St. Louis Blues veteran defenseman Ryan Suter's career spans nearly 20 full years, and he appeared in his 1,500th game on Saturday night against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks at Enterprise Center.

To celebrate the career achievement, the Blues celebrated Suter with a special acknowledgement of him becoming just the seventh defenseman in NHL history to reach 1,500 career games played.

Following practice yesterday, Suter spoke about his excitement in achieving the milestone, via X.

“It's pretty cool, you don't think about it as you're going through it, but when it comes, before last game it was in my mind. Honestly, I had a tough time sleeping just thinking ‘Okay, I'm this close to doing it, what if I get hurt?' You think all the worst thoughts. But now that's over, and I can get ready for tomorrow's game; I'm excited.”

During his NHL career, Suter has scored 106 goals with 585 assists while adding another seven goals and 37 assists in 133 career playoff games.

Blues defenseman Ryan Suter's career spans nearly two decades 

Dallas Stars defenseman Ryan Suter (20) takes a shot on goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at American Airlines Center
Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Originally taken with the seventh overall selection in the loaded 2003 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators, Suter spent the first several years of his career playing in Nashville and was often paired with Shea Weber on the Predators' blue line.

Entering free-agency as one of the highest-profile defenseman to hit the open market, he stunned fans everywhere by inking a 13-year contract with the Minnesota Wild with good friend Zach Parise, who also signed an identical deal to join him in the Twin Cities.

Both players continued their careers with the Wild but were unable to ever help them advance past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Eventually, both players were bought out of the remainder of their contracts following the 2020-21 NHL season.

he then signed a four-year deal with the Dallas Stars, where he played for three years before having the final year of the contract bought out; Suter became just the second player in NHL history to be bought out twice.

He then joined the Blues this past offseason on a one-year, $3 million contract that included several incentives.