Canucks Rewind: Markus Naslund’s jersey retirement night
Every Wednesday The Canuck Way will release an article about Vancouver Canucks history! Let’s begin with the night Naslund’s jersey was retired!
We’re going to take a look at some of the most memorable events in Vancouver Canucks’ history, and how they have shaped the team today. From goals, assists and key plays, to trades, signings and debuts, this weekly segment should hopefully be a blast from the past for all Canucks’ fans.
On December 11th, 2010, the Vancouver Canucks played host to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the newly-named Rogers Arena. These two teams only met once during the season (the 40th one in Canucks’ history), and the game needed to be decided in overtime. The Canucks ended up losing that contest, but it was what happened before the puck dropped that made this night so memorable.
After 884 games and 12 seasons with the Canucks, Markus Naslund would watch his no. 19 be hoisted to the rafters.
Originally drafted 16th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, Naslund was considered one of the better prospects in his draft class. He put up respectable numbers the year prior, playing for Modo in the Swedish Elite League, and he stayed with the club for two more seasons before making the move to North America.
Naslund made his NHL debut on October 5th, 1993 against the Philadelphia Flyers, wearing no. 29. After finishing his rookie campaign with 11 points in 71 games, Naslund split time between the Pittsburgh Penguins and their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Lumberjacks. He only suited up for 14 NHL games that season, registering two goals and two assists during that span.
In his final season with the Penguins, Naslund’s offensive talent began to show. He put up 52 points in 66 games and showed some chemistry playing alongside NHL legends such as Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. However, Naslund continued to show inconsistencies in his gameplay throughout the season. The Penguins were getting frustrated with the Swedish left-winger and ended up pulling the trigger on what is now considered one of the most lop-sided transactions in NHL history.
On March 20th, 1996, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded Markus Naslund to the Vancouver Canucks, in exchange for forward, Alek Stojanov.
At the time, this trade made sense. Both players were drafted in the first round in 1991 and were hoping to benefit from a change in scenery. In his first 10 games with his new club, Naslund, wearing no. 22, potted 3 goals, compared to Stojanov’s one. At the time, it was much too small a sample size to figure out which team won the trade.
That’s not the case anymore.
In his inaugural season with the Canucks, Naslund recorded 21 goals and 20 assists in 78 games. Despite only registering 34 points the following season, the former first-round pick was beginning to show more consistent offensive prowess.
During the 1998-1999 season, Naslund eclipsed the 60-point plateau for the first time in his career. He recorded 66 points in 80 games, which helped catapult him to his first-ever All-Star team appearance and a shiny new three-year, $7.2 million deal in the offseason.
In the first year of his new contract, Naslund played a full 82-game season, essentially replicating his point total from the year prior. He was becoming the player and leader that management had hoped he would become, and they wanted everyone to know it.
On September 15th, 2000, Naslund was named the 11th captain in franchise history, and he became the first European-born player to dawn the “C” in a Canucks uniform. As Canucks’ fans know, this would be the first of many accomplishments in Naslund’s magnificent career.
In his inaugural season as captain, he scored at over a point-a-game pace for the first time, notching 75 points in 72 games, with 41 of those points finding the back of the net. During the 2001-2002 season, Naslund also proved that he was an elite play-maker, recording 50 assists and 90 points, which was only second to Calgary Flames’ captain Jarome Iginla
Then came the 2002-2003 season.
The Canucks were a consistent threat in the Northwest Division entering that season. More importantly, Naslund had found undeniable chemistry with Todd Bertuzzi at right-wing and Brendan Morrison at centre. Together, they formed the West Coast Express, a line that played an up-tempo and high-scoring style of hockey. Those three, as well as blueliners Mattias Ohlund and Ed Jovanovski, made up the identity of the Canucks.
During that year, Naslund solidified himself as one of the best in the game when he recorded 48 goals and 58 assists for an astonishing 104-point campaign. More importantly, he started to garner the attention and respect of fellow players in the league. At the end of the year, he was awarded the Lester B. Pearson Award (now known as the Ted Lindsay Award), which recognizes the league MVP, as voted by the players. He beat out fellow Swede Peter Forsberg, who registered two more points than Naslund during the season, and became the first Canuck to receive the honour.
After that season, Naslund continued to lead the Canucks in scoring. He registered 84 and 79 points, respectively, in the following two years, which also included a brief return to Sweden to play for Modo during the 2004-2005 lockout year.
After battling injuries and losing key teammates, Naslund’s offensive numbers slowly began to dip. For the first time in eight years, Naslund did not finish the season as the team’s top scorer, ultimately passing the torch to Daniel Sedin in 2006-2007.
In 2007-2008, Naslund entered the final year of his current contract with the Canucks. He put up 55 points in 82 games and, despite wanting to finish his career in Vancouver, many started to believe that wouldn’t be the case. Naslund played his last game as a Canuck on April 5th, 2008, a 7-1 loss at the hands of the Calgary Flames.
On July 3rd, 2008, Naslund signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the New York Rangers, the third and final team of his NHL career.
On May 4th, 2009, he announced his retirement from the National Hockey League. He finished his career with 869 points and 1,117 games played.
During his time with the Canucks, Naslund helped to win multiple division titles, but that success unfortunately never translated into the playoffs. In a telephone interview in July 2010, Naslund, who had moved back to Sweden, spoke of his only regret with the Canucks:
“The disappointment of not getting to the point where I firmly believe we had an opportunity to get, that being the Stanley Cup,” he said. “Losing the way we did, especially the ’02-’03 and ’03-’04 seasons were tough ones. At that point, I felt we were close but just couldn’t get over the hump.”
For Canucks’ management and fans, Naslund will always be considered one of the best players this franchise has seen, regardless of playoff achievement. On the ice, he proved to be an offensive threat with an incredible wrist shot and remarkable puck-handling abilities. Off the ice, he continually showed love, leadership, and loyalty to the city of Vancouver through community service and other philanthropy initiatives.
In other words, Naslund embodied what it meant to be a Canucks’ captain.
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On December 11th, 2010, players, management and fans were able to reminisce on Naslund’s illustrious career with the Canucks. As the no. 19 banner was raised into the rafters, we were all able to say one last “thank you” to one of the greatest left-wingers in franchise history.
Next. The Canuck Way Mailbag: Burke, Virtanen, more. dark
Tune in next week for another Canucks History lesson!