Brenden Dillon KO'd in his 1,000th NHL game

New Jersey Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon had to be helped off the ice tonight after receiving a cheap shot, sucker punch from Columbus Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov.

Check it out:

Fortunately, Dillon would return to the game later in the period but teammate Stefan Noesen wasn't going to let Voronkov get away with things unscathed. Noesen dropped the gloves with Voronkov and refused to let up until he got a pound of flesh.

Check it out:

That's old time hockey. You can tell how much the Devils love Dillon.

Read below for our earlier report on Dillon's 1,000th NHL game this evening, published before puck drop this evening.

Veteran defenseman Brenden Dillon will play in his 1,000th NHL game tonight, exceeding his childhood goal of playing at least 1 game in the world's best hockey league.

Devils reporter Amanda Stein presented Dillon with a photo of him and his father on the ice when Brenden was just a young boy and it triggered some strong emotions from the 34 year old blueliner.

Stein: "What would you say to this little guy about where you are today?"
Dillon: "Yeah, I just..."
Stein: "Sorry, I didn't mean to..."
Dillon: "Yeah, it's alright... I just wanted to get one."
Stein: "You just wanted to play one game?"
Dillon: "Yeah, just..."
Stein: "I'm so sorry!"
Dillon: "No, it's happy tears. I'm just happy and excited. So thankful to play in the best league in the world. From every coach I've had, to player, to teammate. It's been awesome."

How great is that?

At 15 years old Dillon was just 5'2" and went undrafted in the WHL. He played a year of Junior A hockey and was signed by the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds a year later. After four seasons with Seattle he went undrafted in the NHL and was signed by the Dallas Stars. He worked his way up from the AHL and has now played 999 career games for the Stars, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets and the Devils.

How can you not love that?

From an undersized, undrafted defenseman to 1,000 career games in the NHL. You can't blame the guy for getting a bit emotional. That little boy in the photo would be so proud of your accomplishments, Brenden. Take a bow this evening.