'A lot of ups and downs': Perron reflects on journey to 1,000 NHL games

David Perron admitted there were several times during his NHL career when he doubted how many playing days he had left, much less if he would ever reach 1,000 career games.

Through various injuries and teams, Perron persevered. And with his second-period goal in Saturday's 3-2 overtime road loss to the Dallas Stars, the Detroit Red Wings veteran forward became just the sixth active player to score in their 1,000th career game.
"Awesome," head coach Derek Lalonde said about Perron's goal. "Fitting, just the way he did it. That's a David Perron-type goal. Simple play, but he got hard to the net and got a stick on it. It was a huge goal."

Despite the overtime loss, Perron described the atmosphere of his 1,000th NHL game on Saturday as "special."
"It was really cool," Perron said. "Having my parents here and knowing that they were coming to the game, that's always fun. Getting my mom out of the hometown, she doesn't do that a lot, so it was good."
Prior to puck drop, Red Wings coaches and players exchanged hugs and high fives with Perron in the visiting dressing room at American Airlines Center. His teammates even sported commemorative David Perron-themed T-shirts before taking the ice for warmups.
"One thousand games are a lot," Lucas Raymond said. "It's great having him around. He's a very smart hockey player. I try to talk to him, get tips and take as much as I can from him. It's a huge accomplishment."
Perron, who was selected 26th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, made his NHL debut as a 19-year-old on Oct. 12, 2007. His 15-year NHL career includes stints with the Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Vegas Golden Knights and now, the Red Wings.
"I felt like I could come in here and help the guys out a little bit," said Perron, who signed a two-year free-agent contract with Detroit in July. "We've had a good start so far, but we're also not satisfied. We wanna keep getting better and I think that's the cool part right now. We can still get better and become a better team."

As much as Perron is excited for the future, he's thankful for the past. Now 34 years of age, Perron listed several "cool moments" when he was asked to recall his fondest NHL memories.
"The first game I had and getting the opportunity to play in the NHL," Perron said. "Winning the (Stanley) Cup, the All-Star Game after that year (2019) in St. Louis and now putting an Original Six jersey on here have all been so special."
The Sherbrooke, Quebec, native added that he wouldn't be the person he is today without his family.
"It's everything for me, to have them around the whole time," Perron said. "We went through a lot together. A lot of ups and downs to get to this point. Hopefully, there's a few more milestones to hit after this."
Through 27 games this season, Perron ranks fourth among Detroit skaters with 21 points on nine goals and 12 assists, including a plus-3 rating.

For Lalonde, having a player like Perron has been invaluable for the Red Wings, both on and off the ice.
"He brings some huge passion to us," Lalonde said. "I think some accountability. He wears his emotions on his sleeves."