Veteran forward receives gift from former team after career milestone
© St. Louis Blues
Ryan O'Reilly will always be a piece of St. Louis Blues history.
The Blues presented their former captain with a custom painting commissioned by the team in honor of O’Reilly reaching the 1,000 NHL games played milestone.
The piece was given to O’Reilly before the Blues game against the Nashville Predators at Enterprise Center on Friday.
David Arrigo, a sports industry artist, painted the potrait on the back of O’Reilly’s No. 90 Blues jersey.
The painting features drawings of O’Reilly winning the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy with St. Louis in 2019.
To commemorate Ryan O’Reilly’s 1,000th NHL game, the Blues commissioned this painting by @darrigoart and presented it before the game. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/sAVmEMyUo8
O’Reilly, who is in his first season with the Predators, spent five seasons with the Blues from 2018-22.
Blues head coach Craig Berube thanked the veteran forward for his professionalism and leadership throughout the years before presenting him with the painting.
A special tribute video to O’Reilly was played on the arena video board during the game.
Who's cutting onions in here? 😭 #stlblues pic.twitter.com/j7xwhXV82f
The veteran played his 1,000th NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 31.