Red Wings forward Sam Gagner hit the 900-game milestone tonight, and he posted the primary assist on Vladislav Namestnikov’s first goal in Detroit’s 4-2 win over Edmonton.
Sam Gagner recorded an assist while playing in his 900th career regular-season game. He and his father, Dave (946), are one of six father-son duos in NHL history to each hit the benchmark.#NHLStats: https://t.co/Gp5cahrPgA pic.twitter.com/UWn8AQY7Nu— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 10, 2021
Gagner spoke with the Edmonton Sun’s Robert Tychkowski about his milestone, and his time spent with the Edmonton Oilers, the team that drafted him:
“Edmonton holds a special place in my heart,” said the 32-year-old Detroit Red Wing, who hit the 900 milestone Tuesday against his old team. “I met my wife there. My daughter was born there. My wife’s family still lives there. I owe a lot to the Oilers organization for giving me a chance and developing me. It’s always special playing against these guys.”
With 542 of his 900 games coming in Edmonton, Gagner is 20th on the Oilers all time games played list. He says his time here taught him valuable lessons that he uses today on a Detroit team in a rebuilding mode of its own.
“It allowed me to gain some perspective and it’s helping me now in the situation I’m in here,” said Gagner, whose eight-point night against Chicago in 2012 still stands as the team’s all-time single-game record.
“It’s helping me to be a leader for some of the guys who are going through some of the same things early in their career. I’m thankful for my time in Edmonton. Early on in my career it was a great opportunity for me. I enjoyed everything about being an Oiler and playing there and living in the city. I have a lot of great memories from my time there. The second stint was a different stage of my life with a family and the Oilers were starting to turn the corner so it was fun to be a part of that, as well. Nothing but fond memories.”
