“Tough not to get emotional” – Twitter reacts as Josh Bailey reaches 1000th NHL game with Islanders
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Josh Bailey
New York Islanders forward Josh Bailey is all set to play his 1000th NHL career game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. Though he isn’t someone who looks too far ahead, his approaching milestone sure made him think twice.
During his 1000th game, his family and friends will be present to cheer him up. The alternate captain of the Islanders was selected by the team during the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and he has remained with the organization till now. In 2018 he signed a 6-year contract extension with the team which allowed him to be free from the restriction as a free agent.
After winning Wednesday’s game against the New York Rangers, Bailey commented, “It’s tough not to get emotional thinking about it”. “I had a lot of family and friends here tonight, people that mean a lot to me.”
“They’re riding the wave with me, the highs and lows, and it will be just as special for them as it will be for myself, and having them be a part of it will make it much more special too. You wouldn’t be here without a great support system and that includes everyone in this room here. It’s been a fun ride.”
Josh Bailey’s family and friends will be present for his 1000th NHL game
Bailey’s parents will be looking after him in his milestone game nearly after 14 years of him being in the NHL. He stated, “Just a kid, a teenager”. “I feel like my eyes were wide open. I was just trying to soak it all in. My mom and dad and brother were there for that one too.”
“It was something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little kid. You always remember that first game and looking across at warmups and seeing guys that you’ve watched on TV and played video games with, to be on the other side of it now is pretty cool.”
In his total 999 NHL games, Bailey recorded a total of 556 points with 117 goals and 379 assists. In 14 NHL seasons, he has played in at least 68 games each time. Bailey will be joining the Islanders Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier, and Denis Potvin who played 1,123, and 1,060 games respectively.
In recent Bailey’s playout game, the fans happily shouted a remix of Bruce Channel’s, “Hey! Baby” that goes, “Hey Josh Bailey! I want to know will you score a goal!” Coach Lane Lambert stated, “It’s incredible actually that he is approaching that”. “He means so much to the organization for so many years.”
In terms of the player that he is, he’s a cerebral player, he’s a smart player. You can trust him. You can count on him defensively and he provides offense as well. A lot of the things that he does aren’t noticed as much as maybe us coaches notice them. A very valuable guy from that standpoint.”
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