Ryan McDonagh's kids hold up adorable handwritten signs after reading out Bolts' starting line on his 1000th NHL game

Tampa Bay Lightning D-man Ryan McDonagh celebrated his 1,000th NHL game in a special way on Thursday. The Lightning defeated the Utah Hockey Club 8-0 with their goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, making 25 saves.

McDonagh's three kids, Falan, Murphy and Nola, held up handwritten signs during warmups. One read:

"Happy 1,000 game!"

"1,000, We [heart] you Daddy!" Another reads.

They also wore custom jackets with patches from McDonagh’s past teams—the Rangers, Predators and Lightning. The back had “1,000” with “McDonagh” written on top.

In the locker room, the kids surprised their dad by reading the starting lineup. McDonagh’s teammates honored him with stick taps during the morning skate. After the game, his father gave him the game puck. The team then took a photo together.

McDonagh has played 15 NHL seasons with the Rangers, Lightning, and Predators. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021.

Jake Guentzel scored first at 1:30 of the first period, and later Victor Hedman made it 2-0. Gage Goncalves scored for a 3-0 lead, and Nikita Kucherov made it 4-0. Guentzel added another on a power play at 17:54.

Oliver Bjorkstrand made it 6-0, and Brayden Point scored his 300th NHL goal. Bjorkstrand scored for the final 8-0 score.

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Ryan McDonagh earned his graduation degree last year

In May 2024, Ryan McDonagh earned his college degree. The two-time Stanley Cup champion finished his personal finance degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

McDonagh left college in 2010 to start his NHL career, just eight credits short of graduating. The COVID-19 pandemic allowed him to complete his studies online.

"It was exciting to have my family there," Ryan McDonagh said about his family, via NHLPA. "The support I’ve had has been amazing."

Balancing hockey and school was not easy. He studied while traveling and completed one class per semester. His wife, Kaylee, helped by taking care of their kids when he had exams.

McDonagh’s former roommate, Cody Goloubef, also joined him in finishing his degree.

“Cody has three kids as well. Chipping away at it at the same point in our lives it was great to be able to graduate with him, to get back to campus and celebrate together.” McDonagh said.

“The importance of education was instilled in me early on, to be disciplined in both hockey and school...," McDonagh said. "Hockey will come to an end at some point, so I hope this is a way to motivate my young family (towards education and Life)."

Now, Ryan McDonagh has excelled in both Hockey and his educational goals.