Bouwmeester set for 1,100th game

DALLAS - Jay Bouwmeester dressed in his 1,100th career game on Friday night when the Blues met the Dallas Stars, becoming just the eighth active player (excluding San Jose's Joe Thornton and Chicago's Marian Hossa, who are on injured reserve) and the second active defenseman (Zdeno Chara, 1405) to reach that total.

"It's kinda neat. It's another sign you're getting a little older," Bouwmeester said of the milestone. "It's kind of like birthdays (where) after a certain point you don't want to know what number it is."
"I've been pretty fortunate throughout my career with injuries and stuff," he added. "I got to 1,000 games at a relatively young age, so that was a cool thing, that's a neat number to hit and more of a milestone. Now, it's just you want to keep playing as long as you can and I feel like I can still play."
Over his 15-year career, Bouwmeester has suited up for three different teams (Florida, 471, Calgary, 279, St. Louis, 349). The Edmonton, Alberta native was drafted third overall in 2002 by the Florida Panthers and has posted 397 points (84 goals, 313 assists) in his career.
Bouwmeester becomes the 185th player in NHL history to play in at least 1,100 games. He will also become the eighth player to reach the milestone while wearing a Blue Note.

"It's amazing. Really amazing," Blues Head Coach Mike Yeo said of Bouwmeester's milestone. "The durability is one thing, but what's impressive about it is how hard he plays. The way he blocks shots, the way he shows up night after night, it's a great accomplishment for him."
Bouwmeester dressed in 737 straight games from March 6, 2004 with Florida until Nov. 22, 2014 with St. Louis, which is the sixth-longest streak in NHL history. He has posted 97 points (13 goals, 84 assists) in his 349 games with the Blues.
Since entering the League with the 2002-03 season, Bouwmeester ranks 14th overall with an average of 24 minutes, 29 seconds of time per game and has dressed in 1,099 games out of a possible 1,172 games (93.8 percent) in his 15 NHL seasons.