"Congrats dad": Flames' Pelletier gives shoutout to Huberdeau for 800-game milestone
Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau hit a big milestone in last night’s win over the New Jersey Devils, as it marked the 800th game of his NHL career.
Huberdeau is now the third player on the Flames roster to hit the 800-game mark, joining Mikael Backlund (959), and Nazem Kadri (872). The 30-year-old, who was acquired during the 2022 offseason from the Florida Panthers, has spent 129 of those games in a Flames uniform.
Near the end of last season, Huberdeau seemed to take the now 22-year-old Jakob Pelletier under his wing. At the time, Pelletier had just been called up from the AHL, and he quickly formed a tight-knit friendship with the veteran Flames winger. After last night’s game had wrapped up, Pelletier hopped on Instagram to congratulate Huberdeau on the big achievement.
“Congrats dad ā„,” Pelletier captioned a photo shared to his Instagram story.
Jakob Pelletier: proud son. pic.twitter.com/BR5d1q50Fi
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) February 9, 2024
A big part of their connection comes from their French-speaking background, as they were both born in Quebec. They are two of just three current Flames players from Quebec, with the other being A.J. Greer.
Unfortunately, Flames fans haven’t been able to witness as many on-ice bonding moments between Huberdeau and Pelletier this season, as the latter sustained a shoulder injury in preseason play and only recently returned to action. Head coach Ryan Huska has eased him into action through his first two games this season but may provide the opportunity to prove himself in the top six — perhaps even on a line with Huberdeau — in the coming weeks.
Though the 2023-24 season has been a rough one for Huberdeau, he has shown signs of life as of late. After going on a major skid in December, he has since rebounded with 13 points through his last 14 games. His improved play has helped the Flames, who currently sit just one point out of a wild-card spot. They’ll look to fight their way back into a postseason position tomorrow in an early game versus the New York Islanders. Puck drop is set for 11:00 am MT.