Jets honor Niederreiter, first Swiss-born player to reach 1,000 NHL games

Nino Niederreiter, this is your hockey life.

The Winnipeg Jets honored the veteran forward for his 1,000th NHL game played on Saturday before taking on the Washington Capitals at Canada Life Centre. He is the first native of Switzerland to reach the milestone.

The team pulled out all the stops for his congratulatory video, featuring not just teammates and coaches from his past and present, but plenty of family members, including both of his grandmothers, and a handful of his fellow Swiss sporting legends.

Martin Pfister, the first Swiss player in NHL history and now Switzerland's head of the Department of Defense, offered his congrats in the video as did tennis great Roger Federer, among others.

On the way in to the arena Saturday, Niederreiter's teammates donned special zip up sweaters that read "Nino 1000" across the front.

During warmups, every member of the team wore No. 1000 and his name on the back of their jersey.

The team presented him with the customary Tiffany crystal and silver stick, in addition to a commissioned painting of his NHL career.

Currently in his fourth season with the Jets, Niederreiter has played 15 NHL seasons. He was drafted by the New York Islanders in 2010 and also spent time with the Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators.