Ryan Suter will become 22nd player, third American-born player to reach mile vs. Blackhawks on Saturday

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- When the puck drops on Saturday night for the St. Louis Blues against the Chicago Blackhawks, defenseman Ryan Suter will join a rare group of NHL players that have survived a gauntlet of games.

In a sport as rugged as any out there, milestones are worth noting. Normally, 500 games tend to get recognized, and 1,000 games played is the most notable of them.

But for the 40-year-old Suter, Saturday will mark game No. 1,500, and he will become the 22nd player in NHL history and third American-born player to reach the mark.

He's currently tied with Mike Modano for 22nd. On Saturday, Suter will move past him, and it was until only recently that the blueliner began to understand the number he was approaching and the significance.

"It's pretty cool. You don't think about it as you're going through it," Suter said. "But then when it comes, it was before last game, it was kind of on my mind. Honestly, I had a tough time sleeping thinking, 'OK, I'm that close to close to doing it, what if something ... you get hurt.' You think all the worst thoughts. Now that that's over and get ready for tomorrow's game, I'm excited."

And understanding that he will be among a select group of 22, led by Patrick Marleau (1,779) is something in itself.

"I haven't looked, but that's what I hear," Suter said. "That's not why I'm playing, I'm playing because I enjoy playing and I enjoy being around these guys. The friendships you make throughout your career, just the compete, the battle within the game, that's why you play. But then to hit a number like that, it's kind of like a cherry on top."

As an American, Suter only trails Chris Chelios (1,651) and Matt Cullen (1,516).

"I didn't know that. That's really cool," Suter said. "Actually, my kid's living with Matt Cullen up in Morehead (Minnesota) right now playing hockey up there, living with 'Cully.' I knew he had gotten 1,500 games. That's kind of cool to hear that. And then Chris Chelios I obviously idolized him. Him and Gary are still best friends to this day. I saw them when we were out in Utah and he was in Chicago for the (Winter Classic). It's pretty special for sure."

Suter's career began with the Nashville Predators in 2005-06 when he was selected with the No. 3 pick of the 2003 NHL Draft. He spent seven seasons there before signing a lucrative 13-year, $98 million free agent contract with the Minnesota Wild and spent nine seasons there before being bought out of the final four years of that deal. The past three seasons were spent playing for the Dallas Stars before he was bought out again of the final year of that contract and now in this, his 20th season with the Blues, Suter is currently on target to play an 11th season of an 82-game regular-season schedule despite not shying away from contact.

"I give all the young guys a hard time because I tell everybody it's all mental," Suter said. "You're sick, don't be sick. You're hurt, don't be hurt. Tell yourself that you're good to go. Not one player in this league is healthy for all 82 games. You're lucky if you feel good for 40 of them. My big message to guys is it's mental. There's so many ups and downs throughout a season, the emotional roller coaster throughout a career. You're feeling at the top of the world and then you hit rock bottom. It's how you respond to those things. I think the mind is a very powerful thing."

Suter, who has 691 points (106 goals, 585 assists), including a goal and nine assists in 55 games with the Blues this season, is averaging 20:30 ice time average per game -- as a 40-year-old. When the Blues signed the veteran to a one-year, incentive-laden contract worth up to $3 million as insurance when Torey Krug was lost for the season, the ever-reliable Suter has stepped in and played anywhere from top pair minutes to third pair minutes. On Nov. 14 against the Buffalo Sabres, Suter played 33:06 when the Blues lost Pierre-Olivier Joseph to injury. That's how reliable the veteran has been.

"I don't have words for it. It's amazing. It's incredible," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said of the feat. "It's not only how long playing in the league, but the durability to do it. Injury-free, and he doesn't play a soft game. He plays a hard game, very bright, understands positioning. That's why he's been able to play so many minutes for so many years, and why he's helped our D-corps so much."

Not only is Suter a perfectionist when it comes to preparation at the training facilities and on ice work, but that preparation away from the rink is equally as important.

"I think that's a big part of it also," Suter said. "Growing up, my dad [Bob Suter] and my uncle [Gary Suter], I was always around those guys. My dad obviously played in the '80 Olympics, I played a successful college career (at Wisconsin), my uncle played in the NHL for a long time (1985-2002). The work ethic that these guys had, I got to see that every day, whether it be my uncle working out or my dad just being a blue-collar guy in Madison working at the rink doing whatever. That's how I was raised. You have to work for what you get. I've tried to carry on, on that."

What would have been quite the memory was when Suter first debuted in 2005, Gary Suter played his final season with the San Jose Sharks, playing in all 82 games, in 2001-02. There was some talk of the two perhaps playing together for the Predators. That would have been a first for the league and only reason Suter remembered his first NHL game: Oct. 5, 2005 against the Sharks coincidentally.

"I think it was against San Jose, and I think I got an assist," Suter recalled. "The only reason I remember that is because my uncle had played for San Jose and I was in Nashville. We were trying to get Gary, because it was right after the lockout, we were trying to get him to come back and play and be my partner for that year in Nashville. But obviously that didn't happen. That's what I remember, but other than that, this thing has gone by so fast, I have a hard time remembering it, a lot of it.

"I think he thought about it, but then after being off for a year, I think he was so beat up. Back in the day, those guys, they played hard and his body was pretty broken down. I'm thinking now he's glad he didn't come back because he can hardly walk now, he's so banged up now."

Suter is anything but banged up. In fact, when he spoke on Friday, he had just finished a session in the cold tub following a brisk practice. A perfect example of his commitment to the game.

"It's incredible, it's outstanding," Blues forward and teammate Jake Neighbours said. "To be a part of the latter half and not even 60 games or whatever, it's a testament to the type of pro that he is. The work he puts in daily, the attitude he brings to the rink every day, he's 40 years old, he's still one of the most positive, upbeat guys in the rink every day. It's really impressive to see it on the latter half of his career. Obviously I grew up watching him. I was five years old watching him in the league. It's pretty cool to be able to be a part of something like this with him. He'll be the first to not hype it up much. But being a bystander of it, being a teammate is pretty incredible."

Blues captain Brayden Schenn added, "It's incredible. He's such a pro. He's a guy that comes in every day, is positive and knows exactly what he needs. He's a guy that 40 years old, (still) can play 25 minutes a night. He's a guy that doesn't get tired out there and plays the game the right way every single night. We've really enjoyed him in our room this year.

"The presence and respect that he has in our locker room from every single guy. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. He's always been hard to play against. He's a guy that still has lots left in the tank even at 40."

That tank was tested twice, though, as Suter also has the distinction of being the only player in NHL history to have his contract bought out twice. This is where the mental fortitude was tested.

"When you're young, you have no fear. A coach yelled at me, whatever, or I turned it over, whatever. I scored a goal, whatever," Suter said. "And then the middle of your career, you're a free agent, you can pick and choose. You kind of have some control over your career.

"For me, I haven't really thought about this, but I would say the buyout in Minnesota. Knowing that I had a really good year that year before and I knew I had a ton left in me. I knew I could still play. That's kind of rock bottom. You're feeling like, 'OK, what happened there?' And then a couple hours later, you flip the switch and you move on and you have 15 teams calling you to try and sign you as a free agent. That was probably rock bottom and you start using your mind. You're like, 'OK, that's fine. I know I can still play.' You've got to tell yourself that and then you go and prove it. And then for it to happen again, with Dallas it was like, 'I know I can still play.' I just got done with that whole thing. They told me I was really good and I know I'm still there. You've kind of got to get your mind around it again. And then to have this year and to have it go the way that it's gone, I think I proved that I can still play and I feel great out there.

"You don't get to this point without a lot of really good teammates that help you get through those times, phone calls from guys and guys pushing you in practice. Just all the little stuff that you really don't ... at the time you're like, 'Oh, thanks for calling.' But you really don't think that much into it. After you get through it and you're kind of out of it, you're like, 'That guy had my back or this guy had my back.' That's kind of the other side of it for sure."

Suter has four kids: son Brooks (14), daughters Avery (11) and Parker (nine) and son Beau (six).Beau was in Suter's arms when his 1,000th game was celebrated by the Wild in 2018 and Upper Deck made a trading card out of it.

"I have a really cool card of me and I didn't know they did it," Suter said. "Some fan had sent it for an autograph. I called Upper Deck and was like, 'Hey, are you going to pay my kid here?' I never heard back from them. I've got to find (the cards). I kept that one."

Suter's kids will not be on hand Saturday but will when the Blues honor the milestone following the 4 Nations Face-Off. His wife, Becky, will be on hand Saturday, perhaps to see her husband show he's still got enough to play again next season.

"If I can talk my wife into it," Suter said laughing. "Honestly, we've talked about it and she was like, 'Absolutely not.' And now she's seeing how much fun I'm having. The only way I would want to play is if they would move down because it's too hard to live away from your family."

Suter's family is living in Minnesota while he's playing in St. Louis. That's the hard part. But the great part about the longevity of playing is now his kids can see their dad play and understand the significance.

"I'll be helping my daughter with homework and Face-timing her," Suter said. "I'll be like, 'So you think I can play another year?' And she's like, 'Yeah dad, we want you (to).' And then all the kids will hear it and they'll come tell you.

"My oldest daughter sent me a picture of the 1,000th game. They're all on the ice and I was holding my son Beau. So he was like one. So now it'll be fun to have everybody be a part of that."

Suter said his time in St. Louis has been so enjoyable, it's why he's had thoughts of a 21st season. It could very well be here again.

"It's been great. These guys have opened up to me. We've had some good conversations," Suter said. "There's a great mixture of younger guys, older guys. It's honestly been a lot of fun. I've really enjoyed it.

"We're inconsistent on the ice. It's frustrating for all of us, but I think this team has a lot of potential and I think we're right there. We've been in some really good games, just haven't found a way to close them out. I think that's part of growing. Hopefully we can get to that here soon and put something together for the rest of the year."