Jamie Benn will celebrate a huge milestone on Monday by playing his 1,000th regular season NHL game.
But it's even bigger than just 1,000 games, as Benn has played his entire career with the Stars, including the past 10 seasons as captain.
Benn to play his 1,000th regular season NHL game
The British Columbia native has played his entire career with the Stars, including the past 10 seasons as captain
"It's an awesome accomplishment and even more impressive that it happens with the same team," longtime teammate Tyler Seguin said. "It doesn't happen that often. With how this business is, to do it with the same team shows something pretty incredible."
Benn, 33, has missed just 45 games in 14 seasons, which is an impressive record when you consider the tough style of play he employs. It's only one of the many reasons he has been such a good captain.
"He leads by example," said defenseman Esa Lindell. "He's always there for us."
Benn is a native of British Columbia but has limited his trips home and now spends the majority of his time in Dallas. You can find him skating in the summer at Frisco, giving him the opportunity to mix and mingle with everyone on the roster.
"He does a great job of making everyone feel comfortable," Lindell said. "I remember when I was a rookie, he made sure to see what I needed. He does that with everyone."
Stars GM Jim Nill said naming Benn the team captain back in 2013 was an easy decision. Nill had just taken over, and he said he saw all of the natural leadership skills in the fifth-round draft pick.
"You could see the respect he had from his teammates," Nill said. "What matters is what happens in the dressing room and on the ice and you could see the respect there. It's how he plays the game and how he conducts himself."
In fact, Nill said the body language goes beyond the Stars roster.
"I look at how peers respect him on our team, but also on other teams," Nill said. "Fans might not see that, but the respect he has from everyone on the ice, that tells a lot."
Stars coach Pete DeBoer said he knew a few things about Benn before he came to Dallas but has been even more impressed now that he sees the captain every day.
"He's been exactly as advertised," DeBoer said. "My memories of him are of coaching against him when he was winning trophies and playing on Olympic teams, not necessarily the couple of years where the numbers might have fallen off a little bit. Everyone said he wasn't at that level anymore, and I think the most impressive thing is he still is at that level."
Benn has 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) in 51 games this season. That's just two points short of his total in 82 games last season. He has had a great rebound season playing beside Wyatt Johnston, 19, and Ty Dellandrea, 22. It's been a great chance to see just what a leader Benn can be.
"He's tremendous," Dellandrea said. "He just does a great job of helping us and talking to us, and he just makes it easy for us."
Benn is second in franchise history in games played behind Mike Modano's 1,459. He also is second in goals at 348, third in assists at 465 and third in points at 816. He has been the face of the franchise for a decade, and he said he wants to end his career on the same team.
"It means a lot," he said. "I always wanted to be a Star for life. I don't see myself putting on any other jersey, so it's a pretty special day today."
Key Numbers
53
Benn ranks second in franchise history in game-winning goals with 53. Modano is first with 92.
4.08
Anaheim ranks last in goals against at 4.08 per game. Dallas was shut out by the Ducks, 2-0, on Jan. 4.
35
Dallas has allowed 35 third period goals, second fewest in the NHL.
He said it
"It came at the right time. I think we were running on some fumes. It was a lot of tough hockey, a lot of road trips. I'm really proud of the work we did going into the break and now the challenge is to come out of the break and find a new level."
- Stars coach Pete DeBoer on the fact his team lost three straight overtime games heading into the break. Dallas will play six of the next seven at home.
Expected lineup
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Benn-Johnston-Dellandrea
Marchment-Faksa-Seguin
Kiviranta-Glendening-Gurianov
Heiskanen-Miller
Lindell-Hakanpää
Suter-Lundkvist
Oettinger
Wedgewood
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.
