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Veteran NHL defenseman Cam Fowler’s departure from the Anaheim Ducks came as a bit of a surprise, but it set up a pretty cool NHL first.

Fowler spent his entire career with the Ducks until he was traded to the St. Louis Blues for a second-round draft pick in 2027 and prospect Jeremie Biakabutuka.

While I’m sure if he was going to be dealt away from the only team he had ever played for, Fowler would want to have been shipped to a Stanley Cup contender —which the Blues are not (although they weren’t this time of year during the 2018-19 season and they won the Cup), but it sets up a unique set of circumstances.

Fowler will play his 1,000th NHL game on Tuesday at the Winter Classic at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and in doing so, he’ll become the first player to hit that major career milestone during the league’s premiere outdoor game.

“It’s going to be crazy,” Fowler said on Monday’s after The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I think the whole day is going to be pretty surreal, so I’ll try to soak it in the best I can. Obviously, thrilled to have my family and friends here to experience it all with me. The game itself is going to be an incredible experience, and then you mix in the personal accomplishment to tie it all in together, it’s going to be a special day.”

St. Louis Blues defenseman Cam Fowler will play his 1,000th NHL game on Tuesday in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)

Of those 1,000 NHL games, this will be Fowler’s second outdoor game as he played in the first-ever Stadium Series game which pitted the Ducks against the Los Angeles Kings back in 2014.

Just over 400 players have hit the 1,000-game plateau in NHL history, so congratulations to Fowler on achieving that mark and doing it in style at Wrigley Field.