist against the Carolina Hurricanes. He currently leads the Caps in helpers (38) and his 45 total points rank third on the team.
Nearly 15 years after making his NHL debut, Carlson continues to form the most trusted part of the Capitals’ defensive corps. He sees more time on ice than any of the team’s skaters, averaging 25:41 per game at the age of 34. Head coach Spencer Carbery noted that Carlson’s workload is not only just impressive because of the sheer amount he skates, but also because of how difficult the minutes he does play often are.
“He’s a stabilizing force back there because of the situations: he plays in every situation, is first-unit power play, first-unit penalty kill, most difficult matchups, five-on-five,” he said. “So there’s not a lot of those guys in the league that truly are first over the boards penalty kill, first over the boards power play, and first over the boards toughest match.”
Carbery later added, “It puts you in a Hall of Famer class, to me. When you’ve done that for so long, as long as he has. And now at the point he’s at in his career of even adding a layer of leadership to our young defensemen back there, taking that on. Even young forwards, I see him trying to help back here, Miro (Ivan Miroshnichenko) and these young forwards that are playing every night. So it is impressive to think of all the situations that he’s played in and how long he’s done that for.”
Meanwhile, Carlson offered a matter-of-fact answer when asked about his minutes.
“I don’t know, I think you just do it,” he said. “There’s no really rhyme or reason. Just doesn’t matter how old you are when you can play, you’re excited to go out there and when the coach tells you to go, you’re giddy to do it. I guess it’s just a mentality: just keep showing up.”
Carlson had the chance to see Oshie hit 1,000 games up close and was grateful that his milestone night came so soon after his longtime teammate’s.
“It’s special and then to have him pave the way, to maybe take some nerves off of the whole thing — and be a part of something like that, which was amazing…But certainly being able to be out there with your teammates that get celebrated with something like that is special.”
While Oshie’s game against Vancouver and the subsequent celebration drew a host of family and friends, Carlson has opted for a lower-key occasion and planned to bring just his immediate family on Saturday. Still, reaching the threshold against Boston held special meaning for his relatives back in Massachusetts.
“So much else goes into it besides who you play, right?…But I think probably for a lot of my family, it’s a cool moment against a team,” Carlson said. “My grandfather’s getting older, he’s still up there and I’m sure he’ll be happy to be able to see it on the TV too and all that.”
In the end, though, Carlson is keeping his focus firmly on the games ahead. The Capitals’ season will likely come down to the wire as they push to return to the playoffs with only 10 games left on their schedule. Milestone or not, the veteran rearguard knows where his priorities lie.
“I think if anything, you just don’t want to be a distraction from what’s at stake,” he said. “And I think at this point of the year and where we are and what we feel in this room — and also being through TJ’s too — I think from that standpoint, but I think just as something that doesn’t really relish those opportunities to get recognized, I think there’s so much more to worry about. But at the same time, it is a nice accomplishment.”
