As he prepares for the 202526 NHL season one that will mark a major personal milestone Adam Henrique took time to reflect on the path that led him to his 1,000th NHL game.
If all goes as planned, Henrique, who is entering his 16th NHL season, will reach the milestone mark when his Edmonton Oilers face off against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 21.
“I’ve thought about it a little bit,” said the 35-year-old forward, who signed a two-year contract as an unrestricted free agent with the Oilers on July 1, 2024. “When you’re approaching that number, it’s hard not to. I knew I couldn’t get there last year, so I wasn’t really thinking about it then. Now, near the end of summer, before the season starts, you try not to dwell on it because you want to focus and prepare for the new season. But since it’ll likely happen early on, it’ll be nice to enjoy it the ceremony and everything that comes with it.”
The impending milestone also brought Henrique back to his early hockey memories growing up in Burford, a small town in southwestern Ontario, located about eight kilometres west of Brantford, the hometown of Wayne Gretzky.
“It’s funny when you look back,” said Henrique. “So many things come to mind. You remember coming into the league as a rookie and all the veteran guys who tell you that it all goes so fast. Maybe you shrug that off at that time, but you blink and here you are.
“You think about the ups and downs, the good times and bad, and it how that all shaped you to be in a position to reach a milestone like this.”
Reaching the four-digit games played plateau at the NHL level was never even a passing thought early on for the player selected by the New Jersey Devils in the third round of the 2008 NHL Draft.
There were more pressing goals to chase early on for the player who won consecutive Memorial Cups with the Windsor Spitfires in 2009 and 2010, where he played alongside future fellow NHL forward Taylor Hall.
“When you come into the league, you aren’t thinking, ‘I want to get to 1,000 games.’ You want to establish yourself first. When the years tick on, the goals change and there is a time when you do start to think about the idea of playing 1,000 games.”
It hasn’t been a straight line in the milestone chase.
Henrique, who became a 30-goal scorer for the first time in 2015-16, has dealt with moments typical of any athlete injuries, unexpected trades and tough playoff losses.
None of it has impacted his love for the game.
“Patrik Elias, my teammate in New Jersey, he played 1,000 games with one franchise and I remember that was an amazing feat and pretty rare.
“When you start out, you probably tend to think you will be with the team your whole career, but things change, for many reasons. It can take you in a lot of different directions.”
Which is why Henrique has always opted for an optimistic view of his career.
While plenty has changed throughout the course of his NHL life, his approach to each new season has never wavered.
“Every single year, you always want to have a good training camp and make a good first impression no matter how long you have been in the league. Whether it’s making the team for the first time or you are 10 years into your career, you want to have that strong training camp and leave that in the coaches’ minds.”
The centreman is also committed to being a role model for younger teammates.
“The time in Anaheim we were a really young team that’s when it clicked in, where you want to lead by example and help these young guys the way others helped you.
“I’m not the most vocal guy in the dressing room, but there are certainly times for that. When you have the respect of your peers and teammates, when you do speak it does go a long way.”
Those qualities have carried over to Henrique’s longstanding commitment to giving back to the community and others.
The Henrique Montour Foundation is a perfect example of his charitable endeavours.
Established in 2021 by Henrique and his friend and fellow NHL player Brandon Montour, the foundation’s mandate is to help young athletes in the southwestern Ontario communities the two players call home.
The foundation’s annual golf tournament, held in Caledonia, Ontario, recently celebrated its fifth anniversary and has raised more than half a million dollars over the years.
“I was drafted to Windsor, and I was lucky enough to play in the Walter Gretzky golf tournament they had in Brantford for a number of years,” recalled Henrique. “I thought it was so cool to be a part of that.
“I never really thought about having my own foundation and tournament, but as you go on and establish yourself in the league and Brandon and I playing together in Anaheim and growing up in the same area you do think about it. Being able to team up makes it even more special. It has gone way above where I ever thought it would go.”
Henrique is grateful for the long-term support he has received, on and off the ice.
“To be able to give back to a community that gave so much when I was young it means a lot to me. The same people come back every year, so it really is like a family event for us. It is always a big celebration.”
Soon enough, Henrique will have another big reason to celebrate.
“It is something that takes you back even before the NHL, preparing to get here and everything it took for that [1,000 game milestone] to happen. You think about minor hockey stuff and how it all began. I have been lucky enough to have had a lot of great coaches, teammates and people who have helped me along the way I’m beyond grateful to all of them.”
