There was no scarcity of milestones for the Kings during the 1998-99 season. That season, four Los Angeles gamers reached 1,000 video games, marking the primary time in NHL history that four players from the equal time carried out the feat. Defenseman Doug Bodger turned into the first thru the gate on October 25, 1998, with Garry Galley, Russ Courtnall and Ray Ferraro all achieving the benchmark in February 1999.
Twenty years later, all four meditated on what it supposed to play their landmark sport and the way specific it becomes that all of them carried out it inside the same season at the same team. For all of the players, playing in 1,000 NHL games changed into something they might handiest dream of. Doug Bodger: It becomes something that you desire you would get to, but you’re by no means sure you’d get to it. As the video games piled up, you form of finding out it is a fact, but no longer loads of fellows get to do that, so it is a significant accomplishment. I in no way concept I’d make it, but as it was given closer, I concept I’m going to make it. Barely, but I made it.
Bodger, however, wasn’t the best one celebrating a milestone that night time. DB: It changed into Manny Lagace’s first sport and he received, so I had to give him the p.C. I just said I’ll locate any other one. Russ Courtnall: For a child from Victoria, it changed into extraordinary. To play 1,000 games. I never dreamt of it.
Reaching the milestone even more special for Russ become that his brother, Geoff, had already achieved the feat. RC: Most exciting aspect for myself and my family have been that my brother Geoff and I were the primary brothers to play 1,000 video games each in the NHL, that is a superb trivia query. Although it changed into exciting, it created some delivered strain for Courtnall. RC: Twenty games earlier than my 1,000th, the media began talking approximately how Geoff and I have been going to be the first two brothers to make it to one,000 and it started affecting me. Larry Robinson said ‘what the hell is wrong with you; you’ve no longer gambling the way you have been playing.’ I said, ‘get me to one,000 and I’ll be best.’ I broke my ankle and came lower back and were given to 1,000. Garry Galley: The 1,000th game is a surreal second. When you start playing, all you ever want to do is play one game. You need to be in the National Hockey League. You need to play in that one recreation to mention all your difficult paintings has paid off, so you by no means consider that 1,000th sport. Still is to this day, I’m merely awesome proud that Geoff and I did that.
Making the sport even greater huge for Galley, who changed into the back for his second excursion of obligation with the Kings, was that it turned into against the Flyers in Philadelphia, where he spent a critical stretch of his profession. GG: Felt like my recreation got here full circle in Philadelphia. That’s in which I had my nice private years and put up a few genuinely excellent numbers and was gambling pretty a chunk. So I genuinely felt that become a nice region to play my 1,000th recreation for certain. To be capable of play my 1,000th for Los Angeles became unique. I performed my first game at the Forum. For Ray Ferraro, who struggled with knee accidents and staying within the lineup for the first half of the season, attaining the milestone meant even more to him. Ray Ferraro: I turned into continually happy with my capability to be durable and live inside the lineup and bring. And then I went through a time in LA wherein I became just getting racked with knee damage after knee harm, and I couldn’t live inside the lineup. To get to the 1,000 games, you can see it on the horizon, and also you realize it’s a significant number. It did suggest lots to me. I wanted to get there.
Reaching the 1,000-sport mark is an indication of a player’s patience and perseverance. However, it’s also a testimony to the support they have got had over time. GG: It approaches a lot to you for some motives. Number one, to your own family and the individuals who aid assist you and for all of your teammates you have had over the years that helped you alongside the manner. It turned into a critical 1,000 game now not just for me. I met my wife in high school, and she went thru all the u.S.And downs, so it was 1,000 games for the family. It takes a village, so for all of the people who helped me that 1,000th recreation became a representation of that. I wouldn’t have been there without the critical humans in my lifestyles. To mark their accomplishments, the Kings gave every player and their family experience to Hawaii, even as the players all contributed to shop for each of them a present. According to Courtnall, captain Rob Blake gave every one of them a preference for what they desired to get. RC: They supplied me with a stunning gold watch that the players bought. I wished something I ought to hand down to my son that supposed something.
Galley felt the same way as Courtnall and chose an eye fixed as nicely. GG: I wanted to get something that I may want to have all the time and pass on to my children. Something that, after I’m long past, is reflective of something I’ve done. I turned into by no means going to be a guy who scored 500 desires or a guy who could win the Norris. I attempted to win the Stanley Cup for 17 years I performed, sadly never had a hazard to get that, but I suppose for my youngsters that watch may be an illustration of something that became clearly essential to me and something I positioned a whole lot of time and effort and blood, sweat and tears into. When Galley again domestic from the sport, he had any other special present anticipating him. GG: I recall coming locally from Philadelphia, and it turned into fairly overdue. I walked into the residence looking to be quiet, and my spouse had got 1,000 roses. There were 1,000 roses in little vases all in the course of the apartment with candles and stuff. I consider taking walks in and being blown away. It was this sort of stunning looking room. For many, many years we stored the roses and her, or he sprayed them with stuff and positioned them on top of our kitchen cabinets, and she made a wreath out of a number of them. While Courtnall and Galley recall picking what items they desired, Bodger has a distinctive recollection
