Panthers’ Dmitry Kulikov got to 1,000 NHL games the hard way

Dmitry Kulikov has finally gotten his time in the spotlight.

Skating in his 1,000 career game Wednesday versus the Los Angeles Kings, the veteran blue-liner has put together a hard-earned career counting stops with the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and two stints with the Florida Panthers, with whom he helped hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history last spring. Along the way, the defensive-minded rearguard has also collected 49 goals and 196 assists for 245 points.

On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli recognized Kulikov’s major accomplishment and the unique path he took to reach it.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Last night, Dmitry Kulikov became the 406th player in NHL history to play 1,000 regular season games. You and I talk about this a lot on the show. We love guys who get to 1,000 games the hard way. Not a superstar, not a guy who is with one organization. He’s been with eight teams. He’s changed teams eight different times as well, now that he’s back in Florida. He’s played 16 seasons. He’s a guy who never has an easy night, with the blocked shots and all that, so him getting to 1,000 games is very impressive.

Frank Seravalli: It is. He is just one of those guys who has stuck with it. There is no easy path to 1,000 games. He has done it without a lot of fanfare. He is someone who has been relied upon in bigger roles than we have probably even imagined over the years, and for some important teams at that. Kulikov definitely deserves some credit for just sticking with it and adapting because he has changed a lot over the years too.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here: