Canucks: Top 5 moments from Elias Pettersson’s first 100 NHL games

4. The Gretzky-esque slapper versus Detroit

This was a goal that came while fans were still getting to know just how special of a player Pettersson was. This was Pettersson’s tenth game, and came one game after his five point performance against the Colorado Avalanche — but more on that later.

Late in the first period, with the game still tied at zero, Pettersson receives a pass in the neutral zone and crosses the Red Wings’ blue line on the left side. With a lone, out of position defender trying to close the gap on Pettersson, the young rookie wound up and let go of a booming slap shot from the top of the right circle.

That shot beat Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard clean over the left shoulder. With Howard well out of the blue paint to cut down the angle, Petterson somehow found the perfect spot to place what was a perfect slap shot.

The shot drew comparisons to one that the great one himself, Wayne Gretzky wired back in the day:

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Is Pettersson better than Gretzky? You decide. Nonetheless, Pettersson’s 10th goal, in his 10th career NHL game, made hockey fans everywhere take notice of his superior abilities.

3. The Pass(es) to Boeser

I had to cheat a little, because there are two passes that need to be on this list. The first showed shades of Henrik Sedin, and came on an extremely memorable five-point night for Pettersson (again, more on that later).

Over the course of his 100 games in the NHL, Pettersson has struck up an amiable friendship with teammate Brock Boeser. As the late Jason Botchford wrote about last season, the two’s friendship means a lot to Boeser, but the two best of friends have found some serious chemistry on the ice in the meantime.

Pettersson first set up Boeser for a bank pass goal that had everyone, including the Colorado Avalanche broadcast team, going berserk.

The next out of this world pass Pettersson made to his good pal Boeser was in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Pettersson battles hard to get the puck back, gets hit to the ice, but somehow has the presence of mind to sweep the puck back to the slot, where Boeser was waiting:

This goal is known as the “holy [expletive]” goal, based on Boeser’s reaction while he celebrates the goal with Pettersson. “I said a lot of F-words after that one. I was just, well, shocked. It was so sick. He definitely wants to be one of the best players in the NHL. I could sense that right away. You could just feel his confidence.” Boeser told the Athletic last season.

There are certainly many more jaw-dropping passes to come, but these two from his rookie campaign are ones that fans will never forget.

2. That goal in that game against Colorado

You know the one. It was just Pettersson’s ninth career NHL game, and was hands down the loudest Rogers Arena had gotten since Daniel Sedin’s overtime goal in him and Henrik’s final dance.

The Canucks opened the scoring less than a minute into that game when Brock Boeser found the back of the net after receiving a pass from Pettersson. This was the night that it became apparent that Boeser and Pettersson may have some serious chemistry with one another.

That chemistry was on full display for the second goal of that game, which was the bank pass mentioned above.

This game turned out to be a barn burner. With the game tied at five apiece in the third period, the Avalanche scored a late power play goal with less than two minutes to go. A crowd that was over the moon to see their team score five goals was suddenly dead silent.

In years past, the Canucks may have mailed it in and simply turned their focus to the next game. But not this team.

The Canucks were buzzing, they were pressing late, and with the net empty, Pettersson scored a ridiculous snipe with just 36 seconds remaining on the clock. If you need a refresher, here’s a five minute highlight clip of the events of that night:

Not only did this game show fans in Vancouver that a new era of Canucks hockey was upon them after the departure of two identical legends, but it also showed fans that this new wave of Canucks was legitimately good. You could argue that this, along with the next moment that you’re about to read, launched the Elias Pettersson era of hockey in Vancouver.

1. The first goal

Amidst it all, Pettersson’s first NHL goal is the one that first showed fans that this guy was a special player. He had a few eye-catching moments during the preseason, but in the end, those games don’t count.

For Pettersson to score his first goal on the very first shot he took in the NHL — well, that’s just special. It’s only fitting that Pettersson’s career got off to that kind of start.

Perhaps nobody described it better than Dave Randorf. “This place [Rogers Arena] is going crazy for a guy that they are hoping is going to be a star in the making.”

Rumour has it Mike Smith is still looking for that puck to this day.

Honourable Mention

The list focuses on moments during Pettersson’s first 100 games in the NHL, but I felt like I should add in his Calder Trophy acceptance speech. Pettersson took the opportunity to thank those who voted for him, including Jason Botchford, who Pettersson described as a great man, and a great reporter who was loved and respected by everyone.

After 100 games, it’s becoming more and more clear that Pettersson may go down as one of the greatest superstars this city has ever known, if not the greatest.