Vancouver Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers is the NHL’s newest member of the 1,000 games club, and he shared a special moment with his family for the occasion.
Though he was honoured during Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Myers played his 1000th NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers last week. Before that road game, his son Tristan surprised him by reading out the starting lineup from a pre-recorded video.
The 34-year-old Myers appeared on After Hours with Scott Oake and Ray Ferraro last night and explained how much that moment meant to him.
“I was doing pretty well for the game in Philly before my little man read the lineup, that threw me for a loop going out for that game,” Myers laughed. “When they played the video of him reading the lineup in Philly, it was tough to step out onto the ice, and after that, we had other guys in the room crying.”
It was a moment that was made even more emotional due to the circumstances surrounding Tristan’s life to date and the things he had to overcome. Being born five weeks early through an emergency C-section about seven years ago, Tristan suffered a pulmonary hemorrhage and lost about 80% of his blood, all before he was 24 hours old.
Despite all the complications, Tristan was able to overcome those hardships, and while he has developed Cerebral Palsy and has cochlear implants to help him hear, Myers says he is thriving these days.
“It was a traumatic birth; we didn’t know how things were going to play out,” Myers said. “To see where he’s come and what he’s doing these days, it made nights like tonight more special.
“It’s pretty special to see him come this far, and all three [of my kids] are turning into best friends, so it’s great.”
Myers’ family was on the ice in Vancouver on Saturday night to celebrate his accomplishment. While Myers received the patented silver stick, which has become synonymous with this type of achievement, tiny mini-silver sticks were also given to his three kids, including Tristan.
A celebration to remember for Myers and his family. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/E3o0OmSSSg
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 27, 2024
A group of former teammates were also on hand for the ceremony. Blake Wheeler, Tyler Ennis, Andrew Ladd, Brandon Sutter, and Brandon McMillan all made the trek to the Pacific Northwest to honour their friend.
A milestone night made better with friends to celebrate with!
Former teammates and close friends of Tyler Myers — Blake Wheeler, Andrew Ladd, Brandon McMillan, Brandon Sutter, and Tyler Ennis — are here to join in honouring Myers’ 1000th game. pic.twitter.com/RoY7cFLk31
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 27, 2024
It’s been a long road for Myers to get to this point in his career. He began his NHL journey with the Buffalo Sabres from 2009 to 2015 before being traded to the Winnipeg Jets in 2015. Myers was a fixture in Winnipeg for five seasons and arrived in Vancouver in 2019 after signing a five-year deal with the club in 2019.