Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Finally Getting the Credit He Deserves

“One of the smartest hockey players I ever played with. A coach’s dream," said former Edmonton Oiler Ryan Whitney. 

"He just sets the culture for the way that he handles himself, the way he acts and always there to help guys out... There's not enough special words to say about him," noted Mattias Ekholm. 

Mike Babcock added, "You should have heard his teammates talk about him. Whether it be Eberle, whether it be Nurse, whether it be the guys that have been here with him when they talk about him today. You know, it was emotional to actually hear him.... His teammates raved about him today, that had to be pretty special for him to hear that, and then to listen to his wife talk, that was pretty special too. So we had a nice morning with that."

These are just a few of the things being said about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who will play in his 1038th game as an Edmonton Oiler on Tuesday night, breaking Kevin Lowe's franchise record. 

It's an amazing achievement, given that the NHL is full of players who leave their teams and the Oilers have been an up-and-down franchise since Nugent-Hopkins entered the league. 

There could have been several occasions where the Oilers might have chosen to move on. Players came and went, as did coaches and GMs. The one constant was Nugent-Hopkins, because every single executive, bench boss, and player knew exactly what he was: the steadiest, most coachable Swiss Army knife on the roster. He's the guy you call up in any and every situation. 

He was, and remains, low maintenance but highly productive. His ceiling was a 104-point campaign in 2022-23, which he's unlikely to ever repeat. That said, he brings so much more than just points. He kills penalties, he's central on the power play, and he's incredible at 5-on-5. He does it all on a reasonable contract, and he never complains. In many ways, he's the franchise's unrecognized true leader. 

He's the type of player every team would love to have and the player you don't give away. 

Nugent-Hopkins was asked about the celebrations this morning as the team acknowledged his incredible milestone:

"Definitely meant a lot to me. Feel the love and to have experienced a lot of these games with a few of the guys in here. It's pretty special and yeah, it's just a huge big honor for me, and very lucky, fortunate to have been able to hit this milestone with this team."

"And it really is a testament to a lot of these guys in this room, and not just the players, but the staff, the trainers that have been here for my entire career. So, yeah, I mean, this group means a ton to me. So, having a video that they shared with me was definitely special."

Nugent-Hopkins has spent years being underappreciated. He'll likely go back to being underappreciated when Tuesday night passes. But for one day- that ends with a game in New Jersey- he'll be the focus of attention for the Oilers. 

It's well deserved. 

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