Tyler Myers Joins NHL's Legendary 1,000-Game Club: A Milestone Few Reach
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers joined an extremely exclusive club in the NHL tonight, appearing in his 1000th career NHL regular-season game.
Playing in 1000 career regular-season games is a feat that many of the league's best players never even accomplished. Even players like Mario Lemieux and Peter Stastny never hit that milestone, despite being among the best players of their generation. Tonight though, Myers hit the mark as the Canucks visit the Philadelphia Flyers.
The feat will be particularly relevant for Myers considering he nearly had a catastrophic injury just over a week ago. Luckily, Myers was not seriously injured on that play and has not missed a game this season. His teammates appear to be very grateful for that fact and are excited for him reaching this milestone, even going so far as to print custom shirts for the whole team celebrating the accomplishment.
Likewise, Canucks fans have traveled across the continent to celebrate with him.
With any luck, Myers will have a big impact on his special night. It could be very beneficial to the team both tonight and in the long run if he can help struggling superstar Elias Pettersson get on the scoresheet after a slow start to the season. If Myers does get on the scoresheet tonight, it would be his first point of the season, which would be very fitting considering the situation.
Funnily enough, Myers reaching this milestone has also led many to point out one other odd fact about his career: He is the last active player who played for the Buffalo Sabres during their last playoff contest, all the way back in 2011.
Myers, drafted 12th overall in 2008 by the Sabres, has 93 career goals and 371 points through 999 games. His career accomplishments include winning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 2010, where he naturally also made the NHL All-Rookie Team. This season could see him hit several more milestones. He needs 7 goals for 100, 29 points for 400, and one more game-winner for 20. Be sure to keep an eye on the Canucks to see how close he can get to any of these. He had exactly 29 points last season, so many of these could be very close and if Myers can get on a hot streak early on this season, he could be celebrating more than some career milestones as Vancouver looks towards a dark horse playoff run.
