Carlson joined by kids for warmups before 1,000th game ceremony

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson had some fans on the ice during warmups on Sunday at Capital One Arena before celebrating his 1,000th NHL game. His biggest, and also smallest, fans.

Carlson’s kids joined him for warmups before the special ceremony to celebrate their Dad.

Lucca, Rudy and Sawyer got the full hockey experience, skating around with their Dad’s teammates and shooting at the net. His youngest, Bella, is only nine months old and not quite big enough to lace up the skates.

Before that, Carlson had the ice to himself, skating a solo lap to commemorate the milestone.

Following warmups, the team had a ceremony hosted by Capitals play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati to highlight Carlson’s time with the team. He was joined for the ceremony by his friends and family, and was presented with gifts including a portrait of him on a canvas made of hockey sticks.

There was also a video tribute for Carlson with messages from current and former teammates, as well as his family.

He reached the 1,000-game mark on March 30 and became the first defenseman in franchise history to play all 1,000 games with the Capitals. Carlson was drafted by the Capitals in 2008 and made his debut in 2009.