New Zealand Aviation NEWS: As Red Wing Todd Bertuzzi reaches 1,000 games, his career is in revival

There was a time not long ago that Todd Bertuzzi didn't think he'd get to where he is today. His career was in disarray. His body was battered. Then he landed in Detroit and found out how much fun hockey still is. That has led him to this afternoon, when he's poised to play in his 1,000th career game when the Red Wings face the Wild in St. Paul, Minn.

Recognizing the significance, the Wings invited his wife, Julie, their daughter, Jaden, and son, Tag, along for the trip.

"I think that's pretty special, having them there," Bertuzzi said. "I'm pretty fortunate to be playing that many games. I've played on some good teams and with some good players, but I'm pretty proud and excited to be playing in a Detroit uniform."

Bertuzzi has found his old scoring touch, too, with six goals over the past four games to help the Wings get on a roll.

Bertuzzi has become especially close to Chris Osgood: Call him a goal scorer with dreams of being a goaltender.

"When I'm done playing, he wants my equipment," Osgood said. "He looks like a goalie when he's in the net. That's the scary part. He looks like he knows what he's doing."

Bertuzzi was a bona fide star a decade ago. Now as his career reaches 1,000 games, he has found renewed vigor as a Red Wing.

Timing was right for second stint with Red Wings

Bertuzzi once returned home from a Red Wings trip to find his bags littered with Osgood cards. There were seven stuffed into one suit.

That's the risk Bertuzzi lives with after admitting his innermost desire.

"I'm an in-the-closet goaltender at heart," Bertuzzi said. "That's why Ozzie does things like that, hides his cards everywhere. He's a beautiful, beautiful man."

So far, Bertuzzi has been limited to living his dream during summer beer leagues and when going on the ice with his son, Tag. Bertuzzi's main role has been as a forward, a gig that has taken him around the NHL and twice to Detroit. A myriad of health problems, including back surgery, derailed his career last decade, but he hasn't missed a game since rejoining the Wings in the summer of 2009.

This afternoon, he'll become the 263rd NHL player to reach 1,000 games. Bertuzzi, 36, has 287 goals among 704 points during his NHL career, which began when the New York Islanders made him the 23rd overall pick in the 1993 draft.

"I remember I watched him in his draft year," Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "He played for Guelph. That was the early '90s. It's taken 17 years to get to 1,000 games. A thousand games in the National Hockey League is a significant milestone."

Players tend to downplay individual accomplishments if things aren't going well for the team, but things are going well for the Wings, in no small part because of Bertuzzi. He has three two-goal games the past 10 days, spurring the Wings on a four-game winning streak and earning praise from his demanding coach.

"I think if Bert is skating and being physical and hanging on to the puck, he really helps us," Mike Babcock said. "He's an important player on our team. He's big. He can hang on to the puck. He skates good. That's what it's all about."

Bertuzzi's page in history looked unlikely to be written half a dozen years ago, when he was dealing with a bad back, an aching neck and a concussion. He went from the NHL's premier power forward to nearly fading from hockey.

"Thirty to 34 kind of sucked, but I was lucky to get a second shot at coming back to Detroit and playing some fun hockey and being around some quality, quality guys," Bertuzzi said. "That makes coming to the rink very enjoyable. I'm looking forward to going into Minny (Minnesota) and playing that game."

NEHA JAIN

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