Vancouver Canucks: Jannik Hansen announces retirement

Former Vancouver Canucks forward Jannik Hansen announced his retirement from professional hockey. Here’s a look back on his NHL career.

Jannik Hansen — a fan favourite during his time with the Vancouver Canucks — announced his retirement on Friday.

In 565 games with the Canucks, Hansen posted 105 goals and 235 points. In the playoffs, Hansen scored 18 points in 64 career playoff games with Vancouver.

Born Mar.,1986 in Rodovre Denmark, Hansen was drafted in the ninth round — 287th overall — by the Canucks in 2004. Seen as a long-term project, Hansen first joined the Canucks in the 2007 NHL playoffs, where they were dispatched by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round.

Playing a high-energy, gritty styled game, He easily became one of the fans favourite players, obtaining the nickname “Honey Badger”.

Hansen was part of the notorious 2011 Stanley Cup playoff run, where he had nine points in 25 games. He scored important goals in both Games 1 and in the opening round against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Hansen fluctuated throughout the lineup, mainly spending time on the third line. But he later saw time on the first line with both Daniel and Henrik Sedin. In the 2015-16 season, Hansen finished forth in team scoring, as well as second in goals with 22 — despite missing 15 games. This would turn out to be the best season of his career.

At the 2017 trade deadline, the Canucks traded Hansen to the San Jose Sharks for forward prospect Nikolay Goldobin, and a conditional forth round pick. On the decline, Hansen played another 61 games with the Sharks. In the 2018 offseason, Hansen was let go by the Sharks. Having not received any offers from another NHL club, Hansen decided to continue his career in the KHL.

This past season, Hansen played for the CSKA Moskva of the KHL, accumulating 18 points in 45 games. He played another nine games in the postseason, and announced his retirement after the conclusion of the season.

Hansen will go down as a fan favourite for the Canucks, and being a ninth round pick, there is no doubt the team hit the jackpot with him. Should the Canucks bring Hansen back to Vancouver one last time to commemorate his career? Let us know in the comments below.