Why Tyler Myers wore an 'A' for the Canucks vs. Penguins

Prior to Saturday night's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Vancouver Canucks held a formal ceremony to honor veteran defenseman Tyler Myers on his 1,000 NHL regular season games played milestone, not long after Myers achieved the feat against Philadelphia last week.

In the midst of all the gifts Myers received, including the traditional silver stick, a silver puck, the National Hockey League Milestone Award, a family vacation to Hawaii, and a trip to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Canucks fans may have overlooked one discrete wrinkle to the whole operation.

Myers was unusually sporting an 'A', the letter reserved for alternate captains, on his black Skate jersey. And he wore it during the game against the Penguins, too. It was not just a novelty for the celebration itself.

As we found out after the game, the idea for Myers wearing the 'A' actually came from Canucks forward J.T. Miller, who usually wears an 'A' himself.

"Millsy went to the trainers, and the trainers asked me, 'Is it ok?' I said 'Yeah', I thought it was a great gesture by Millsy to give it to his buddy," Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet revealed after the game.

"You saw the players and the messages and stuff. He's a well-liked guy in the room," Tocchet said of Myers. "He's a guy that wants to play good every game. If he has a tough night, he's the first guy in the next day in the room. He's in Footie's office or in my office. He'll ask questions. The guys respect that. It was nice to see his family out there."

Myers played 18:39 against the Penguins following his special celebration, recording his second point of the season - an assist - and taking one penalty in the Canucks' 4-3 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night.