Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl celebrated his recent milestone with a 1,000-point ceremony that took place Saturday, Jan. 10 at Rogers Place before the Oilers' game against the Los Angeles Kings, nearly a month after he reached the milestone on Dec. 16.
The 30-year-old center was joined on the ice by his wife Celeste Desjardins, parents Peter and Sandra, his sister, and his 84-year-old grandmother who traveled from Germany for the occasion. His dog Bowie also attended continuing a tradition we saw at Connor McDavid's 1,000-point ceremony.
The pregame celebration featured a video tribute highlighting Draisaitl's career. Oilers executives GM Stan Bowman and CEO Jeff Jackson presented him with a golden stick and a Tiffany crystal. His teammates collectively gave him a Rolex watch.
The Oilers Foundation made $25,000 donations in Draisaitl's name to both the Ronald McDonald House and the Every Kid Deserves a Shot community organization.
Draisaitl became the 103rd player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points and the first German-born player to do so. He reached the milestone in 824 games making him the fourth-fastest active player behind McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Nikita Kucherov.
He is also just the fifth player in Oilers history to hit 1,000 points joining Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri and McDavid.
Draisaitl looks back on early struggles
In his pregame interview, Draisaitl discussed the difficulties he faced as an 18-year-old rookie after managing just two goals in his first season.
"There's a lot of nights that I didn't know if I could ever play in this league because this league is really hard when you're 18," Draisaitl said. "The game is different from juniors, and you're not really ready for it. You're not as strong as you need to be, not as fast as you need to be."
He credited comprehensive development for his transformation. "I looked at everything, you know. I just needed to become a better player in every facet, a better athlete. And yeah, I put in the work and it helped me immensely."
Leon Draisaitl opens up on father's influence on his career
Draisaitl attributed much of his foundation to his father Peter Draisairl, a former professional player who now serves as a general manager of a team back in Germany.
"The mentality towards the game, and how it's done properly. I was very fortunate that he was able to teach me that," Draisaitl said. He noted they share similar preparation habits and even use the same blade design.
"I'm very much wired the same way as my dad. You know, I'm early to the rink. I like taking my time with things, 'cause I'm very finicky with certain things around the dressing room and my gear and whatnot. He taught me those little things that matter."
Celebrating with long-time teammates
Draisaitl also spoke about the significance of reaching the milestone alongside teammates he has developed with since entering the league.
"We all kind of grew up together in this room, the core, and we all started when we were young kids, 18, and you don't know how your career is going to go at that point," he said. "I think it makes it a little bit more special just because you've seen every stage of their career, and you've been there for all of them."
He acknowledged the sports culture of constantly looking forward but wanted to appreciate the achievement. "Sometimes those milestones in this world, it's so about, you know, yeah, it's all great, but what's next, right? I just want to really take the moment and be grateful for it and be proud of myself."
On the ice, Draisaitl scored twice in the game against the Kings recording the 71st multi-goal game of his career and surpassing Mark Messier for fourth place on the Oilers' all-time list in that category.