Washington Capitals alternate captain John Carlson is scheduled to play in his 1,000th career game on Saturday against the Boston Bruins at Capital One Arena. Carlson will become the first defenseman and third player in franchise history to play 1,000 games with the Capitals, joining teammates Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. In addition, Carlson will become the 392nd skater in NHL history, the 128th defenseman and the 43rd active skater to play 1,000 games.
The Capitals will hold a pre-game ceremony on Sunday, April 7 prior to hosting the Ottawa Senators to honor the milestone. During the ceremony, Carlson will receive a special gift from the organization, the National Hockey League and his teammates.
Carlson is the Capitals’ franchise leader in games played, assists (519), points (667), game-winning goals (30) and power-play points (247) among defensemen. In addition, Carlson is two goals shy of 150 career goals and becoming the Capitals’ all-time leader in goals among defensemen (Kevin Hatcher: 149g).
Carlson, Ovechkin (1,416 GP), Backstrom (1,105 GP) will become the third set of teammates in NHL history to play their first 1,000 career games with the same team, joining Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang and Los Angeles’ Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. Carlson will also become the 22nd defenseman in NHL history to play 1,000 career games with one team and the 13th player in franchise history to reach the 1,000-game mark in a Capitals sweater.
The Capitals have a record of 569-310-120 (.630 point percentage) with Carlson in the lineup since his NHL debut on Nov. 20, 2009. Carlson’s 569 wins are the sixth-most among active players to play their first 1,000 games with one franchise.
This season, Carlson has recorded 45 points (7g, 38a) and is one of two Capitals to appear in all 72 of the team’s games. Carlson ranks first on Washington in assists and blocked shots (169) and third in points and power-play points (18). The 34-year-old defenseman ranks second in the NHL in ice time per game (25:41) and has led Washington in ice time in 65 of the team’s 72 games this season. With an assist on March 18 at Calgary, Carlson reached the 40-point mark for the seventh time in his career, tying Scott Stevens and Kevin Hatcher for the most 40-point seasons by a defenseman in franchise history. Since 2017-18, Carlson ranks second among NHL defensemen in power-play points (161), third in assists (316) and points (402) and fourth in goals (86).
Carlson won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018, where he led all defensemen in playoff scoring with 20 points (5g, 15a) in 24 games, including four points (2g, 2a) in five Stanley Cup Final games. Carlson is Washington’s all-time leader in playoff games played (123), goals (19), assists (54) and points (73) among defensemen. Carlson will become the 235th player in NHL history to play 1,000 regular-season games and 100 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Carlson, who recorded his 500th career assist on Jan. 5 vs. Carolina, will become the 20th defenseman in NHL history and the third active defenseman to reach the 1,000-game mark with at least 500 career assists (Kris Letang: 532 and Victor Hedman: 529). Of the 19 defensemen to accomplish this feat, 15 have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, while Letang and Hedman are not yet eligible. Carlson (667 points) will also join Letang (686 points) and Hedman (677 points) as the third active defenseman to record at least 650 points through their first 1,000 games.
Carlson, who was selected by the Capitals 27th overall in the 2008 NHL Draft, will become the third defenseman from his draft class to reach the 1,000-game mark. Among defensemen from his draft class, Carlson ranks second in assists, third in points and power-play points and fourth in goals.
The Natick, Massachusetts native represented the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. In addition, Carlson scored the gold-medal clinching goal in overtime for Team USA vs. Canada at the 2010 World Junior Championship and was named to the tournament’s All-Star Team. Carlson will be the 64th U.S.-born player to reach the 1,000-game milestone.
A two-time NHL All-Star, Carlson was named to the 2019-20 NHL First All-Star Team, the 2018-19 NHL Second All-Star Team and the 2010-2011 NHL All-Rookie Team. Carlson also won back-to-back Calder Cup championships with the AHL’s Hershey Bears in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
