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<\/a><\/p>\n\n Mika Zibanejad made his NHL debut in Detroit on Oct. 7, 2011, with Ottawa. (Gregory Shamus \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Games played: 1<\/p>\n
Oct. 7, 2011<\/p>\n
Zibanejad arrived at Senators rookie camp in September 2011, his 18-year-old face young and his hair not yet grown into the shoulder-length style he sports today. Quickly, Ottawa coach Paul MacLean sensed confidence under his quiet demeanor. He pulled him aside and gave him a challenge: Be a leader among the rookies.<\/p>\n
The center proceeded to have \u201cone of the best rookie camps we\u2019d had (since) before I got there,\u201d MacLean says now. At full-team training camp, he earned a spot on the Senators\u2019 opening night roster. His first game came at a historic venue \u2014 Detroit\u2019s Joe Louis Arena \u2014 against a Red Wings roster full of Swedish players Zibanejad admired. Late in the third period, Zibanejad managed to keep a puck away from Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstr\u00f6m and cycled it in the offensive zone, leading to his first NHL point: a secondary assist on defenseman Filip Kuba\u2019s goal. The entire experience, he says, felt surreal.<\/p>\n
After nine NHL games, the Senators reassigned Zibanejad to Djurg\u00e5rdens, his hometown club in Sweden, for further development. But his NHL cameo gave him a taste of the high level of play and a hockey-loving market that would soon feel like home.<\/p>\n
Games played: 11<\/p>\n
Jan. 30, 2013<\/p>\n
MacLean\u2019s words echoed in Zibanejad\u2019s head as he took the ice with the Senators\u2019 second power-play unit against the Montreal Canadiens. \u201cShoot, shoot, shoot,\u201d the coach had told him on the bench. So, in his second NHL game of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Zibanejad wound up for a slap shot from above the left faceoff circle. Time on the power play was expiring, and Zibanejad was far from the net. Canadiens goalie Peter Budaj looked straight at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cA bad shot to take, really,\u201d Zibanejad says.<\/p>\n
But he followed his coach\u2019s orders. The shot hit Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin, bounced off the ice and ricocheted over Budaj\u2019s right shoulder, giving Zibanejad his first NHL goal. A bit lucky? Sure. But a memorable moment in his early Senators years.<\/p>\n
Zibanejad says he learned \u201ca lesson every day\u201d spending time around the Ottawa veterans. Captain Daniel Alfredsson, a fellow Swede, helped him with his one-timer technique, and Jason Spezza was a good example at center. Longtime winger Chris Neil provided Zibanejad with guidance in the gym, then played him in fiery ping-pong matches after workouts. They\u2019d play best-of-three sets, Neil remembers, and the winner got to whack a ping-pong ball at the loser\u2019s back.<\/p>\n
Zibanejad also grew close with Erik Karlsson, only three years his senior. Weeks into Zibanejad\u2019s NHL career, the ascending defenseman joined in a joint Halloween costume with Zibanejad and fellow Swedish rookie David Rundblad. The three Swedes donned wigs, painted their faces and went as members of the rock band Kiss. Karlsson still looks at the picture sometimes and laughs.<\/p>\n
\n Mika Zibanejad grew close with fellow Swede Erik Karlsson when they played together on the Senators. (Christopher Hanewinckel \/ USA Today)<\/p>\n Games played: 108<\/p>\n March 16, 2014<\/p>\n Zibanejad didn\u2019t crack a smile after scoring on Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov. There were only six seconds left in the third period, and Ottawa was still down 3-1. His one-time blast from the blue line was impressive, but the game was already lost.<\/p>\n Still, the goal stands out in Zibanejad\u2019s mind. Four days earlier, at the Senators\u2019 skills competition in front of fans, he had won the hardest shot competition with a 106 mph blast. He didn\u2019t fully trust the radar gun, but now he had successfully used his power in a game. The one-timer was becoming a threat.<\/p>\n Over the next 12 years, the blistering shot would become Zibanejad\u2019s signature. Fifty-six of his 344 career goals have come off slap shots, per NHL Stats. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, only Steven Stamkos, Alex Ovechkin and David Pastr\u0148\u00e1k have scored more on that type of shot than Zibanejad (44 goals).<\/p>\n \u201cNice to have his one-timer in my Rangers life,\u201d says former teammate Artemi Panarin, who has assisted more Zibanejad goals (90) than any other player.<\/p>\n Zibanejad watched Ovechkin \u2014 the master of the one-timer \u2014 as a kid, and he began working on the shot in junior hockey. Coming to the NHL helped him perfect it, in part because he had access to any type of stick he wanted. He experimented with different curves and flexes, searching for the design that best helped the puck explode off his stick.<\/p>\n \u201cYou go from having six sticks for the whole season (in Sweden) to being able to go (through) three, four sticks a game,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n It all contributed to him discovering one of the most dangerous shots in the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cThe puck comes off his stick differently than most,\u201d Rangers coach Mike Sullivan says. \u201cThat, to me, is the sign of a true goal scorer.\u201d<\/p>\n Games played: 281<\/p>\n July 18, 2016<\/p>\n Zibanejad knows his limits, and one thing he can\u2019t do is sing. So, he\u2019s found a way to make music without relying on his voice: DJing. He performed a set at an Ottawa club in 2013 and, 10 years later, took the stage at Lollapalooza Stockholm.<\/p>\n At one point during Zibanejad\u2019s Senators tenure, MacLean had a conversation with him about his side passion. The coach wanted to ensure his prized prospect wasn\u2019t going to be up all night DJing in clubs over the summer. Zibanejad explained to him why he finds it fulfilling.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an hour and a half, two hours of my life that I get to do something different, and I get to express it in music,\u201d Zibanejad says.<\/p>\n By the end of the conversation, MacLean apologized for feeling suspicious.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was never an issue,\u201d the coach says.<\/p>\n On a summer day after his fifth season, Zibanejad was working on some tunes in his newly purchased Ottawa house. When he took a break to grab his phone, which was charging in the kitchen, he was greeted with a surprise: His lock screen showed four missed calls, four messages and four emails, all from his agent.<\/p>\n When Zibanejad called back, he learned news that caught him fully off-guard: He\u2019d been traded. The Rangers had acquired him and a second-round pick for Derick Brassard and a seventh-round pick.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure how to react,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n So he called Karlsson, who was golfing nearby. The defenseman didn\u2019t believe his friend; surely, he told Zibanejad, the news was not correct.<\/p>\n But it was. Karlsson cut his golf round short and rushed to Zibanejad\u2019s house. They sat together, processing. Zibanejad found it weird that his family members were congratulating him, though he understands it more in retrospect now that he has a sense of the Rangers\u2019 history. As the news settled in, he began to feel excited.<\/p>\n \u201cAll in all, maybe it was the best thing for him in the end,\u201d Karlsson says.<\/p>\n The trade turned into one of the most successful Rangers transactions ever. In Zibanejad, they got a future No. 1 center: someone who would become part of their core for years to come.<\/p>\n Games played: 283<\/p>\n Oct. 15, 2016<\/p>\n In the first period of his second game with the Rangers, a loose puck bounced to Zibanejad in front of the St. Louis Blues\u2019 net. He backhanded it into the slot, where winger Chris Kreider found it and whipped a shot past Carter Hutton.<\/p>\n With that, a connection was born. A Zibanejad assist on a Kreider goal happened 105 more times in their nine seasons as teammates. During that span, which ended when the Rangers traded Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks in June, they developed a bond on and off the ice that Kreider says is \u201cborderline familial.\u201d<\/p>\n Kreider describes Zibanejad as warm and sensitive, but he quickly saw how fiery his friend can get in competitive situations. The two played the FIFA video game during a trip early in the 2016-17 season, and Kreider \u2014 the worse player of the two \u2014 scored first. He then turned to stall tactics, taking advantage of the lack of icing calls in soccer and constantly booting the ball to the other end of the field. A furious Zibanejad was never able to find a tying goal.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had no business beating me in FIFA,\u201d he says, a note of defiance creeping into his voice years later.<\/p>\n \n Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad celebrate a Kreider goal on March 25, 2022. (Bruce Bennett \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n The two had lockers next to each other at the MSG Training Center, and Zibanejad still has a Kreider hockey card in his stall. When Kreider got married in 2023, Zibanejad was his best man.<\/a><\/p>\n On the ice, they became frequent linemates. Their production peaked in 2021-22, when Kreider had a 52-goal season and Zibanejad was a point-per-game player. The connection extended to the power play and penalty kill, too. The Rangers were an elite special teams club from 2021-22 through 2023-24, and Zibanejad credits Kreider\u2019s net-front screens with helping plenty of his slapshots beat goalies. Zibanejad is the franchise record holder in power-play goals (122), and Kreider is tied for second (116).<\/p>\n Kreider laced up for 585 regular-season games with Zibanejad, more than 100 clear of the next-closest player (Panarin, 467).<\/p>\n Zibanejad\u2019s 2-year-old daughter, Ella \u2014 who loves going to games at Madison Square Garden \u2014 hasn\u2019t realized that her dad\u2019s longtime teammate is gone. While at games, she sometimes points to a player on the ice and shouts, \u201cThere\u2019s Chris!\u201d<\/p>\n Irma doesn\u2019t correct her.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to break her heart yet,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Games played: 337 (Postseason games played: 21)<\/p>\n April 20, 2017<\/p>\n With the Rangers\u2019 2017 first-round series against Montreal deadlocked 2-2, Game 5 went to overtime. Late in the extra period, Kreider found Zibanejad with a cross-ice pass on a rush. Zibanejad finished past Hall of Fame goalie Carey Price, then jumped up and down in front of the glass.<\/p>\n Zibanejad calls it one of his favorite goals. It\u2019s his only playoff overtime winner to date, though he\u2019s had other notable postseason moments, including a late, game-tying goal in Game 7 of the 2022 first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins and appearances in two conference finals. In total, Zibanejad has appeared in 74 playoff games (16 with the Senators and 58 with the Rangers) and ranks sixth in New York history with 55 playoff points.<\/p>\n Games played: 545<\/p>\n March 5, 2020<\/p>\n Zibanejad was in a suit in March 2020, ready to leave his Midtown apartment for a walk to Madison Square Garden. His dad, Mehrdad, was visiting from Sweden and wished Mika luck as he headed toward the door.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen you score a hat trick live, and today\u2019s a good day for it,\u201d Mehrdad said.<\/p>\n This wasn\u2019t a frequent request. Mika said he\u2019d oblige, not knowing the night would turn into arguably the best of his career.<\/p>\n Less than a minute into the third period, Zibanejad made good on the pregame promise, finishing a Pavel Buchnevich pass from behind the net for his third goal. In the family section in the Garden\u2019s lower bowl, Irma and Mehrdad looked at each other and screamed. Fans chucked hats \u2014 as well as a scarf, pillow, rainbow wig and beachball \u2014 onto the ice.<\/p>\n \u201cThen he just continued,\u201d Irma says.<\/p>\n He potted a rebound off a Kaapo Kakko shot for a go-ahead goal in the final two minutes of regulation. The Washington Capitals tied the score 59 seconds later, but what appeared like a setback was really just a chance for an overtime coronation. In the extra period, Zibanejad beat goalie Ilya Samsonov on a breakaway, giving him his fifth goal of the night.<\/p>\n After the goal, which tied a Rangers single-game record, Zibanejad came to a stop at the corner of the ice. He pulled both of his elbows into his chest and unleashed a scream. A grin never left his face as his teammates mobbed him. It was a special scene: a reminder that a random Thursday game can become history. When Irma saw her now-husband after the game, all she could do was laugh in disbelief.<\/p>\n Zibanejad finished that season, which was shortened by COVID-19, with 41 goals in 57 games, leading the league in goals-per-game rate among qualified skaters. He was assertive every time he stepped onto the ice, attacking dangerous areas with long strides, and appeared on Selke Trophy ballots for his two-way play. It was his game at its best.<\/p>\n Games played: 972<\/p>\n Jan. 2, 2026<\/p>\n Zibanejad enjoyed about as good a regular-season day as an NHL player can have. In the morning, he found out he\u2019d made Sweden\u2019s Olympic team. At night, playing in the Winter Classic at loanDepot Park in Miami, he had one of the best outdoor games in NHL history, leading the Rangers to a 5-1 win. He scored the first-ever hat trick at a Winter Classic and set an NHL record with five points in an outdoor game.<\/p>\n The Rangers have had a disappointing season as a team. They entered the year with playoff hopes, especially after hiring two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Mike Sullivan, and have instead fallen to last place in the Eastern Conference. In a year of limited positives, Zibanejad has been a major bright spot.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s quietly had a really strong season for us,\u201d said Sullivan, who kick-started a strong relationship with Zibanejad by visiting him in Stockholm over the summer.<\/p>\n Zibanejad has 30 goals and 67 points in 69 games, his best scoring rate since 2022-23. He\u2019s remained defensively responsible, and he\u2019s helped mentor younger teammates, including current linemates Alexis Lafreni\u00e8re and Gabe Perreault<\/a>. His game isn\u2019t at its 2019-20 level, but he\u2019s showing he can still be a strong top-six center.<\/p>\n \n Ella loves going to Madison Square Garden and \u201chas, in a sense, grown up inside those walls,\u201d Irma says. (Jared Silber \/ NHLI via Getty Images)<\/p>\n That didn\u2019t necessarily feel like a guarantee during the 2024-25 season, especially during the first half. Zibanejad struggled, scoring only six goals and 21 points through the team\u2019s first 36 games. Physically, he felt fine. Mentally, he didn\u2019t. His confidence was down, and he was overthinking: an occasional side effect of his cerebral nature<\/a>. He describes the lack of results as draining.<\/p>\n He managed to salvage the second half of the season, then won a bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships. He carried the momentum into 2025-26, during which he\u2019s appreciated the trust of Sullivan and the coaching staff.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel more like myself,\u201d he says. \u201cBack to my old ways.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo develop and grow from that instead of the opposite makes me really proud of him,\u201d Irma adds. \u201cHe\u2019s had even better seasons, but this (year has) made me the most proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n Games played: 999<\/p>\n March 22, 2026<\/p>\n Zibanejad felt more nervous than usual heading into Sunday\u2019s Rangers versus Winnipeg Jets game. A long list of family and friends had already made the trip to New York in anticipation of Game No. 1,000, so he wanted to make sure to avoid injury. He was successful, playing 23:29 and scoring a power-play goal on his trademark one-timer. After the Rangers\u2019 3-2 shootout loss, teammate Lafreni\u00e8re mentioned the impending accomplishment to Zibanejad. He\u2019d made it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe jitters start now,\u201d Zibanejad said.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n