Mr. 500 | FEATURE

NEWARK, NJ – Jacob Markstrom sat in his locker room stall prior to facing the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday night. But unlike the previous 499 times he suited up before playing a game, this time was different.

Markstrom, 34, was joined in the locker room by his young son, Clark, before appearing in his 500^th career NHL game.

“I had the little guy come into the locker room before the game,” Markstrom said with a smile. “It gets emotional when you have family in the room and stuff like that. You’re not used to having your kid in your lap 10 minutes before the game starts.”

Once the game started, Markstrom was locked in. He made 20 saves as the Devils defeated Carolina, 4-2, on a milestone night for the Swedish goaltender.

“The guys made it special. They played a great game. The fans were amazing,” Markstrom said. “It made it special for sure and it was nice to get a win.”

Markstrom joined a club with 80 other goaltenders to reach the big 500 in NHL history. It’s something he could only imagine when he was drafted 16 years ago by Florida in the second round (31^st overall) in 2008.

“Coming in as a 20-year-old and growing up it was something you can only dream about,” Markstrom said, “being in the NHL for this long and playing in this many hockey games against so many great NHL players and met so many great friends and people along the way.”

Markstrom not only played his 500^th game at Prudential Center, he also played his first-ever game at Prudential Center. A truly complete horseshoe effect.

“It’s funny that you play your first game here and your 500^th as well,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Devils official website. “It makes it even more special.”

That first game took place on Jan. 23, 2011, when the then 20-year-old Markstrom was supposed to simply backup starting Florida Panthers goaltender – and a former Devil – Scott Clemmensen. But Clemmensen left after the first period due to an injury.

“Clemmer was playing really good, then (head coach) Pete DeBoer just walked through the room and said, ‘kid you’re going,’” Markstrom recalled. “I didn’t know if he meant me or not. Then Clemmensen told me that I was going in.”

Markstrom handled himself with aplomb. The neophyte goaltender stopped 12 of 14 shots against with the only two goals against him coming on the power play.

Even looking back on it now, 13 years later, Markstrom remembers less about the game itself and more about the atmosphere surrounding the goal.

“I remember everything except the game,” Markstrom laughed. “Marty Brodeur was on the other side. In warmups, Johan Hedberg was on the Devils as well. He came up to me, tapped me on the pad and said good luck. He was a big name and a famous Swedish goalie. That meant a lot that he even knew my name.

“I was more starstruck of everything than remembering the game or the saves and stopping the puck. That whole experience was very special.”

Markstrom would pass the famous Swedish goalie Johan Hedberg (373) in NHL games played a decade later and tonight he became just the third Swedish goalie to play in 500 games, joining Henrik Lundqvist (887) and Tommy Salo (526).

Of course, he still has a long way to go to catch Brodeur, now a team executive. The Hall of Fame legend has an NHL-record 1,266 games played (and that doesn’t include the playoffs).

“There’s a while to get to him, 1,000 games left to beat him,” Markstrom laughed. “That shows how impressive that is. That’s unbelievable. I don’t think anyone is going to break the record that he has.”

Markstrom’s career really took off after being traded from Florida to Vancouver on March 4, 2014. That’s where a few veteran NHLers took him under their wing.

“With Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Alex Edler and Loui Eriksson, they really took me in and showed me what it takes to be a professional at a high level,” he said. “I have them to thank. I try to thank them as much as I can. They meant a lot in my career.”

It’s a career that now features 500 games played and 224 wins over 13 NHL seasons. In that time, he has grown up and become a family man with a wife and son. And to make Thursday night even more special, his mother was in attendance for the game No. 500 as part of the Moms’ Trip.

“It changed my outlook on things,” Markstrom said of becoming a husband and father. “When you have a little guy waiting for you at home, he doesn’t really care if you win or lose. He’s always happy to play around. The older he gets the more fun it is. It’s very special and it means a lot for me to have them here, to share these memories with them.”

Markstrom’s career has come full circle, playing nightly for the Devils in The Rock, the place where it all began. And while he reached a massive achievement, Markstrom is far from done.

“Playing in 500 games means something. It’s special,” Markstrom said. “It’s an accomplishment.”

Markstrom paused before adding: “I feel I have a lot more hockey left in me.”