Q&A: Yandle Talks Game 1 to 1,000 in the NHL

SUNRISE, Fla. - Keith Yandle never thought he'd play in one NHL game, let alone 1,000.
Selected by the Coyotes in the fourth round (105th overall) of the 2005 NHL Draft, he had only three seasons of high school hockey and one campaign in the QMJHL under his belt when he debuted on Oct. 11, 2006 against the Red Wings at the legendary Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
Hitting the ice that night, overflowing with a mixture of nerves and excitement, the young but talented defenseman was comforted by the fact that his parents, Buddy and Patti, were only a few feet away throughout the game, sitting right behind the bench and taking in every second.
Flash forward more than 14 years later and the scene wasn't that much different in Carolina.

With his parents, wife, Kristyn, and two daughters, Mila and Lola, watching from a suite high above the rink, the Boston, Mass. native became just the 19th U.S.-born blueliner to skate in 1,000 NHL games when he took the ice for the Panthers against the Hurricanes on March 7.
The NHL's active ironman, Yandle has also played in 892 consecutive games and counting.
"I'm lucky every day just to be playing in the NHL and calling this a job," Yandle said the day before the game. "Never really had the goal, never really thought I'd even make it to the NHL, so it's one of those things where I'm just enjoying the ride and just enjoying every minute of it."
Heading into Saturday's matchup against the Blackhawks in which the Panthers plan to mark his milestone with a special celebration at BB&T Center, Yandle's currently sitting at 1,002 games played - 341 with Florida, 558 with the Coyotes and 103 with the New York Rangers.
One the NHL's top offensive defenseman ever since he entered the league, the 32-year-old has accumulated 590 points (102 goals, 488 assists) - 276 of which have come on the power play -in his career, including three goals and 14 assists through 26 games with Florida this season.
The 12th player to reach the 1,000-game plateau in a Panthers sweater, he's joined by former Cats Greg Adams, Brian Campbell, Radek Dvorak, Mike Foligno, Chris Gratton, Cory Stillman, Bryan McCabe, Scott Mellanby, Kirk Muller, Lyle Odelein and Roberto Luongo in doing so.
"He's really a true pro and it's fun to see him doing this well," fellow Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas said. "Even still after all these years, he's still a positive guy that has a lot of things to give the team."
The day after achieving his latest milestone, Yandle spoke with FloridaPanthers.com's Jameson Olive to talk about the magnitude of the big moment, the journey from one to 1,000 and much more!
OLIVE: Before we get to your 1,000th game, take me back to your first one all the way back in 2006 in Detroit. At the time, what did it mean just to play one game in the NHL?
YANDLE: It was one of those where two years before that I was playing high school hockey. It was something that I never thought would happen. I never thought I'd be playing in the NHL. It was exciting. I remember being nervous. My parents were able to come out to that game, which was really cool. They sat right behind the bench in Detroit. That was something I'll never forget. Everything after that during the game was kind of a blur. It was one of those things where I'll eventually have to go back and watch it to see what exactly happened.
OLIVE: Turning the clock ahead more than 14 years later, you just skated in your 1,000th NHL game last week against the Hurricanes in Raleigh. At the time, you said the moment hadn't really hit you yet. Now that some time has passed, has everything kind of sunk in?
YANDLE: I don't know if it's fully hit me. It's one of those things where I'm still trying to catch up with some phone calls and text messages I've got in the last couple days from a lot of people that I've played with and people that I knew growing up that have been there for me. I think it's going to sink in a little bit more today. The other day, I just tried to treat it like a normal game.

OLIVE: You mentioned getting a lot of messages of congratulations. As someone that's appeared in over 1,000 games - not including your career prior to the NHL - I'm sure you've made a lot of friends over the years. Just how many people reached out?
YANDLE: The other night after the game I had about 140 messages. Then I woke up the next day and had about another 200. It's been a lot. It just goes to show you how good of a community the hockey community is. I've been getting text messages from guys that I don't even really know, just guys that I've played against. There are also guys that I grew up with that I haven't talked to in a while. Whether it's guys I've played with in the NHL or friends I grew up playing street hockey with, all friendships sort of lead back to some sort of hockey reason.
OLIVE: How much would you say you've changed between Game 1 and 1,000?
YANDLE: I think I was a little more feisty back then. Obviously, you're trying to make your way in the NHL and doing whatever you can. The league was a little different, obviously, with the way that you played. I was a little chippier. I think, for myself, as a person I've obviously grown a lot. I was young, immature and really didn't know too much. I was just living my life. Now, it's a wife, two kids and a lot of nephews and nieces and people I enjoy being around. It's definitely been a long crazy ride. I'm enjoying every minute of it right now.
OLIVE: With everything going on in the world, I'm sure it wasn't easy getting your family to the game in Carolina. How special was it to be able to share the moment with them?
YANDLE: It was special. Having my mom and dad both at my first game and that game, I know it meant a lot to them. Thinking back to my first game again, I remember my mom saw me doing the smelling salts. She told me never to do it again [laughs]. I think that might have been the first time that I did it just because everyone else was doing it. I've never done one since. I'll have to share that with her and make sure she knows that I'm not losing any more braincells than I need to. But, yeah, for them to be able to come and be a part of that 1,000th game, we were lucky that Carolina was able to have some fans in the arena. It worked out that way. It was definitely nice.
OLIVE: I'm sure one of the perks of having a long career is getting to share moments like that with your daughters, Mila and Lola. As they get older, how nice is it to have them be involved in these sorts of events rather than them being just stories they're told later?
YANDLE: It's the best. They're not too big into hockey, but they like coming to the games. As they get older, they get more excited about seeing all the guys on the team, seeing guys like Aaron, Huby and Noel, all of the guys. They're just so good to my kids. They couldn't tell you if any of those guys scored a goal, but they're excited to see them because of how good they treat them. For them to have that, they'll always remember those special relationships with guys that I've played with. To be a part of the NHL family for them and myself is definitely a pleasure.
OLIVE: You've only played for three teams in your career, with the bulk of that time coming with the Coyotes and Panthers. What has this time in Florida meant to you?
YANDLE: I think it's meant a lot to me, coming down to South Florida and falling in love with it. It's one of those things where our first year here my wife, myself and the kids we realized we're going to be in Florida for the rest of our lives. To be down in Florida and see the guys that I get to play with and seeing them grow and seeing how good of guys they are here, it's a fun team to be a part of. [Panthers owners] Vinnie and Teresa [Viola], how well they treat us, it's one of those things where I'm so proud to be a Panther. It's definitely special to get my 1,000th game in that uniform.
OLIVE: That being said, how excited are you to be back at BB&T Center soon celebrating your recent milestone in front of the home crowd on Saturday against the Blackhawks?
YANDLE: It'll be exciting. It's one of those things where I don't love the spotlight on me. I'd rather have it be on somebody else or my teammates up there with me. But it'll be one of those things that I'll obviously never forget. For them to be able to have something like that for me is going to mean a lot. After the fact I'll be able to touch on it a little bit better, but it'll be special.
OLIVE: Given how much time you've spent in the NHL, have you been a part of a few of these 1,000th game ceremonies as a bystander before?
YANDLE:Oh yeah, I've been a part of a ton of them. In Phoenix we had a lot of guys get 1,000th games. I remember Shane Doan, Adrian Aucoin, Ray Whitney, I believe. A lot of those were times that you remember. Being a part of it, I remember just being so happy for those guys and what it meant to play in 1,000 games. I saw that a lot from the guys the other day [in Carolina], how excited they were for me and how happy they were that I was doing it. That definitely meant a lot to me.

OLIVE: Before I let you go, I know fans would be upset if I didn't slip this question in. There have been 352 players to compete in 1,000 games in the NHL, but far fewer have added something to the game's lexicon during their career. Outside of all of your other accomplishments, how much pride do you take in giving the term "sonk!" to the sport?
YANDLE:Yeah *laughs*]. It's one of those things that I always did to keep myself entertained during games. I used it as a little bit of a tactic to get guys to move their sticks and whatnot. Nowadays when people see me, whether it's in the summertime or I'm out and about, the majority of the time it's people saying "sonk!" to me more than asking about anything else.
*To view career highlights from Yandle's time as a Panther, head on over to a special collection in the Florida Panthers Virtual Vault presented by Baptist Health [HERE.
Want to attend Yandle's ceremony? Visit FloridaPanthers.com/Tickets to secure a seat!*