Predators' Ryan O'Reilly shares hilarious message for brother Cal at 1,000th AHL game
Cal O'Reilly, the older brother of Nashville Predators forward Ryan O'Reilly, is playing in game No. 1,000 in his American Hockey League career on Thursday.
Before the game against the Chicago Wolves, Cal's brother Ryan showed his support by holding up a humorous message on a whiteboard during warmups.
"Congrats on having less teeth than me," O'Reilly's sign read.
Several members of the O'Reilly family were present for the occasion, which took place at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
Cal O'Reilly, 38, becomes the ninth player in AHL history to skate in 1,000 games. He was a fifth-round pick by the Predators in 2005 and made his NHL debut on Feb. 28, 2009. He played 85 more games with Nashville over the next four seasons before being traded to Arizona in 2012.
In 145 NHL games, Cal O'Reilly scored 16 goals and 33 assists, his most recent appearance coming with the Minnesota Wild in 2018. In the AHL, he has 172 goals and 592 assists over his 18-year career.
Cal's younger brother Ryan, who signed a four-year deal with the Predators in 2023, has played in 1,124 NHL games, scoring 296 goals and 509 assists. He won a Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019 and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player in the playoffs.
The Predators return to the ice after a 10-day break on Saturday, taking on the Colorado Avalanche at Bridgestone Arena (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network).
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Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ryan O'Reilly: Cal O'Reilly 1,000th AHL game includes hilarious sign
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