When Nashville Predators General Manager Barry Trotz announced on July 1 that the team had signed forward Ryan O'Reilly to a four-year, $18 million contract, no one was more excited than Preds defenseman Tyson Barrie.
Originally drafted by Colorado in the third round (64th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Barrie spent four seasons as teammates with O’Reilly – whom the Avalanche drafted in the previous round that year at 33rd overall – from 2011-15.
Now, more than a decade after the two began their NHL careers, O’Reilly is set to play in his 1,000th career NHL game on Tuesday when the Predators play in Vancouver. The 32-year-old center, who made his NHL debut on Oct. 1, 2009, played his previous 999 career games with Colorado (427), St. Louis (327), Buffalo (224), Toronto (13) and Nashville (8). He will become just the second player from his 2009 NHL Draft class to skate in 1,000 career NHL games; Toronto’s John Tavares was the first.
Throughout his decorated 15-season NHL career, O’Reilly has won the Stanley Cup (2019), Conn Smythe (2019), Selke Trophy (2019), Lady Byng Trophy (2014) and is a three-time NHL All-Star. As O’Reilly prepares to cross the 1,000-game threshold with the Predators, Barrie reflects on his longtime friend and teammate’s storied career:
What’s your earliest memory of O’Reilly?
“That's a good one. We would have been 17, I guess, and then we would have gone to development camp; that was probably our first time that we got to meet. Geez, that was a long time ago, the ‘09 draft. That following summer, there were a bunch of us that went and stayed in town in Colorado for parts of that summer for development purposes; he poked his head in one time, I remember that. My earliest memory of Factor, though, is probably that he made the team as an 18-year-old right out of camp, which was pretty impressive.”
Did you say ‘Factor?’
“Yeah, like The O'Reilly Factor, the old TV show. The guys gave him that [nickname] early on in Colorado, and it stuck.”
Any other early memories that stand out?
“One of my other earliest memories of Ryan is probably my first NHL game. I got called up, and I knew him from training camps and being drafted together, so we got fairly tight. Coming into that locker room for the first time and getting ready to play my first NHL game, it was nice having Ryan – who had already played two years [in the NHL] – there. You could see the way that guys looked at him, as a younger guy – it was almost like they looked up to him. He was just such a true pro right from the get go, and I think guys kind of gravitated towards him. He's a guy you want to follow, and I leaned on him a little bit when I got called up because I was pretty nervous. He was young, but he's always kind of had that maturity to him and that leadership quality. He was incredible. I don't know if I've seen anything like it, where a guy comes in that young and the older guys kind of just accept it and bring him into the circle like that. So, Factor’s always been a special guy, and I couldn't ask for a much better teammate.”
What stands out to you about O’Reilly’s game?
“He definitely thinks the game at a very high level. One thing that I'm sure has been noted before is just the amount of time he spends working on his game. Any team he’s been on, he's probably the first guy on the ice and the last guy off…”
[Brief interruption in the interview as O’Reilly passed through the otherwise-empty locker room; he was, in fact, the last one off the ice at practice]
“...It sounds cliche, but he just loves that lifestyle. He literally loves the game more than anybody I've ever met and enjoys being on the ice. It's pretty unique. So I think as smart as he is, it’s also everything that he does and the work that he puts into it. It's why he’s leading the league in takeaways; it’s why he wins the Lady Byng; it’s why he’s really good at faceoffs. He's just a special guy, and his dedication and love for the game are pretty unmatched to anything I've seen. “
When you think about O’Reilly, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
“When you think about Ryan O'Reilly, you think hockey; you think Guinness; you think music; you think golf, probably; and you think family. He's a simple guy. He likes what he likes. He's got a great sense of humor. If you can get him a win and a nice, cold Guinness after the game, he's a pretty happy guy.”
You mentioned music; is he actually good at playing guitar?
“He's solid. He's good. He's not Nashville good – around here, he’s probably slacking a bit. But he's good. He likes to sing, too. He's got a decent little voice. So he considers himself a performer; he loves to get the guitar out and sing and have fun. He's got no self esteem issues, that's for sure.”
How have you seen O’Reilly grow during his career, both as a player and a person?
“We spent a lot of good years together there in Colorado. Then they traded him to Buffalo, which was a sad day for everyone. But I kind of got to watch him grow, and turn into one of the best leaders in the game, and start raising his own family, and go to St. Louis, and win a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe. All that work he puts in has paid off, and he's never changed, never wavered. He's always been the exact same guy. So it's been pretty awesome to see his development and all his hard work pay off."
How did you react when you found out you and O’Reilly would be teammates again?
“When I found out he was signing here, it was a great day. He’s just a really special human being, and it’s no surprise he's gotten to 1,000 games as quickly as he has. He'll play till the wheels fall off; they're going to have to kick him out of the league. He’ll play till he's got nothing left. He loves the game.”
How would you describe Ryan O’Reilly in three words?
“Heart and soul."
