Brett Connolly notched a major milestone in his 10th NHL season last night (Jan. 28).
Despite the Panthers suffering a 3-2 shootout loss to Columbus, the Prince George product skated his 500th career game since stepping onto the big stage in 2011.
Before accomplishing that feat, the 28-year-old fought hard for his position on four different franchises from Tampa Bay and Boston to Washington and now Florida.
"Very proud and privileged to play 500 games in this league, I feel like I’ve got a lot more in me," Connolly said prior to yesterday's game.
"I’m happy I can share it with this group."
He recorded many firsts along the way in contributing to what can be described as an illustrious résumé from one of the city's most successful hockey players.
Let's take a moment to highlight five key moments in Connolly's career that led to that 500-game mark.
FIRST GAME
Connolly was drafted by Tampa Bay sixth overall in the 2010 NHL Draft, a year after he was named the WHL and CHL Rookie of the Year with his hometown Prince George Cougars (2009).
Then General Manager and NHL Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman called his name at the event in Los Angeles.
Connolly eventually cracked the Lightning's roster and made his professional debut on Oct. 7, 2011, on the road against the Hurricanes.
He clocked a time of 14:20 from 21 shifts in Tampa's 5-1 triumph over Carolina and had two penalty minutes when a hooking minor was assessed to him in the middle of the second period.
Connolly's first point came two games later, an assist on Dominic Moore's goal 56 clicks into the second period against Washington.
FIRST GOAL
As Connolly has explained in many interviews, his first career NHL goal is one he would never forget!
On Nov. 1, 2011, in Carolina, the then 19-year-old shared the same ice with legends Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis when he lit the lamp on goaltender Cam Ward to cut a two-goal deficit to one for Tampa.
Both players assisted on the play; Lecavalier fed St. Louis in front of Ward and tried to drag the puck around the crease but got tripped up on the play.
Connolly then swept in from behind the net to punch the puck in.
Since that memorable highlight, he's scored 98 NHL goals and 90 assists for 188 points to date.
FIRST PLAYOFFS
It took six seasons and two moves along the American east coast before Connolly finally got to play in an NHL postseason.
After stints with the Lightning, and a season and a bit with Boston, he reached the playoffs in 2017 with the Capitals.
He only played seven of Washington's 13 games that year; the team beat Toronto in six games in the opening round before falling to rival-Pittsburgh in seven.
FIRST STANLEY CUP
The next season, however, was one for the ages as Connolly aided the Capitals to its first Stanley Cup on team history.
In 24 games, he recorded nine points, including two goals in the finals against Vegas.
Connolly provided the assist on the Stanley Cup-clinching goal by Lars Eller in Game Five, and Washington was able to hang on to lift the trophy.
During his day with the Cup, Aug. 20, 2018, he brought it to Prince George for local residents to share in his victory, pose for photos and celebrate with friends and family.
He became the first since Turner Stevenson with the New Jersey Devils in 2003 to bring Lord Stanley's mug to the northern capital.
FIRST VIRAL VIDEO
If there's one thing most hockey fans will remember along Connolly's journey to the Stanley Cup in 2018, it would be for what he did for a young girl during the opening round of the playoffs.
Then six-year-old Keelan Moxley was watching the Capitals warm-up on the ice and, like most other kids nearby, was hoping to catch a puck over the glass from one of the players.
Connolly saw Moxley and tried to toss her a biscuit, needing one of the adults to catch it for her, but it was given to a boy on her right.
When he tried a second time, the puck was given to a boy on her left, which noticeably frustrated Connolly in what he was trying to do.
Third time was the charm and Moxley finally got her puck, producing one of the biggest smiles the NHL has ever seen from a fan.
The video immediately went viral across the hockey world, so much so that Moxley became a personal guest of the Washington Capitals for the remainder of the playoffs and even got a meet-and-greet with Connolly, who instantly became her favourite player.
