Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner is about to make his own little bit of history tonight when he plays in his 500th consecutive game.

Why is this so special?

Since 1944, only two other defensemen have ever reached such a feat: Jay Bouwmeester and Keith Yandle. Alzner also joins just 24 other players in NHL history to play in 500 straight games.

Karl Alzner is one of the most underrated defensemen in the league. He's a very quiet, yet effective player who logs a ton of minutes. He is reminiscent of former Capitals great and HOF'er Rod Langway, who won two Norris Trophies with Washington - when winning best defenseman didn't necessarily mean you scored the most points from the backend.

It's a rare treat for any club to host such an important milestone, and Washington is still seeing stars from Ovechkin's 1,000th point and Nicklas Backstrom's 500th career assist; not to mention the lights out play of Braden Holtby as of late.

Since the streak began on October 8, 2010, Alzner has blocked 953 shots, good for 6th in the league since that date. He has the 5th longest active consecutive streak, trailing Andrew Cogliano (748), Keith Yandle (594), Patrick Marleau (584) and Phil Kessel (569).

“My goal always has been to get to 1,000 games,” said Alzner today at Kettler Ice Plex. “So, the sooner I can do it, the better.”

Congrats on a amazing milestone Alzner.

More to come...

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