Eurolanche

Tanguay to play 1000th game

Colorado Avalanche forward Alex Tanguay is scheduled to play his 1,000th NHL game on Wednesday, March 4, when the Avs take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at Pepsi Center (8:00 p.m. MT, Altitude).  Tanguay will be honored for his achievement in a special pre-game ceremony.

Tanguay, 35, will become the 299th player in NHL history to reach that milestone.  New York Rangers defenseman Dan Boyle will be the 298th to do so earlier that same night when the Rangers play in Detroit.  Tanguay will be the second Avalanche player to appear in his 1,000th game this season, as Brad Stuart also did it against the Penguins on Dec. 18 in Pittsburgh.   

Tanguay will join Adam Foote, Todd Gill, Milan Hejduk, Ian Laperriere, Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic and Stuart as the only players to appear in their 1,000th NHL contest as a member of the Avalanche. 

Selected by Colorado in the first round (12th overall) of the 1998 Entry Draft, Tanguay will be the seventh player from that draft class to reach the 1,000-games mark, joining Vincent Lecavalier (1,151), Robyn Regehr (1,069), Brad Richards (1,043), David Legwand (1,035), Stuart (1,032) and Scott Gomez (1,026). 

In 999 games, Tanguay has registered 813 points (269g/544a) with a +158 combined plus/minus rating.  The Ste-Justine, Quebec native has spent eight of his 15 NHL seasons with the Avalanche, including his first six years in the league.  Tanguay has totaled 451 points (157g/294a) with a +130 rating in 527 games for Colorado, ranking him ninth on the franchise’s all-time scoring list.  His 451 points are the fifth-most by any Avalanche player since the franchise relocated to Denver in 1995. 

Tanguay has also appeared in 98 career playoff games—including 83 with the Avalanche—recording  59 points (19g/40a).  He helped lead Colorado to the 2001 Stanley Cup championship, scoring two goals in the Avalanche’s 3-1 victory in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against New Jersey Devils. 

Tanguay is tied for third on the Avalanche in scoring this season with 40 points (16g/24a) in 61 games.  He shares the team lead with three game-winning goals, while his 16 goals overall are tied for second on the squad.

ALEX TANGUAY’S LANDMARK GAMES

Game #1             Oct. 5, 1999 at Nashville
Game #100         Nov. 29, 2000 vs. Phoenix
Game #200         Jan. 24, 2002 at Calgary
Game #300         March 16, 2003 at Washington
Game #400         Nov. 21, 2005 vs. Calgary
Game #500         Feb. 2, 2007 vs. Columbus
Game #600         March 16, 2008 at Chicago
Game #700         Jan. 6, 2010 at Buffalo
Game #800         Feb. 27, 2011 vs. St. Louis
Game #900         Feb. 26, 2013 at Minnesota
Game #999         Feb. 28, 2015 vs. Minnesota
Game #1,000      March 4, 2015 vs. Pittsburgh 

PLAYERS TO APPEAR IN 1,000TH GAME IN AN AVALANCHE SWEATER

Todd Gill – Jan. 21, 2002 vs. Buffalo
Joe Sakic – March 9, 2002 vs. Florida
Patrick Roy – Jan. 20, 2003 vs. Dallas
Adam Foote – Oct. 12, 2008 at Edmonton
Ian Laperriere – April 11, 2009 vs. Vancouver
Milan Hejduk – Feb. 4, 2013 vs. Dallas
Brad Stuart – Dec. 18, 2014 at Pittsburgh
Alex Tanguay – March 4, 2015 vs. Pittsburgh 

-Avalanche Press Release-