Add yet another milestone to Sergei Bobrovsky's already Hall of Fame-worthy resume.
With a 24-save effort in the Florida Panthers' 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday at Madison Square Garden, Bobrovsky became the 14th goaltender in NHL history to record 400 career wins -- and got to the mark faster than any other goaltender.
Bobrovsky's 400th win came in his 707th career game. Henrik Lundqvist held the previous mark, getting to 400 wins in 727 games.
Bobrovsky, who is in his 15th NHL season, is one of two active goaltenders with 400 career wins, with the Minnesota Wild's Marc-Andre Fleury (561 wins) the other. Jonathan Quick, at 394 wins entering play Thursday, could potentially get to the milestone this season as well. Bobrovsky is also the first Russian-born netminder to get 400 NHL wins.
The full group of 400-win goaltenders that Bobrovsky now joins: Martin Brodeur (691), Fleury (561), Patrick Roy (551), Roberto Luongo (489), Ed Belfour (484), Lundqvist (459), Curtis Joseph (454), Terry Sawchuk (445), Jacques Plante (437), Tony Esposito (423), Glenn Hall (407), Grant Fuhr (403) and Chris Osgood (401).
Ten of the 13 -- all but Fleury (who is still playing), Joseph and Osgood -- have been inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
For his career, Bobrovsky has a 400-226-56 record with 44 shutouts.
It's the latest major feat for Bobrovsky in his NHL career.
Bobrovsky has twice won the Vezina Trophy, given annually to the league's best goaltender.
Last season, he finally won his first Stanley Cup, backstopping a pair of shutouts and starting all 24 games in net for the Panthers as they marched past the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and finally the Edmonton Oilers.
Now, he has 400 career wins under his belt.
But as anyone who has been around Bobrovsky can attest, the career accolades are secondary to the task at hand, which is performing at the highest level every time he's in net as he and Panthers attempt to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
"All the achievements, you're gonna appreciate after your career," Bobrovsky said at the team's media day ahead of training camp. "When you're in it, you're trying to concentrate on the one moment at your hands. You don't think about the future and you don't think about the past. That's the important thing. Believe in this moment, and I want to enjoy this moment."
Sergei Bobrovsky's 'calculated' preparation
To understand the value of each of those wins, each of those breathtaking highlights that Bobrovsky has accumulated over his NHL career, one must understand what Bobrovsky does to be ready for those moments.
It's at times unorthodox, at times hard to understand.
But the process-oriented Bobrovsky has followed an ever-evolving routine that has put Bobrovsky in the right position both physically and mentally.
"You can only control so much [on the ice]. I don't think too much," Bobrovsky told the Miami Herald last season. "I rely on my feeling more than anything."
He has learned what works and what doesn't. He utilizes the resources available to him -- the coaching staff, evolution in technology and, perhaps most importantly, his gut feeling and his years of playing -- to get his daily routine in order.
"You can spend an awful lot of time following his prep," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "The first time I left after a morning skate and he's Olympic lifting in the hallway, and I was like 'I'm sure I told him he was starting tonight.' And then, over time, there isn't anything that he doesn't do to make himself better, to prepare. ... He's a very interesting, very bright man, and very calm. Very deliberate when he speaks. He's an interesting cat."
Added defenseman Dmitry Kulikov: "It's not just 'Oh, I'll wait and see how I feel out there.' Everything is calculated and down to every detail. He knows how to prepare. He has his routine that he does on a day-to-day basis. That professionalism and the way he takes care of himself just shows on the ice and with what he's been able to do so far in his career. That's just him working on it. It's not just his talent, but the everyday work that he puts in."
Doing it with the Panthers
Of Bobrovsky's 400 wins, 145 have come in five-plus seasons with the Panthers since signing a seven-year, $70 million deal ahead of the 2019-2020 season. His 145 wins with the Panthers are second in franchise history only to Luongo, who retired with 230 wins in 572 games played for Florida.
But it didn't always look like he would get to this point with Florida, not after the way his tenure with the Panthers began.
Bobrovsky, whose career began with two seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers before spending seven seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, posted a combined .905 save percentage while allowing nearly three goals per game through his first four regular seasons with Florida. The Panthers were bounced from the playoffs early each of the first three seasons.
He returned to form during the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2023 that saw them come up just short and never looked back.
Bobrovsky last season was a finalist for what could have been his third Vezina Trophy after finishing the regular season with a 36-17-4 record, .915 save percentage, 2.37 goals against average and six shutouts in 58 starts.
"The one thing I always look back on is maybe his beginning in Florida when people were starting to write him off, and they were starting to say that he isn't good, he's not a good goalie, he doesn't know what he's doing," said Panthers backup goaltender Spencer Knight. "Through that and witnessing him on a day-to-day basis and on a personal level and seeing how he navigated those situations and how he was able to stay true to who he is I think shows how professional he is. To me, that's really what I think is a huge lesson -- probably the biggest lesson I've learned from him -- is it's not about what something he tells me. Just seeing not how he plays, but how he operates and how he's able to kind of walk through those moments. To see him get to this point, I think it's something that I knew was always possible. I always thought he was one of the best goalies ever. To see him get to this point is really cool, but I know he's going to continue to evolve and get better from there."
To Bobrovsky, that evolution comes from how he applies all his past experiences to form who he is now. Even with a decade-and-a-half in the NHL, he is not a complete product. Nor does he ever want to be. There is always growth to strive for, lessons to learn from.
"I've been on the side of tough times, and I've been on the side of good times," Bobrovsky said, "so when both of the sides are stressed, it could be negative for you. For me, it is important to find the middle in there and stay focused and appreciate the moment. It's what's in your hand because it always could be worse. You're just thankful that you are here and thankful for what you have."
What Bobrovsky has is an illustrious career to this point and one that he doesn't envision ending any time soon.
"At the end of the day," Bobrovsky said, "I love what I'm doing, and that's the biggest thing for me. It's a blessing for me to be here today, to be here and to compete. I'm excited to compete for the dream again. It doesn't really matter what happened in the past. I only care about the moment that is in my hands right now, and that's this moment."