Leon Draisaitl's wife Celeste reacts to his 400th NHL goal milestone in Oilers season opener

The Edmonton Oilers kicked off their season at Rogers Place with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday. Despite the defeat, the night saw Leon Draisaitl scoring his 400th NHL goal.

Draisaitl’s wife Celeste Desjardins was in the arena to witness the moment. She later shared an Instagram story capturing the jumbotron at Rogers Place paying tribute to her husband’s achievement.

The screen showed Draisaitl in his Oilers uniform with the text “400 Career Goals” in bold letters alongside his name and jersey number. Celeste added blue and orange heart emojis at the bottom of her story.

Draisaitl scored his milestone goal during the second period with assists from David Tomasek and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He also added an assist bringing his career point total to 958. Captain Connor McDavid contributed two assists on the night.

The Oilers fell short as the Flames rallied from a three-goal deficit with Matvei Gridin scoring in his NHL debut and Nazem Kadri netting the decisive shootout goal. Goalie Stuart Skinner made 19 saves in the effort.

Last season, Draisaitl played 71 games, tallying 52 goals and 54 assists for 106 points, ranking third in the NHL and finishing with a plus-minus of +32. Looking ahead, the Oilers will face the Vancouver Canucks on October 11 at 7:00 PM PDT.

Leon Draisaitl and wife Celeste send congratulatory gift to Connor McDavid and Lauren Kyle

Earlier this week, Oilers captain Connor McDavid signed a two-year $25 million contract extension that will keep him under contract with the team through the 2027-28 NHL season.

Not long after the deal was announced, McDavid and his wife Lauren Kyle received a thoughtful surprise from close friends and teammates Leon Draisaitl and his wife Celeste Desjardins. The couple sent a floral arrangement along with a handwritten note congratulating McDavid on the milestone.

“Congratulations! 2 extra years with our favourite people. We love you guys . Let’s win this thing! Love, Cel, Leon and Bobo,” read the original note.

Tagging both Draisaitl and Desjardins in her story, Lauren added a teary-eyed emoji to show her appreciation on her Instagram story.

Draisaitl and McDavid have long formed one of the NHL’s most dominant duos and their families have become similarly close during their time in Edmonton.

The extension itself drew attention across the league with McDavid opting for a shorter term at a flat $12.5 million average annual value. Speaking to the media Tuesday, he explained that the structure was intentional keeping flexibility for both sides while ensuring Edmonton’s championship window remains open.

About the author

Anjum is an NHL reporter at Sportskeeda with over five years of professional experience in the spectator sports industry. Raised in Bahrain, Anjum grew up close to the Formula 1 and GP2 scene, but it was ice-sports that she truly had a chance to play at school.

Anjum prioritizes thorough research, fact-checking and verification of sources when reporting, and has worked for Oil on Whyte, Leafs Herald, the Nation of Blaugrana, Barca International Cules, FromTheBend, Last Word On Sports and NASA.

She got interested in ice hockey after watching the “MVP” trilogy as a second grader and has not gotten over the sport yet. Her favorite player is Alex Ovechkin, whose legendary one-timers live rent free in her heart. The iconic moment when Ovechkin reached 800 career goals with a hat trick in Chicago as the away crowd chanted “Ovi, Ovi” is probably her happiest memory from an ice-rink.

When not enjoying the game, Anjum can be found sailing, star-mapping or collaborating with fellow citizen scientists at NASA.

Know More

Wayne Gretzky’s wife Janet responds to critics questioning his loyalty to Canada, Bobby Orr's support following 4 Nations drama

Edited by Anjum Rajonno