Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin will set a career milestone tonight in Winnipeg, playing in game No. 1,000 of his impressive NHL career.
Sedin, 33, will become just the 10th Swedish player in NHL history to attain the feat, joining the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom, Mats Sundin, Daniel Alfredsson, Borje Salming, Markus Naslund, Calle Johansson, Ulf Samuelsson, Tomas Holmstrom and Fredrik Olausson.
The third overall pick at the ’99 NHL Entry Draft -- twin brother Daniel went second -- Henrik has spent his entire 14-year career in Vancouver and has emerged as one of the greatest players in franchise history, becoming the first-ever Canuck to capture a Hart Trophy (in 2011) while emerging as the club’s all-time leading scorer.
Unfortunately for Henrik, this accomplishment comes during one of the toughest spells of his career. The Canucks are in free-fall mode, winning just four times in their last 17 games and dropping to 10th in the Western Conference as a result.
“Right now, it’s tough to think about it as a celebration, looking at where we are in the standings and looking at what we’re going through,” Sedin told the Globe and Mail. “Maybe after the season or maybe further down the line.
“It’s a different kind of feeling than it would have been (if we were) winning (consistently) or going into the final stretch knowing you were going to be in the playoffs.”