BOSTON — Avalanche defenseman Ian Cole made his NHL debut in 2009-10 at TD Garden, where he played his 500th game Saturday night. The milestone games against the Boston Bruins are “pretty cool,” Cole told reporters after Saturday’s morning skate.
Cole, who won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017, has seen many changes throughout this 10-year NHL career. He has remained a physical stay-at-home defenseman while young teammates such as Cale Makar and Sam Girard have altered what elite defensemen have become.
“The game has definitely evolved,” Cole said. “It’s gone from a lot of big guys occupying a lot of space to very much a speed-and-skill game and it’s changed very quickly.