"Jason represents the epitome of a professional in every sense of the word," Stars General Manager Jim Nill said. "A proven leader both on and off the ice, his dedication to his game is unmatched around the League and is rivaled only by his commitment to making the players around him better. Reaching such an incredible milestone is a truly remarkable accomplishment, and we congratulate Jason, his wife Jennifer, and their four daughters Sophia, Nicola, Anna and Julia."
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound native of Toronto, Ontario was originally selected by Ottawa in the first round (2nd overall) of the 2001 NHL Draft, and becomes the third member of the 2001 draft class to appear in 1,000 regular-season games. He ranks seventh in assists (570), seventh in points (896) and 12th in power play goals (109) among all active NHL players entering today.
Since entering the League in 2002, Spezza has recorded at least 30 assists in 12 of his 16 seasons. He is one of 12 players in the League to record 30-or-more assists at least 12 times over that span. Below is a list of the 12 players to have earned 12-plus 30-assist seasons since the start of the 2002-03 season, entering play today.
1. Henrik Sedin - 15 Seasons - 790 Assists - 1,166 Games
2. Joe Thornton - 14 Seasons - 885 Assists - 1,140 Games
3. Henrik Zetterberg - 13 Seasons - 623 Assists - 1,082 Games
4. Sidney Crosby - 12 Seasons - 712 Assists - 873 Games
5. Daniel Sedin - 12 Seasons - 611 Assists - 1,152 Games
6. Ryan Getzlaf - 12 Seasons - 633 Assists - 924 Games
7. Martin St. Louis - 12 Seasons - 585 Assists - 934 Games
8. Pavel Datsyuk - 12 Season - 580 Assists - 883 Games
9. Jason Spezza - 12 Seasons - 570 Assists - 999 Games
10. Mike Ribeiro - 12 Seasons - 554 Assists - 1,010 Games
11. Anze Kopitar - 12 Seasons - 539 Assists - 932 Games
12. Eric Staal - 12 Seasons - 531 Assists - 1,104 Games
Below is a list of his previous milestone games:
Game 1 - Oct. 24, 2002, 2-2 Tie with Ottawa at Boston
Game 100 - March 8, 2004, 4-1 Win with Ottawa at Washington
Game 200 - Nov. 20, 2006, 5-3 Win with Ottawa vs. Minnesota
Game 300 - Feb. 19, 2008, 3-2 Win with Ottawa vs. Philadelphia
Game 400 - April 4, 2009, 4-3 Win with Ottawa vs. Philadelphia
Game 500 - Feb. 12, 2011, 5-3 Win with Ottawa at Edmonton
Game 600 - March 23, 2012, 5-1 Loss with Ottawa at Montreal
Game 700 - Nov. 8, 2014, 5-3 Loss with Dallas vs. San Jose
Game 800 - Dec. 17, 2015, 3-1 Loss with Dallas vs. Calgary
Game 900 - March 14, 2017, 7-1 Loss with Dallas at Edmonton
In addition to his 1,000 NHL career regular-season games played, Spezza has also skated in 69 career postseason contests, recording 65 points (22-43=65) in nine trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was part of Ottawa's run to the Stanley Cup Final against Anaheim in 2007, finishing tied for first in the NHL with 15 assists and 22 points (7-15=22) in 20 postseason contests.
Spezza has represented Canada on the international stage seven times in his career, including four IIHF World Championships (2008, 2009, 2011, 2015), one Spengler Cup (2012) and three IIHF World Junior Championships (2000, 2001, 2002). He won the gold medal with Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship in 2015 and is a two-time silver medalist in 2008 and 2009.
