Entering the season, Adam Henrique was seven games shy of his 1,000th NHL appearance and after three outings, that number is down to five. If all goes to plan and the veteran plays in each of the next coming contests, his milestone night is projected to fall on October 21 in Ottawa when the Edmonton Oilers close out their five-game road swing against the Ottawa Senators.
Henrique will remarkably become the first NHLer to have achieved that feat in an Oilers uniform. In fact, only one other player, Kevin Lowe, has ever reached 1,000 games as an Edmonton Oiler, doing so back on January 21, 1997.
Adam Henrique opens up on brewing emotions ahead of โspecialโ career milestone
Henrique took a moment this week to reflect on his journey and the Oilersโ start to the season. The 34-year-old smiled when asked about his upcoming milestone.
He said the number had started to mean more lately, not just for him but for the people who helped him get here.
โYeah, itโs uh, I mean, as it gets closer, you certainly think about it more, and uh, I guess, you know, what it means to get there and to accomplish that is pretty special,โ Henrique said. โYou think back to everything thatโs gone into getting there and how special thatโll be for me, for my family, all those sorts of things.โ
Acquired by Edmonton ahead of last seasonโs playoff push, Henrique signed a two-year $6M extension in July and has started this season centring a depth line while offering leadership on and off the ice.
Henrique shared how his family will be front and centre to celebrate the milestone.
โThatโs why I love playing the game. When all the family comes to visit, everybodyโs together,โ Henrique smiled. โItโs always a bit hectic and chaotic with our family, but thatโs all part of the fun. Weโve had a lot of memories along the way and still plenty more to come.โ
Henrique also reflected on how his perspective has changed over time, noting how reaching such marks feels different at each stage of a career.
โEarly in your career, you just want to play one game. Youโre not thinking about a thousand that early on,โ he said. โYouโre just trying to establish yourself as an NHL everyday player. You have everybody from the superstars to the fourth-line players that make careers out of it and get to a thousand games. So I think itโs a pretty special milestone.โ
Adam Henrique focusing on special teams and younger linemates
Looking beyond personal milestones, Henrique praised the Oilersโ early progress after correcting mistakes from their season opener which saw the Calgary Flames hand them a 4โ3 shoot out loss in the Battle of Alberta.
โWe corrected a lot from the first game where we felt we were in control and then got away from our game for a stretch and we got right back to it,โ he said. โIt says a lot about the group that we stuck to it the full game.โ
He also acknowledged that special teams have been a point of emphasis after last seasonโs penalty-killing struggles. The group made structural changes during camp and Henrique explained that players are still adjusting and communicating through each situation.
โWeโve changed some things too, so thereโs a feeling-out period through training camp and exhibition. There are going to be adjustments, but I think everybodyโs doing a good job buying into it. Guys are talking, learning, even in game two, after each kill, weโre kind of dissecting what we felt out there.โ
Henrique’s play with two young linemates
Lately, Henrique has been centring rookies, David Tomรกลกek and Isaac Howard. He described both as poised and mature, praising Tomasekโs all-around game and Howardโs confidence and creativity with the puck.
Henrique shared how the trio has built early chemistry through constant dialogue on the bench and in practices.
โWeโre chatting on the bench all the time, trying to get the chemistry and talk through what weโre feeling in different situations,โ he said. โI think itโs been a great fit so far for the three of us, and hopefully we can continue to build on it.โ
Henrique has only registered one point through Edmontonโs first three games of the season, but his impact has gone beyond the scoresheet as his 1,000th game draws near.
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