Red Wings' Sam Gagner to cross 900-game milestone against Oilers

Detroit — Playing in his 900th NHL game Tuesday night will have both family ties and organizational significance for Detroit Red Wings forward Sam Gagner.

Gagner is passing the milestone against the Edmonton Oilers, the franchise he played five seasons for after it made him the 6th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft.

Getting to that plateau allows him to join his father Dave Gagner, a forward who played in 946 games after the New York Rangers made him the 12th overall pick in 1983 — six years before Sam was born in London, Ontario.

“My old man played 900 as well and so it’s a nice milestone for my family,” said Gagner, 32. “And I want to keep playing for as long as I can.”

Gagner has 173 goals and 479 points in his career, while his father had 318 goals and 719 points. While his father shot left-handed, the son shoots right.    

“I’m not in competition with him,” said Sam, when asked about pursuing some of his father’s statistics. “What he’s done for me — how much he means to me — and what he’s taught me about the game and life.”

He also credits the Oilers for his development, and noted that he met his wife in Edmonton while his daughter was born there.

“Edmonton has a special place in my heart,” Sam said. “I owe a lot to the organization for giving me a chance. I enjoyed everything about being an Oiler and playing there, the city. Nothing but fond memories.

“But I’m thankful to be here now.”

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Edmonton traded him to Detroit along with its second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts for Andreas Athanasiou and Ryan Kuffner Feb. 24, 2020.

Gagner scored between 13 and 18 goals and 41 and 49 points in each of his first five seasons with the Oilers, who traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and one hour later to the Arizona Coyotes, on June 29, 2014. He also played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks.

Edmonton’s NHL scoring leaders Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were teammates.

“They’re maturing as leaders and growing,” Gagner said. “The success they have is not luck.”

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Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill also credited Gagner for the leadership he brings to a young team on the rise.

“He’s accountable and a great example to younger players,” said Blashill, who was impressed with him playing in his 900th game.

“Nine hundred at that age is awesome,” Blashill said. “He came into the league as a highly-touted offensive player, and now he’s really rounded his game out. He took a lot of pride in his defense, kills penalties and is reliable. And he’s been on lines I use against other teams’ best lines because he’s smart and I can trust him.”

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McDavid, with an NHL-leading 14 assists as well as eight goals, is on a 10-game season-opening point streak and is tied with Gagner for Edmonton’s fourth-longest stint in that regard.

NHL all-time goal-scoring leader Wayne Gretzky (894) has the top three streaks in Oilers history — including an amazing 51-gamer to start the 1983-84 season.

Bertuzzi joining elite company

Tyler Bertuzzi (nine goals, six assists, 15 points in 10 games) became the first Red Wings player with 15 or more points through his first 10 games played in a season since 2007-08, when Henrik Zetterberg had seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points. The only Detroit players with more than Bertuzzi’s nine goals through the first 10 contests were Mud Bruneteau with 15 in 1943-44 and Sergei Fedorov (1994-95), Ray Sheppard (1994-95) and Petr Klima (1986-87) with 10 goals through 10 games. 

Trivia time

Which former Red Wing has his number retired by the Oilers?

Paul Coffey, who played three and a half seasons in Detroit wearing No. 77, has his No. 7 retired in Edmonton.

Coffey won three Stanley Cups with the Oilers and another with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but left the Red Wings the year before they won one in 1997.

His 396 goals are No. 2 all-time for NHL defensemen behind Ray Bourque, and Coffey entered the Hall of Fame in 2004 with Bourque and Larry Murphy, who spent his last five seasons with Detroit and now is an analyst for Bally Sports Detroit.

Steve Kornacki is a freelance writer.