Kings honor Edler for 1,000 NHL games with pregame ceremony

Alexander Edler was honored by the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday for playing 1,000 NHL games.

Edler, a 36-year-old defenseman who reached the milestone in a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, was recognized before Los Angeles hosted the Dallas Stars at Crypto.com Arena.
"I'm proud of what I've done, and I've been able to stay in this League for this long, and it's a special milestone," Edler said Saturday. "There's so many people that matter so much, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all of them."
Edler's wife, Amanda, and their two daughters, Emmy Rose and River, joined him on the ice for the ceremony, during which general manager Rob Blake presented him with a commemorative silver stick.
Edler's daughters also served as honorary bench captains during warmups before receiving their own kid-sized silver sticks.

Edler's Los Angeles teammates presented him gifts including a painting depicting him winning a silver medal with Sweden in the 2014 Olympics, his debut for Vancouver in 2006, and his 500th and 1000th career games.
Although Edler is a relative newcomer to the Kings, having played 75 games with them in two seasons after 925 games and 15 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan said he has been a welcoming presence to younger players starting their NHL careers.
"When he walks in the room, you look and you feel comfortable because he's there," McLellan said Saturday. "You look around from a distance, and you see him holding court with certain players. There's value in the that, the stories and the tales that he tells about his ascent into the League."
Edler is the 16th Swedish-born player to reach 1,000 games and the sixth defenseman, having joined a group that includes Nicklas Lidstrom and Borje Salming.