Only 87 players in NHL history have recorded 1,000 points in a career, and Daniel Sedin is one of them after the Canucks’ 5-3 win over the Predators on Thursday night. The longtime Vancouver forward had a goal and two assists in the game to finish the night with 1,001 points in 1,251 games.
3 amazing facts about Daniel Sedin reaching 1,000 NHL points
Daniel joins his brother, Henrik, as the only 1,000-point brothers in league history.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
It’s an incredible feat for one of the best players of his generation. Sedin and his brother, Henrik, arrived in Vancouver 17 years ago and delivered one of the most successful eras in Canucks history. Together, they’ve made 11 playoff appearances and reached Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final.
Few players in history have had the kind of chemistry that the Sedin brothers share. It’s almost reasonable to think that the twins must have some kind of supernatural connection. How else could they possibly be so good at knowing what the other will do at any given time?
And now, less than a year after Henrik entered the 1,000 Point Club himself, his brother joins him. To celebrate that, here are three amazing facts about Daniel’s impressive milestone.
First brothers to each score 1,000 NHL points
There have been some illustrious hockey families in history, but Daniel and Henrik Sedin are the first siblings to ever score 1,000 points each in the NHL. The Hulls, Sutters, and even the Richards couldn’t pull that off. (Bobby Hull and his son, Brett, did, though.)
Now, that last duo came very close. Maurice “Rocket” Richard may have a trophy named after him, but he actually finished his career just short with 965 points. So while his brother and teammate, Henri, finished his career with 1,046 points, they ultimately fell short.
That’s a testament not just to the greatness of the Sedins, but to their greatness together. So, so many of those points were the result of Henrik making some miraculous pass to find Daniel when nobody else had seen the passing lane. As great as they could’ve been separately, playing together is part of what has made them so special.
One of just four 1,000-point players without a shorthanded goal...
Sedin has done just about everything in his career, but he’s never scored a shorthanded goal. The team has never used him much on the penalty kill — he’s played just 300 shorthanded minutes since the start of the 2007-08 season — and as a result, he’s one of just four players with 1,000-plus points to never score a shorty, according to Play Index.
Rod Gilbert, Jean Beliveau, and Henri Richard are the three other players to never score shorthanded goals.
On the flip side, there’s Wayne Gretzky with a ridiculous 73 shorthanded goals in his career. Mark Messier (63 goals) and Steve Yzerman also topped 50 shorties. Among more recent players, Marian Hossa is the leader with 34 shorties, followed by Patrick Marleau with 17. In case you didn’t notice, shorthanded goals have become a lot rarer since the 1980s.
... he leads the Canucks in every other all-time goal category, though
Okay, so forget about the lack of shorthanded goals. Not everyone can be Hossa and hound opposing puck handlers until the puck pops free for a breakaway. Regardless, Sedin’s place in Canucks history is obvious: He’s the greatest goal scorer that Vancouver has ever seen.
Here’s a look at his all-time franchise ranking in various goal stats.
Goals: 1st (376)
Even strength goals: 1st (245)
Power play goals: 1st (131)
Game-winning goals: 1st (82)
Adjusted goals: 1st (437)
Shots on goal: 1st (3,337)
The only goal stats where he doesn’t stand atop the leaderboard are shorthanded goals and goals per game, which are led by Pavel Bure. But even if Sedin didn’t quite have the peak that Bure did, his longevity in Vancouver blows away everyone else in team history aside from his brother.
Now he has over 1,000 points, too. What a career.
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