Alexander Steen is about to play in his 1,000th career NHL game on Saturday, and by a neat little twist of fate, he gets to play the milestone game in his hometown of Winnipeg in front of friends and family.
Steen’s father, Thomas, was a pretty good NHLer in his own day! In fact, Thomas played his entire 14-season career with the Winnipeg Jets, and his No. 25 remains retired by the organization (now the Arizona Coyotes) to this day.
Before Alexander’s milestone game, Thomas took to The Athletic with a heartfelt personal letter on watching his son bloom as a hockey player.
Thomas goes into great detail about watching Alexander grow from playing in Sweden to getting drafted by the Maple Leafs and then the next decade in St. Louis culminating in a Stanley Cup, but for us, the letter’s send-off is the most affecting part of it all.
And now, Alex, you’re playing your 1,000th game in Winnipeg. It ended up being great timing. I don’t know how that happened, it’s over my head, but it couldn’t be a better scenario to be able to watch the game in Winnipeg. That’s our city and our people.
I’m really wishing you can keep this good feeling and be able to play for a while longer, so you can really enjoy it to the fullest. You’re in great shape, and I know you still have a lot left. The hardest thing for me when I got to this point, it’s all in your mind. There are a lot of stresses about getting older in hockey — the unknown — but the best thing to do is just stay in the moment ...
It’s been an amazing time. It’s been the most incredible experience for me, too. You’ve always been a winner, and I don’t mean just in hockey. You’re just a great person and a great guy. I’m super proud of you!
Love, Dad!
Onions?
This is a sweet gesture from his dad, and we’re sure that it was a nice little surprise for Steen to read this morning. Even though this is technically going to be an away game for the Blues, we’re sure that Steen will hear some nice applause from the fans in Winnipeg when he takes the ice tonight.
h/t The Athletic
