Defenseman Brent Seabrook will skate in his 1,000th career NHL game Thursday, when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Winnipeg Jets at United Center.
Seabrook has called Chicago home for his entire career so far. He was drafted with the 14th overall pick in 2003, and has played a major role in the Hawks’ rise from basement dwellers to winning the Stanley Cup three times from 2010-2015. With the 32-year-old set to reach the 1,000-game milestone, we look back at the top five moments of his career.
5. “Wakey wakey, Backes” hit
During Game 2 of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs opening round, Seabrook leveled St. Louis’ David Backes with a hit. After the collision, there was some pushing and shoving by both sides. As the teams are separated, a Blackhawks player shouts “wakey wakey, Backes” and then repeats “wakey wakey.” Seabrook was ejected the game and suspended three games. St. Louis won Game 2, but Chicago stormed back with four straight wins to claim the series.
4. #FruitandCrap
The 2015 opening-round playoff series against Nashville was a wild one. It started off a double overtime road win for Chicago before the team’s split the next two. With a 2-1 series lead, Game 4 went the distance — almost twice. After two exhausting overtime sessions, Seabrook ended the game 1 minute into the third overtime at 1:18 a.m. This moment, however, is more known for what Seabrook said after scoring his goal. NBC Sports’ Joe Micheletti asked Seabrook about the fatigue factor, and the defenseman gave an answer for the ages. Skip ahead to 2:35 in the video for his response.
3. Game 4 OT winner in 2013 Stanley Cup Final
Seabrook is known for his overtime playoff goals, and it doesn’t get much better than scoring one in the Stanley Cup Final. The defenseman did just that in Game 4 in 2013 at Boston. After Boston sent the game to overtime, Seabrook prevented the Bruins from taking a 3-1 series lead with a blast from the point for a 6-5 Hawks’ victory.
2. Pep talk to Toews
The final two come in the same series – the 2013 Western Conference semifinal against Detroit. In Game 4, captain Jonathan Toews had taken three consecutive penalties and received some words of encouragement from Seabrook. Detroit ended up winning the game 2-0 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, but Seabrook’s talk set the course for the rest of the series.
1. Game 7 OT winner vs. Detroit in 2013
There’s no doubt this is the moment Seabrook is most known for in his career.
He scored only 3 minutes into overtime to give Chicago a 2-1 victory in Game 7 to advance to the Western Conference Final after the team trailed the series 3-1. It was his first overtime game-winning goal in the playoffs and first goal of the 2013 playoffs.