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A lot of eyes will be on San Jose Sharks star defenceman Erik Karlsson, but it will be a pretty special afternoon for Derek Nansen, the guy wearing No. 70 in the stripes.

As the Ottawa Senators take on Sharks on Saturday, Nansen, a National Hockey League linesman who grew up in Carp, a slapshot away from Canadian Tire Centre, will be honoured in a pre-game ceremony for officiating his 1,000th game Nov. 8 in Tampa.

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The 46-year-old Nansen, hired by the NHL in 2002, had to put off the celebration for a few weeks, but he’ll be thrilled to get the chance to share this moment with family and friends (70 people in total) in the city where he learned to ply his trade.

“It means a lot,” Nansen said in an interview from his Ottawa-area home earlier this week. “The biggest reason is that my whole family is going to be there: my dad (Peter), my sister (Jill), aunts and uncles. It’s going to be very special.

“It’s a big thank you to my wife (Sandra) and to what she puts up with alone when I’m not around. It’s going to be a very special day and I’m really looking forward to it.”