It was a disappointing loss for the Nashville Predators on Thursday night at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, but for one Predators player — Luke Schenn — it was a milestone night that, at one point, may have seemed like a pipe dream.
For the veteran defenceman, it marked his 1,000th career regular season NHL game making him the 399th player in NHL history to reach that mark. For Schenn, it was a long time coming. It’s a milestone that took a road through the AHL after having the hopes of a franchise placed on his shoulders as a 19-year-old.
Drafted fifth overall in 2008 by the Toronto Maple Leafs, some believed that Schenn would be the saviour for the team. At 19, he came in to the league for a team that had very little identity. He played four seasons in Toronto before joining the Philadelphia Flyers in 2012-13 as a 23-year-old.
“It hasn’t been an easy road, for sure, at times,” said Schenn on his path to 1,000 games played. “I’ve kind of experienced the highs, as far as winning in the League, and the lows of lows and being in the minors halfway through my career. To be resilient and get to this number, it’s not so much the game but I guess just more so proud of the journey. I wouldn’t have drawn it up or predicted the way it’s gone.”
Officially welcoming Luke Schenn to the silver stick club 👏
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) October 18, 2024
Congratulations to the @PredsNHL defenceman on hitting NHL game No. 1,000! pic.twitter.com/bA0VUo9i6x
Schenn was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and helped them win the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021 before making a return to the Maple Leafs in 2022-23 for 15 games following the trade deadline.
Skating in his 1,000th game makes him the eighth first-round pick from 2008 to reach that milestone with Tyler Myers sitting at 999, and the eighth player overall from that draft to hit 1,000. He’s also just the 129th defenceman in NHL history to reach the mark.
