DC Sports

MoCo Resident John Carlson Will Play in his 1,000th Game For the Caps Tonight

By MCS Staff
Courtesy @CapitalsPR

John Carlson is expected to play in his 1,000th career game tonight against Boston. According to the Washington Capitals, Carlson will become the first defenseman and third player in franchise history to play 1,000 games with the Capitals, joining teammates Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Carlson is also a Montgomery County resident and his wife, Gina, is a MoCo native.

In addition to his 1000th game, Carlson will become the 392nd skater in NHL history, the 128th defenseman and the 43rd active skater to play 1,000 games. The Capitals will hold a pre-game ceremony on Sunday, April 7 prior to hosting the Ottawa Senators to honor the milestone.

Carlson is the Capitals’ franchise leader in games played, assists (519), points (667), game-winning goals (30) and power-play points (247) among defensemen. In addition, Carlson is two goals shy of 150 career goals and becoming the Capitals’ all-time leader in goals among defensemen (Kevin Hatcher: 149g).

Carlson, Ovechkin (1,416 GP), Backstrom (1,105 GP) will become the third set of teammates in NHL history to play their first 1,000 career games with the same team, joining Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang and Los Angeles’ Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. Carlson will also become the 22nd defenseman in NHL history to play 1,000 career games with one team and the 13th player in franchise history to reach the 1,000-game mark in a Capitals sweater.

The Capitals have a record of 569-310-120 (.630 point percentage) with Carlson in the lineup since his NHL debut on Nov. 20, 2009. Carlson’s 569 wins are the sixth-most among active players to play their first 1,000 games with one franchise.

This season, Carlson has recorded 45 points (7g, 38a) and is one of two Capitals to appear in all 72 of the team’s games. Carlson ranks first on Washington in assists and blocked shots (169) and third in points and power-play points (18). The 34-year-old defenseman ranks second in the NHL in ice time per game (25:41) and has led Washington in ice time in 65 of the team’s 72 games this season. With an assist on March 18 at Calgary, Carlson reached the 40-point mark for the seventh time in his career, tying Scott Stevens and Kevin Hatcher for the most 40-point seasons by a defenseman in franchise history. Since 2017-18, Carlson ranks second among NHL defensemen in power-play points (161), third in assists (316) and points (402) and fourth in goals (86).