Alex Tanguay (Karl Gehring, Denver Post)
Alex Tanguay came to Colorado as a teenaged former member of the Halifax Mooseheads and an Avalanche first-round draft choice.
Fifteen years later, the Avalanche will honor him before the Wednesday night game against Pittsburgh, on the occasion of his 1,000th NHL game.
A little over half, or 528, will have been with Colorado during his two stints with the Avalanche.
“It just means I’ve been around for a long time,” Tanguay said after practice Tuesday. “I don’t know if it’s an accomplishment or what it is exactly, but as a kid, I always dreamed of playing in the NHL. My goal was getting there and I never thought I’d get here (1,000 games). It’s been fun and hopefully there’s a lot more to go.”
At age 35, Tanguay said, “I still feel good … I missed pretty much all of last year with injuries, a year lockout, a half-year lockout, and I could easily be at 1,200 games. I’ve always tried to do the best that I can and I’m still going to try to do it and for how much longer, we’ll see how everything pans out and how everything plays out. But I still enjoy coming to the rink every day and I’m hoping that it’s going to continue for a little bit longer.”
Tanguay has 16 goals, tied for second behind Jarome Iginla on the team. At practice Tuesday, he was on a line with John Mitchell and Dennis Everberg in the wake of the recent changes. Being on the third line might make it tougher for him to crack 20 goals for the seventh time in his career, but he’s always going to have a place in Avalanche lore for scoring twice in Game 7 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals against the Devils.
“I still get goosebumps talking about the whole experience, getting a chance to do it here in Denver in front of the fans,” Tanguay said. “What a feeling.”
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or twitter.com/TFrei
