Lightning honor Vasilevskiy for 500th NHL game

Andrei Vasilevskiy keeps making headlines.

Just one month after earning his 300th NHL win, the Tampa Bay Lightning goalie reached yet another milestone, playing in his 500th NHL game. On Tuesday at Amalie Arena, the team honored the veteran netminder with a pregame ceremony before their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

He reached the milestone on Thursday against the Calgary Flames.

During warmups, his teammates wore special jerseys with his nickname “Big Cat” on the name plate and the number 500 underneath.

For the ceremony, the team showed a highlight reel of his career on the big screen before Vasilevskiy skated out onto to ice with a loud ovation from the crowd. He was joined by his wife, Kseniya, and son, Lukas, for the presentation of various gifts commemorating the milestone.

Nikita Kucherov started things off by presenting a bouquet of flowers to Kseniya and a special framed painting to Vasilevskiy.

Curtis McElhinney followed with a crystal puck on behalf of the NHL. McElhinney was backup goalie to Vasilevskiy during the Lightning’s back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2020 and 2021.

Captain Victor Hedman presented Vasilevskiy with the keys to a custom golf cart on behalf of his teammates before his goaltending coach Frantz Jean presented him with an engraved silver stick. Jean has been Vasilevskiy's goaltending coach for all 500 NHL games.

Lightning mascot, Thunderbug, wrapped up the presentation by giving Lukas a mini silver stick.