Connor Ingram shares a personal moment with Nugent-Hopkins on milestone night

But it's not just Nuge, the fans, and the organization who will really remember last night. Some Oilers teammates, even new ones like Connor Ingram, have looked up to Nugent-Hopkins for a long time.

Connor Ingram's only been with the Oilers for 9 games, but his Edmonton connection goes much further back. Speaking to the media after the game, Ingram revealed that he told Nuge he'll remember this night forever.

Ingram is 28 years old, and was still a 14 year old kid in Imperial, Saskatchewan when Nugent-Hopkins made his NHL debut. Like many other Saskatchewan kids, Ingram was a hockey nut and has previously revealed he travelled to Edmonton to watch Oilers games. He grew up as a fan of Nuge, and now gets to be in net for his 1000th game.

Matt Savoie is another current Oiler who's been on record for a long time as a Nuge fan. Savoie is an Edmonton native, and named Nugent-Hopkins as his «hockey hero» when he was still on the Sabres.

Stuart Skinner was another Edmonton kid who eventually made the Oilers, and always made sure to shout out how much he appreciated Nugent-Hopkins when he was a fan.

Zach Hyman, who's now been in Edmonton for 5 years, summed it up the best: Nugent-Hopkins will go down as one of the most beloved Oilers of all time.

Few players are able to reach the 1000 game threshold by playing their entire career for one team. Nugent-Hopkins' reliability, selflessness, and leadership have carried him here, and will keep him on the roster until he decides to retire.

Oilers fans are so fortunate to have him, and it was great to have the chance to celebrate his career last night.

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