At the start of every NHL season, a player is given an 82-game schedule where they have an opportunity to make an impact on their club and bring success. In the most competitive hockey league in the world, playing day in and day out is not an easy feat and only the best players stick around.
Alex Pietrangelo is a player who has given his team a chance to win for the last 16 seasons and has succeeded. A two-time Stanley Cup Champion (STL 2019, VGK 2023), a former All-Star, and a franchise record holder, Pietrangelo has led his teams to a 571-322-106 record earning a .626 points percentage when in the line-up.
To skate in 1,000 NHL games is an elite club that just 389 players in league history have been able to reach and Pietrangelo is set to join them when the Vegas Golden Knights meet the Minnesota Wild on February 12. The defenseman will be the first player to hit the 1,000 mark as a Golden Knight after skating 758 GP with St. Louis and 241 GP with Vegas.
Let’s dive into the statistics that got Pietrangelo to game 1,000.
A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION
Oct. 10, 2008, Pietrangelo made his NHL debut in St. Louis’ season-opener against Nashville after he was drafted 4th overall by the Blues in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft that summer. The young defenseman logged 15:54 time on ice and finished with a +1 rating.
SAVE THOSE PUCKS!
Pietrangelo found himself on an NHL scoresheet for the first time in his sixth game on Nov. 6, 2008, when he assisted Keith Tkachuk’s opening goal against San Jose.
On Oct. 24, 2009, the defenseman scored his first NHL goal against Dallas in his 10th career game. Pietrangelo has scored 141 goals since, including 32 game-winners.
FINDING HIS GROOVE
The 2010-2011 season was Pietrangelo’s first full NHL stint with the Blues, appearing in 79 games and leading St. Louis defensemen in scoring (11-32—43), ranking sixth overall on the team. Fourteen of Pietrangelo’s points (4-10—14) came on the power play, the third most on the Blues, and led all blue-liners.
O FROM THE D
In game 27, Pietrangelo tallied a pair of assists to mark the first multi-point (2A) game of his career. Fittingly, Pietrangelo wore No. 27 at the time for the Blues. His competitive spirit has led to 126 multi-point games in his career, leading Pietrangelo to be the ninth-highest-scoring active defenseman in the NHL.
THE FIRST CENTURY
Pietrangelo reached his 100th game on Oct. 15, 2011, in his second full NHL season. In his first 100 games, Pietrangelo recorded 13G 35A for 48PTS to rank fifth among Blues defensemen since his debut.
BYE-BYE BLUES
March 11, 2020, marked Pietrangelo’s final regular-season game as a St. Louis Blue after appearing in 758 games, including his last 298 as captain. Pietrangelo’s final season with the Blues followed his first Stanley Cup championship after he scored the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 12, 2019, against Bruce Cassidy’s Boston Bruins. His 341 assists stand as the most by a Blues defenseman in franchise history, while his 109 goals and 450 points in St. Louis are second to only Al McInnis (127G, 452 PTS).
THE GOLDEN AGE
On Jan. 14, 2021, Pietrangelo skated in career game 759 but game one as a Golden Knight. In his fourth game with Vegas, the defenseman showcased his offensive prowess when he scored his first VGK goal and tallied an assist on the power play in a 5-2 Vegas victory over Arizona. In his 241 games with Vegas, Pietrangelo owns 144 career points (33G, 111A) and is the franchise time-on-ice leader (24:16 TOI).
THE WORKHORSE
Many of Pietrangelo’s teammates refer to him as the “workhorse” for his ability to log big minutes and never show fatigue. In game 170, Pietrangelo clocked 32:30 TOI, the first time he ever skated for 30+ minutes in a game. The blue-liner has been an all-situation player for most of his career, leading to him averaging the sixth most ice time among active players in the NHL (24:33 TOI). In game 908, Pietrangelo logged 34:16 TOI, the most minutes played in his career.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
In his time in Vegas, Pietrangelo has put his name in the record books of the young franchise. On April 6, 2023, Pietrangelo passed Shea Theodore for the Golden Knights’ record of single-season points by a defenseman (52 PTS) and finished with 11 goals, and 43 assists, for 54 points. Pietrangelo also shares the best single-game plus/minus rating record with d-partner Alec Martinez, both have posted a +5 rating twice with Vegas.
FELT SO NICE, HE DID IT TWICE
On June 13, 2023, Pietrangelo lifted the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career. Pietrangelo became the second player in NHL history to score a Cup-clinching goal against a head coach and later win a championship with him in the same role. The defenseman helped bring the Cup to the city of Las Vegas and was one of five Golden Knights to lead a franchise to its first-ever Stanley Cup twice (also St. Louis).
