Tampa Bay Lightning veteran star forward Nikita Kucherov has written another chapter in his Hall of Fame career.
Kucherov, drafted by Tampa Bay 58th overall in the 2011 NHL draft, took another giant step towards the Hall of Fame when, on Saturday, October 25th, at Benchmark International Arena, he treated the home fans to some hockey history during an eventual 4-3 Lightning win against the Anaheim Ducks.
The historical moment, which Kucherov is sure to remember, took place with 7:41 remaining in the second period when this 32 year-old two time Stanley Cup champion drew an assist on a goal from forward Jake Guentzel in becoming only the 101st NHLer to reach the 1,000 point-plateau, which came during what turned into a 4-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks.
“It was a great feeling. It’s something I never thought I would reach,” Kucherov said. “I’m really honoured and fortunate to have great teammates along the way. Without them, I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t have done that. The fan support has been a huge part of it, and I’m just real blessed.”
Kucherov, who had two assists on the night, reached this magical mark in only his 809th career game, with only Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (659 games) and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (757 games) as the only players to reach that magical 1,000th point mark in fewer games.
Amazingly enough, Kucherov becomes only the third player to have scored 1,000 points with the same coach. The other two are Hall of Fame New Islanders forwards Mike Bossy and Brian Trottier, who got to one thousand points playing under coach Al Arbour.
In Kucherov’s case, the only coach he knows is Jon Cooper who was full of praise for this veteran:
“It’s been a privilege to stand on the bench to watch him get 1,000,” Cooper said. “He’s a special, special player. He’s going to go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, player to play in this organization and he’s got a lot of runway left in him.”
Tampa Bay Lightning Forward Kucherov Hits the 1,000-Point Plateau
Kucherov Wins Second Straight Art Ross Trophy and Third In His Career
Kucherov is coming off another highly productive season, which saw the veteran score 37 goals along with 121 points while racking up 45 PIMS which earned him his third Art Ross Trophy along with his second Ted Lindsay Award.
In winning his third Art Ross Trophy, Kucherov joins a prestigious list consisting of Wayne Gretzky (10 times), Gordie Howe (six times), Mario Lemieux (six times), Phil Esposito (five times), Jaromir Jagr (five times), Connor McDavid (five times), Stan Mikita (four times), Bobby Hull (three times) and Guy Lafleur (three times) who have all won three or more Art Ross Trophies during their careers.
Kucherov’s first Art Ross came in 2019 when he produced 128 points ( 41 goals, 87 assists). In proving it was no fluke, he captured the Art Ross not once but two more times starting in 2024 when he totalled 144 points (44 goals, 100 assists) and again the following year when he scored 37 goals and added 87 assists. Finishing second last season in scoring was Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon who totalled 116 points.
Another big honour for Kucherov last season was winning his second Ted Lindsay Award. He also won the award in 2019 when he scored 41 goals and finished with 128 points.
Kucherov’s First NHL Point
Kucherov’s journey to 1,000 points began way back on November 25, 2013, when at 2:12 of the opening period, he scored his first NHL goal and point. Funny enough it came in his first game, first shift and first shot on goal which happened to be against New York Rangers Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist in an eventual 5-0 Bolts win.
Tampa Bay fans have been lucky enough to see the development of Kucherov into a superstar. While he might be past his prime, there is no question that he still has lots in the tank to if everything falls into place lead them this coming spring on a long playoff run.
Main Image: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
