Nieuwendyk hits milestone
At last, he's reach the 500 goals mark
By DARREN EVERSON
Faceoff.com correspondent
It was a moment Joe Nieuwendyk and the New Jersey Devils had been waiting for.
It was also one that may not occur much more often in the NHL.
After a slow offensive start to the season, Nieuwendyk at last scored his 500th goal in the Devils' 2-1 defeat of the Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C, on Jan. 17.
All of the Devils left the bench and ventured onto the ice to celebrate Nieuwendyk's addition to a club of all-time greats that now numbers 32.
"It's amazing," said Jamie Langenbrunner, a teammate of Nieuwendyk's for seven years, going back to their time with the Stars. "You're not going to see too many more guys get that many."
As is the case with the 300-win mark in baseball, this group may not gain many more members in the forseeable future because of the way the game is changing.
"You're not seeing too many guys score 500 anymore," Langenbrunner said. "If you're not scoring 50, you need to play a lot of years scoring 40 or 30."
Fifteen years, to be exact, if you're averaging 35 goals per season. Just 14 players scored 35 last season; only five scored 40. The freewheeling days of the '80s, in which Nieuwendyk had his sole two 50-goal seasons, have long since ended.
Perhaps this is why it's such a big event each time a player reaches 500.
"The list of (500-goal scorers) is relatively small in relation to the long history of the NHL," said Nieuwendyk, who accomplished it in 15-1/2 seasons and 1,077 games. The next milestone for him is 1,000 points, which he is 12 away from.
"Thirty-two players," he said. "I'm awfully proud to be in that group."
Nieuwendyk did it by intercepting an errant Glen Wesley pass at center ice and carried it into Carolina's zone. He beat Sean Hill to the net, maneuvered around goaltender Kevin Weekes, who came out to challenge him, and deposited the puck into an empty cage unassisted at 11:18.
"Probably the nicest 500th I ever saw," coach Pat Burns said. "Usually they go off somebody's (rear)."
Burns, who motioned for the Devils to leave the bench when Nieuwendyk scored (general manager Lou Lamoriello got permission from the league for them to do so), has been solidly in the veteran center's corner all season. Nieuwendyk endured a 20-game goal drought earlier this season and had five goals total before he scored his 500th, but Burns defended his contributions with reporters, trumpeting the 36-year-old's work ethic and presence in the dressing room.
As far as 500 goes, next up on the list is Jaromir Jagr, who had 493 career goals as of Jan. 20, 23 this season. If he scores seven more, he'll be the third player to reach 500 this season; Joe Sakic (502) got there Dec. 11.
