One of the greatest athletes in Maple Ridge history, Andrew Ladd, has played his 1,000th game in the NHL.
The Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association posted their congratulations to the Rustler alumnus, noting that he also tallied an assist in the game, which was the 550th point of Ladd’s career.
Ladd, 36, had to overcome numerous injuries, including a serious knee injury, to resume his 16-season career in the NHL. He has been nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is an award for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Injuries, relegation & isolation kept Andrew Ladd from achieving a 1,000-games milestone he thought was a formality.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) April 25, 2022
Introspection, perseverance, therapy & a desire to pay it forward make Ladd the AZ chapter of the @ThePHWA's Masterton Trophy nominee.https://t.co/18YSh60Jwk
“I’m really proud to be able to play 1,000 games,” he was quoted as saying on the Arizona Coyotes website. “I was sitting in Bridgeport a couple years ago with this goal in mind to get back to playing NHL games again and ultimately hitting this milestone. To finally be here and see all that hard work and time that I put into getting back into this spot so I could have this opportunity is fulfilling to say the least.”
Now with the Coyotes, he played his 1,000th game against the Chicago Blackhawks – the same team Ladd won his second Stanley cup with in 2010. He also won with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, which he was just 19.
He was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers, who moved to Winnipeg. There, Ladd was the Jets team captain for most of six seasons. He has also played for the New York Islanders.
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