There changed into no shortage of milestones for the Kings throughout the 1998-ninety nine seasons. That season, four Los Angeles gamers reached 1,000 video games, marking the primary time in NHL history that four players from the equal time finished the feat.
Defenseman Doug Bodger turned into the primary through the gate on October 25, 1998, with Garry Galley, Russ Courtnall and Ray Ferraro all accomplishing the benchmark in February 1999.
Twenty years later, all four reflected on what it intended to play their landmark game and the way precise it was that they all done it inside the regular season on the same team.
For all the gamers, playing in 1,000 NHL video games changed into something they may purest dream of.
Doug Bodger: It turned into something that you honestly hope you’ll get to. However, you are by no means sure you’ll get to it. As the video games piled up, you form of finding out it’s a truth, however, no longer a lot of guys get to try this, so it’s a huge accomplishment. I in no way idea I’d make it, however, because it was given closer, I notion I’m going to make it. Barely, however, I made it.
Bodger, however, wasn’t the simplest one celebrating a milestone that night.
DB: It changed into Manny Lagace’s first recreation, and he won, so I had to provide him the percent. I just stated I’ll locate every other one.
Russ Courtnall: For a kid from Victoria, it became outstanding. To play 1,000 video games. I by no means dreamt of it.
Reaching the milestone even more special for Russ changed into that his brother, Geoff, had already done the feat.
RC: Most thrilling factor for myself and my family had been that my brother Geoff and I had been the first brothers to play 1,000 video games every in the NHL, that is an excellent trivia query.
Although it becomes exciting, it created some brought stress for Courtnall.
RC: Twenty games before my 1,000th, the media started talking approximately how Geoff and I had been going to be the first two brothers to make it to 1,000, and it honestly started out affecting me. Larry Robinson said ‘what the hell is inaccurate with you; you’ve got not gambling the manner you’ve got been gambling.’ I stated, ‘get me to at least one,000 and I’ll be quality.’ I broke my ankle and got here returned and got to at least one,000.
Garry Galley: The 1,000th recreation is a type of a surreal second. When you begin gambling, all you ever need to do is play one sport. You need to be within the National Hockey League. You need to play in that one game to say all your tough paintings has paid off so you never honestly reflect consideration on that 1,000th recreation. Still is to this day, I’m exceptionally proud that Geoff and I did that.
Making the sport even greater big for Galley, who turned into the back for his second tour of obligation with the Kings, become that it was in opposition to the Flyers in Philadelphia, in which he spent a significant stretch of his career.
GG: Felt like my sport came complete circle in Philadelphia. That’s in which I had my best single years and put up some correct numbers and changed into playing pretty a chunk. So I felt that became a pleasing vicinity to play my 1,000th game for certain. To be capable of play my 1,000th for Los Angeles changed into very special. I played my first sport on the Forum.
For Ray Ferraro, who struggled with knee injuries and staying inside the lineup for the first 1/2 of the season, accomplishing the milestone intended even greater to him.
Ray Ferraro: I became continually pleased with my capacity to be long-lasting and live within the lineup and produce. And then I went thru a time in LA where I turned into simply getting racked with knee damage after a knee injury, and I could not stay in the lineup. To get to the 1,000 games, you can see it on the horizon and also you are aware of it’s a sizeable wide variety. It did imply a lot to me. I wanted to get there.
