February 3, 2000:
The Final Milestone
…Or Maybe Not…

You may have missed this last "mile marker"…there was more important business to attend to for fans of Carbonneau and the Stars. On Thursday, February 3, Dallas shut out Phoenix 2-0 and staked their claim on the number one spot in the Pacific Division, just in time for the All Star Break. Guy was busy himself, winning 17 of 28 faceoffs, killing off a long 5-on-3, administering four hits, and generally doing what he does best to preserve the two-goal lead through 45 minutes of play.

It was his 1300th NHL game.

In this last stretch leading up to 1300, Carbo seemed more bent than ever on proving he needs to be on the ice in every Stars game he can. In Game 1297 he would have scored on St. Louis if not for a wobbling puck scooting off his stick. In Games 1298 against Edmonton and 1299 against Atlanta he had the game winners and was second and third star respectively.

What is the deal with this man?

When Guy signed his contract this past summer, the discussion was that he might play around 50 games this season. Well, that would have put him at 1299 at season end, so I can’t help but wonder how serious he was about that idea. 50 games? Carbonneau? The man who once played 165 consecutive games? Chah, right. He hasn’t even been scratched when injured except once this year. My money is on 79, I’m prorating him for one more scratch. If he needs to rest, he can do that during the All Star Break.

Guy is 7th in games played on the list of active players, and 30th in NHL history. And seeing as though he’s having his best season in years, he’s got a few good games left in him yet.

And I feel I should mention, if he plays out his contract for next year, getting to 1400 should be a piece of cake. He could be scratched 11 times and still make it.

Tempting, isn’t it, Guy?

________________________

Post-Season Postscript: Carbonneau's Final Stats for 1999-00:

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	PPG	PPA	SHG	SHA	GW	GT	SOG	PCT
69	10	6	16	10	36	0	0	1	0	4	0	70	14.3

Photo by Brad Amodeo