Wheeler to play 1,000th NHL game when Jets host Maple Leafs

Blake Wheeler is known as the intense, caring captain of the Winnipeg Jets, but approaching his 1,000th NHL game, one of his best friends says he doesn't get enough recognition for other aspects of his game, including a fantastic sense of humor.

"There's an intensity to him really wearing his heart on his sleeve and wanting the best for everybody," said Arizona Coyotes forward Andrew Ladd. "Sometimes, as an outsider, you can misinterpret that as someone who is a little edgy. I think it's a big misread on him. From the standpoint of getting his teammates involved and getting people together, he's fantastic at doing that. I know first-hand how much he cares about the people around him."
Ladd was a teammate of Wheeler's with the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers for parts of six seasons until he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 25, 2016. Following the trade, Wheeler inherited the captaincy from Ladd.
"There was the time me and [defenseman Dustin Byfuglien] had a big, blown-up, stand-up, cardboard Blake Wheeler cutout and [we] put it on his roof and it said, 'Knock for autographs,'" Ladd said. "So they happened to have everybody over that night and all of a sudden, they had kids knocking on the door every five seconds. He can take a joke really well."
Wheeler, who will play his 1,000th regular-season NHL game when the Jets host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Canada Life Centre on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, TSN4, ESPN+, NHL LIVE), said it was the day of his son Louie's birthday party.
"There were only a couple of knocks but I remember thinking, there are only so many people who could have done that and once I figured out it was those two, you can't help but laugh," Wheeler said. "But I've got a good memory. I still owe those guys."
Wheeler has scored 817 points (279 goals, 538 assists) in 999 games, including 110 (50 goals, 60 assists) in 221 games for the Boston Bruins from 2008-2011, and 707 (229 goals, 478 assists) in 778 games for the Jets/Thrashers.

Consistency and durability have marked Wheeler's 14 NHL seasons.
From 2014-21, Wheeler had 348 assists, fourth-most in the NHL behind Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (379), Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks (369) and Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals (355).
In the same seven-season span, his 506 points were tied for sixth in the NHL with Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers, behind Kane (595), McDavid (574), Sidney Crosby (556) of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Brad Marchand (529) of the Bruins and Nikita Kucherov (529) of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"It's an amazing accomplishment," said Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey. "He wasn't a perimeter guy. [And] he hasn't missed a lot of games in his career. He's a tough guy. And he brings that to our locker room."
Until he missed six games with a concussion last season and five while in NHL COVID-19 protocol this season, Wheeler missed seven games in his first 12 NHL seasons, four because of injury and three for rest before the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Wheeler said that his resilience has been a combination of good luck, good health and a specific attitude.
"I came in kind of that way, that I know I took somebody's job," Wheeler said. "The conversation I had with my dad before that first training camp was if you're going to make the team, you're going to take somebody's livelihood away from them, somebody that probably has a wife and kids and just imagine what they're going to do to not let you do that. So you've got to be prepared to match that. That was great advice right away."
An ability to see the bigger picture has been a thread throughout Wheeler's career, perfectly encapsulated when then-teammate Patrik Laine snapped the puck into his own net at 11:21 of the third period in a 3-2 loss at the Edmonton Oilers on Dec, 11, 2016.
After the own goal, Wheeler was seen putting his arm around Laine's shoulder on the bench.
"He was a kid in his rookie year," Wheeler said. "It can be lonely, man, with 18,000 people watching you. Even if you just make a bad play, you can feel pretty small in that situation so… I'm sure he was embarrassed and probably felt alone and I felt that for him. I just felt like if it was me, I'd want somebody to say something to me, just don't let me rot here.
"The point of it was, hey, you're going to do way worse in your career. This is not the worst moment you're going to have and I'm sorry it happened, but the good news is you're just as good at putting them in their net so let's go tie this thing up."
The value of a word or a gesture in tough times was delivered to him at the beginning of his career and is reflected in many of the things he does as captain.
Wheeler remembers the moments clearly from his first NHL game, when the Bruins won 5-4 at the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 9, 2008. He scored his first NHL goal against Peter Budaj at 10:51 of the first period, but he remembers being nervous when the game started.
Paul Stastny, now a teammate, was a forward for the Avalanche that day and he helped settle Wheeler down with a kind word.
"I grew up watching these guys play and I never thought that I'd be an NHL player, that I'd belong out there necessarily," Wheeler said. [Stastny] was on the Colorado team and he said something to me early in the game. I think he could tell I was nervous and I didn't even make eye contact with him. I didn't want anyone to see me talking to someone on the other team.
"But it calmed things down quite a bit. That certainly helped."
Stastny, who played his 1,000th NHL game in a 5-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks on May 11, remembered the moment, but not the message.
"Everyone has ties and it's such a small sport," Stastny said. "We had played against each other a little bit and one of my best friends, Andy Meyer, became one of his best friends when he played in Green Bay (USHL). So through best friends, we knew each other. So I thought I should say something.
"When you're nervous and then somebody recognizes you or knows you're there, it kind of relaxes you a little bit. That happened to me early in my career, somebody said something to me. Little things like that kind of stick with you."