BLOG: Oilers pull on commemorative shirts for Nugent-Hopkins' franchise record

NEWARK, NJ - Nuge threads, who dis?

Ahead of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins setting the new franchise record for games played with his 1,038th appearance in an Oilers uniform, his teammates wore some new threads on Tuesday to commemorate No. 93's 'Nuge' record as they headed to the Prudential Center for the pre-game skate

A brainchild of Oilers Assistant Equipment Manager Brad Harrison, who led the production of his 1,000th game Christmas sweater last year and many more milestone-focused shirts in the past, the design features Nuge in a mullet wearing a camo shirt with a right-arm tattoo and smoking a cigarette, with the words "1,038 Games Played, Most Games Played As An Edmonton Oiler" across the front.

The moment was made even more special when they arrived at the rink, when the team played a special video for him in the locker room.

The heartfelt message included his wife, current teammates and former longtime ones like Jordan Eberle and Darnell Nurse speaking about the loyal servant, friend, husband and everything in between that he's been for 16 seasons – all with the Blue & Orange.

"Well, you should have heard his teammates talk about him, whether it be Eberle, whether it be Nurse, whether it be the guys that have been here with him when they talk about him today,  it was emotional," Head Coach Mike Babcock said.

"Kevin Lowe, you can say whatever you want as an unbelievable player, unbelievable man and what he means to the city, and then you got a guy like Nuge who has been steady ever since he's got here and is probably underappreciated. Yet when you coach him, you just know how good he is.  And then obviously, when his teammates raved about him today, that had to be pretty special for him to hear that. Listening to his wife talk was pretty special, too."

The moment provided Nugent-Hopkins with a moment of reflection on the journey and how lucky he's been to share it with everyone along the way.

"I first went down and saw the guys with the shirts on, and that's pretty special," Nugent-Hopkins said. "They always do such a great job with those, and we had some laughs with that and then came here. They just did a little video thing for me.  Definitely meant a lot to me. I feel the love."

"To have experienced a lot of these games with a few of the guys in here, it's pretty special. It's just a huge, big honour for me, and I'm very lucky and fortunate to have been able to hit this milestone with this team. It really is a testament to a lot of these guys in this room, and not just the players, but the staff and the trainers who have been here for my entire career."