Dmitry Kulikov has accumulated plenty of memories during his time in the NHL.
He’s also racked up his fair share of bumps and bruises.
Hitting a major milestone the hard way, the physical defenseman took the ice for his 1,000th NHL game during Wednesday’s 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Amerant Bank Arena.
Joining a special club, Kulikov is just the 402nd skater to hit that lofty mark in NHL history.
“It’s a huge, huge number,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “There’s just not a lot of people that get to it. I think it’s even more challenging to do as a defenseman. If you’re defensive defenseman, a penalty killer, a shot blocker and hitter, that’s a hard number to get to.”
Originally selected by the Panthers with the 14th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, Kulikov, who’s suited up with eight different teams in his career, has spent 588 of his 1,000 games to date with Florida and currently stands as the franchise’s all-time leader in hits with 970.
After returning in 2023, he also helped the Panthers claim their first-ever Stanley Cup.
Prior to hitting 1,000 games, Kulikov took some time to reflect on his incredible journey.
To see what he had to say, continue reading below.
On what reaching 1,000 NHL games means to him
“I’m an old guy [laughs]. That’s what I think. It’s a lot of games. When I first heard of somebody playing 1,000 games, the number didn’t mean anything to me. It’s so many games that I couldn’t even understand how somebody could get to that point and how many years it would take. Now that I’m coming up on 1,000, it still doesn’t make sense. It seems like I just started last year. Now, it’s Year 16 and I’m close to 1,000 games.”
On how much he’s grown since entering the NHL at 18 years old
“It’s a journey. You learn some things along the way. You learn how to be a professional, learn how to be a good teammate, learn how to play the game the right way. I’ve had many different teammates, many different coaches, but it seems to me like the league kind of demands of you to be a professional and just take care of yourself, take care of your teammates. That’s all I had to worry about -- being in the best shape possible, coming out and playing the game the right way. You take it day by day, and then before you know it it’s Year 16.