Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, St. Louis Blues assistant captain Keith Tkachuk tied the game at 2-2 with a goal late in the second period. It was the 1,000th point of his career.
Tkachuk, who was a first-round draft pick (19th overall) of the Winnipeg Jets in 1990, scored 196 goals and dished out 179 assists in 389 games over nearly five seasons in Winnipeg.
He also played in four Olympic Games for the United States.
It has been a Hall of Fame career, and when he hangs ‘em up, he’ll become the second legitimate Jet, joining Dale Hawerchuk, among the game’s honoured members.
A father of two and a guy who has matured — and truly become a leader — since his days in Winnipeg, Tkachuk deserves a lot of credit for a career that has been consistently good.
And the fact that he has 11 goals in 22 games this season is proof that at 36, he’s as good now as he’s ever been.