THE last week or so has proved to be a pretty special time for Sheffield Steelers’ captain Robert Dowd.

Firstly, Wednesday night’s 4-3 overtime win over Guildford Flames saw him reach 900 Elite League games - one of only six players to do so.

Then, four days later, in his 902nd EIHL appearance, he became the first player to reach 800 points.

The good news for Steelers’ fans is that the 37-year-old forward shows no sign or interest in slowing down or hanging up his skates just yet.

Dowd took time to reflect on the accolades to come his way in the past few days, ahead of this weekend leading the Steelers out at the National Ice Centre against arch-rivals Nottingham Panthers before a home clash with Manchester Storm at the Utilita Arena.

“When you’re first starting out, it’s obviously not something you think about,” said Dowd earlier this week. “You’re just taking it game by game and having fun and the numbers obviously just seem to roll around, the longer you stick around.

“I never had a number in my head on how many games I wanted to play, you’re just concentrating on staying healthy and playing as many games as possible - but it’s a nice feeling when you get to certain milestones and, hopefully, it is testament to staying healthy and fit, which has allowed me to keep playing the game that I still love so much.”

Make no mistake, in a sport as physically and mentally demanding as ice hockey, enjoying longevity - as well as continuing to put up solid numbers year after year - is no simple task, something Dowd has been able to do since making his EIHL debut under head coach Dave Matsos back in 2006-07.

LEADING MAN: Sheffield Steelers' captain Robert Dowd. Picture: Dean Woolley.

placeholder image — LEADING MAN: Sheffield Steelers' captain Robert Dowd. Picture: Dean Woolley.

Each summer brings short spells of downtime, but it isn’t long before the pre-season fitness routine kicks in and the cycle starts all over again.

As Dowd readily acknowledges, he is only able to continue playing the sport he loves, thanks to the support of his immediate and extended family. As with all athletes, there are sacrifices to be made along the way, such as missing treasured family moments, in particular those centred around his children.

He is fully appreciative of how the time and support given by others, has allowed him to maintain such a successful hockey career.

“Obviously there are times with the kids where I miss a lot – football games, dance recitals and ballet classes – those are the types of things that do get to me,” said Dowd, who spent one EIHL season at Belfast Giants in 2011-12.

TOP MAN: Sheffield Steelers' captain has passed two significant milestones in the past couple of years - playing 900 games in the UK's top-flight, plus being the first player to score 800 points. Picture: Dean Woolley/Steelers Media.

“So it’s not really the physical side of it that makes me think of stopping, it’s more spending time with the family, the mental side of it.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform and it’s not just like you leave the rink and forget everything, you’re living and breathing it, day in, day out.

“There’s no way I could do any of this without my wife, kids and my extended family - it is what helps me to continue playing.”

Recalling the team who Dowd laced up against in his first-ever EIHL game during the 2006-07 season may prove elusive, but he remembers the build-up to it vividly - mainly because he had to play in borrowed kit.

“I remember I got called up by Dave Matsos but the Scimitars locker room at Ice Sheffield was locked, so I couldn’t get any of my kit or equipment,” he recalls.

“So David Simms was running around all the different locker rooms and cubby holes where they had all kinds of different equipment squirrelled away and we kind of pieced together a full kit for me to make my Steelers’ debut in - even the skates were a size too big!”

It would be another season before the first EIHL points arrived in a Steelers shirt - Dowd posting two goals and three assists in the 13 appearances he made for the team that season.

It was during the 2008-09 season when Dowd - still only 20 - truly announced himself in the top-flight, though, scoring 28 goals and 27 assists in 60 EIHL games.

He went into the weekend just gone needing four points to become the first player in the league to reach 800 points.

Having posted two assists in the 2-1 home win over Fifre Flyers, he reached the milestone with two more helpers at Guildford Flames the following night.

Another mileston reached. There will undoubtedly be more to come.