Hockey
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sets Oilers games-played record: 1,038 games in the same jersey
On Tuesday night at the Prudential Center, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins entered Edmonton Oilers history. Playing his 1,038th regular-season game in orange and blue, in a 4-3 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils, the 33-year-old forward passed Kevin Lowe (1,037 games) to become the most loyal player in franchise history. A longevity record that had stood for 28 years.
A record that stood for 28 years
Kevin Lowe played 1,037 games for Edmonton over 15 seasons, winning six Stanley Cups with the dynasty of the 1980s. He and Nugent-Hopkins are the only two players in Oilers history to reach 1,000 games in the same jersey. To mark the occasion, Nugent-Hopkins scored a goal and added an assist in the record game, while his teammates wore shirts reading "1,038 games, Most Games Played as an Edmonton Oiler". Fittingly, he had also scored on his NHL debut and in his 1,000th game, in January 2026.
Sixteen seasons in the same jersey
Drafted first overall in 2011, Nugent-Hopkins has never worn another NHL jersey: he is in his 16th season in Edmonton, where he has been an alternate captain for 13 years. At the time of the record he had 295 goals and 518 assists, for 813 points in 1,038 games — sixth in Oilers history in assists, seventh in points and eighth in goals. His best season remains 2022-23: 37 goals and 104 points in 82 games. This season he has started fast, with 11 points in nine games.
Loyalty, a rare commodity
In an era when players change teams like never before, Nugent-Hopkins stands out as an exception. The very same week, his former teammate Evander Kane, left without an NHL contract, chose to continue his career in the KHL in Russia. Kevin Lowe congratulated his successor in a video message, saying he had been proud of a record that stood for 28 years. "I can feel the love of my teammates," Nugent-Hopkins said after the game, according to NHL.com.
A record that will keep growing
The count will not stop there: by the weekend, Nugent-Hopkins had already raised his total to 1,040 games and 815 points. Signed through the end of the 2028-29 season, he should stretch his lead over Lowe further in the years ahead. At the time of the record, the Oilers sat first in the Pacific Division at 11-2-3. For Edmonton, which honoured its player at home against Anaheim last Thursday, the record is also the symbol of rare stability: a first-overall draft pick who, fifteen years later, has become the face of the franchise.