Brett Pesce is set to play his 700th NHL game, marking the milestone in a return to Carolina, the only other arena he has called home as a player. Pesce, who joined the New Jersey Devils in 2024 on a six-year contract, played his first 627 games with the Carolina Hurricanes over nine seasons. His transition to New Jersey has been notable for his quick integration into the Devils’ locker room.
During an interview ahead of Game 700, Pesce was joined by teammates Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon. The conversation quickly turned lighthearted, with Hughes joking, “I’ll let you know if it’s a bad question,” and later adding, “Milestones? He doesn’t care about milestones!” Dillon contributed in a New York accent: “If they had said, if they told you the Westchester kid would hit 700 games in a career, woo, wow…” Pesce responded in kind: “Yeah, yeah, you know. They’d throw me in prison!”
Pesce reflected on his growth during his years with Carolina. “It matured me,” he said. “Just kind of not in the hockey world, but outside of the world as well. I came there…a stupid 20 year old kid and from college…didn’t really…understand even life and hockey and how to deal with the ups and downs. But as time went on, there’s so many good people in that organization that kind of turned me into the person I am today. And just from the pro aspect, just how to be a pro and how to take care of yourself, your body, and how to appreciate and respect the game of hockey…It’s cliche…but try to take that to this room. And you know, maybe one day a young guy will learn from me, or Dilly.”
Hughes also commented on Pesce’s personal development: “He wasn’t married, now he’s married. He was a little boy, and now he’s a man.”
Pesce credited former Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour for shaping his work ethic: “He taught me a lot,” Pesce shared. “You know what hard work truly is, to be honest. Roddy really cared about people, and the more you care about someone, better results come. And I’m a huge believer in that…”
He also mentioned learning from veteran Justin Williams during his rookie season: “I remember bringing in Justin Williams,” Pesce said. “He was the captain for a few years…caring is everything, and not accepting losing…That’s another big one we’re doing. We’re also learning that here…”
Pesce sees similar values taking root with the Devils after only one year with the team: “I think we’re growing that here…it’s cool because I’m almost kind of reliving it now…I’m just really happy to be a part of it.”
For Pesce, returning to Carolina for Game 700 represents more than just reaching another milestone; it signifies being part of what is developing within the Devils organization today.
“That’s kind of more important to me than it is than the milestone,” he said. “It is like a full circle moment to go back there for 700 games. I’ve got a lot of friends on the team, and even more so…they knocked us out last year.”
