Vancouver Canucks: Sedins Will Make History in 2016-17

Henrik and Daniel Sedin are on pace to reach 1000 points in 2016-17, making them the first players in history to do so in a Vancouver Canucks uniform.

When the puck drops on the 2016-17 Vancouver Canucks season, it’s not clear what fans can expect from the club. Will the team be improved enough to push for the playoffs, as management insists, or will they struggle as they did last year?

Even if the Vancouver Canucks have another poor season and miss the playoffs, there will still be plenty to get excited about. The biggest reason for excitement? Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin will each score their 1000th NHL point this season.

As things stand, Henrik is sitting on 970 career points, needing only 30 to reach 1000. Daniel is not much farther behind with 942 points, needing 58 to reach 1000. Barring a long-term injury, this means that both Sedins should reach that milestone this season.

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Henrik could be celebrating his 1000th point as early as late December or early January while Daniel will likely be waiting until March. Of course, at the age of 36, there is the chance Daniel will fall short of the magic 58 points this year and have to wait until next season. But recent history — 61 points scored last season, 76 the season before that, zero games missed the last two seasons — and the arrival of Loui Eriksson in Vancouver suggest that Daniel should get there without much difficulty.

There are currently 83 players who have scored at least 1000 points in the NHL; this might sound like a lot, but NHL.com lists 6685 individual skaters who have played in the league throughout its history. The twins are already in the top 100 in all-time NHL scoring and with at least two more years in their NHL careers, there is plenty of room to move even higher up this list.

Incidentally, Henrik and Daniel will not be the only players to reach 1000 this season: Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Shane Doan are all within striking distance of the millenium mark as well.

For Vancouver Canucks fans, these two milestones from these two remarkable players should not go unheralded.

Remember the first points for the Sedins? It came on a Daniel Sedin goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning, way back on Oct 8th, 2000, when the twins’ careers were only 3 games old:

So many games and so many highlights later, few of us will need an additional reason to love the twins. One or both of the Sedins already lead the Vancouver Canucks in most statistical categories — points, goals, assists, games played, game-winning goals…. the list goes on.

But scoring 1000 points will not be just the icing on the cake,  either for the twins or for the Vancouver Canucks franchise. The twins have combined for two Art Ross Trophies, a Hart Trophy, a Pearson Award, and six All-Star Game appearances.

But this is different. No player has ever scored 1000 points in a Canucks uniform. Frankly, no one has come close: Markus Naslund and Trevor Linden only managed to get three quarters of the way there in their long, successful Canuck careers.

The Canucks have had a few 1000-point scorers pass through, such as Mats Sundin. (And that other guy, whom we never, ever talk about. Ever.)

These players scored most of their points somewhere else, then joined Vancouver late in their careers and played a handful or games or a handful of seasons. They wore the Canucks uniform, but their accomplishments didn’t belong to Vancouver. Sundin will always be a Leaf, Mark Messier will always be an Oiler or a Ranger. It isn’t the same thing.

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The Sedins have accomplished everything they have while playing all of their games for the Vancouver Canucks. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll suit up for another NHL team before they retire. It’s a long shot, but it could happen.

But their accomplishments — and their 1000 points — belong in Vancouver. Always.