Pietrangelo set for 500th career game

LOS ANGELES - Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo will become the 17th player in franchise history to play in 500 games with the team.
"Everybody told me when I first started to enjoy it because it goes quick. They're pretty spot on," Pietrangelo said Thursday after the Blues' gameday skate at Staples Center. "It's hard to believe it's been that many games already. Time flies, it really does."

Here's what others in the organization are saying about Pietrangelo's accomplishments:
Jay Bouwmeester: "Little milestones like that are something that puts things into perspective and lets you reflect on things. It's a great accomplishment. He's pretty proud to do it in St. Louis, where e's a proud guy and has some roots there. It's a testament to how he takes care of himself and has been able to stay healthy. Obviously he's put in a lot of minutes in that time, and 500 games for a guy like him is a lot of ice time. It's a good accomplishment.
Jaden Schwartz: "It's awesome. He's a guy you want to see reach a lot more than that. Obviously 500 is pretty cool, and he's a huge part of this team. I've been lucky to play with him on the same team and get to know him. He's an awesome guy in the locker room, a big team guy. We're all happy for him and hopefully we get a win for him."

Ken Hitchcock: "He came into the League as a talent and now he's emerged as a quality player. He's a 23 to 25-minute a night guy that you can count on defensively, he's a great (penalty kill) guy, great on exits. He's made himself a heck of a player by staying diligent. It's funny, because what he was in junior is not what he is now. He was a primetime power-play guy in junior and now he's become an all-around defenseman now where he's good at everything."
In 499 games, Pietrangelo has posted 58 goals and 216 assists (274 points) and a plus-47 career rating.
If you had told him when he was growing up in King City Ontario that we would play in 500 NHL games by the time he was 26, he wouldn't have believed you.
"The first goal is always just to make it, and then when you get here, you just want to stay here," Pietrangelo said. "To be around for 500 games is a pretty good honor."