Henrik Sedin came into Friday night's contest with the Dallas Stars needing just one point to reach 756, which would tie him with Markus Naslund as the Vancouver Canucks' franchise scoring leader. At 3:21 of the second period, he got it, picking up a greasy helper when Daniel Sedin banked a puck off Richard Bachman for the Canucks' first goal of the game.
Just over five minutes later, Henrik took sole possession of the record and he did it with a great deal more style, setting up Alex Burrows for a one-timer with the sort of slick, pin-point, cross-zone feed he's been making his entire career. Here's the play that solidified Henrik's position as the most prolific scorer the Canucks have ever had:
Daryl Reaugh called Henrik's pass a "tantalizing dish". I cannot disagree. Four Stars between him and his target and Henrik still manages to put it right on Burrows' tape. He's good at this.
Immediately after the goal, the Rogers Arena crowd saluted Henrik with a standing ovation while the two teams lined up at centre ice. The ovation continued as play got underway, and they didn't stop for a full three minutes, as both teams cycled through their lines and the Sedins eventually found their way back onto the ice. When play finally halted, Henrik saluted the crowd.
Then, as the Sportsnet broadcast went to an ill-advised TV timeout, the Canucks aired a surprise tribute video to Henrik on the Jumbotron, featuring congratulations from Markus Naslund and Trevor Linden, now second and third in Canucks' franchise scoring.
Naslund makes a good point. The Sedins are notoriously competitive, and a major part of the reason that Henrik is 30 points clear of his brother is that Henrik hasn't missed a game since 2004.
Daniel Sedin played with a chip on his shoulder the year after Henrik's Art Ross, charging ahead to match the feat with one of his own. But to catch Henrik atop the franchise leaderboard, he's going to have to put Henrik out of commission for awhile.
If I'm Henrik, I sleep with one eye open from here on out.
Congratulations to Henrik on the record.
Follow Harrison Mooney on Twitter at @HarrisonMooney
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