Any player who appears in 1,000 or more NHL regular-season games must do something right. But there are many ways in which a player can get to that plateau.
A very small amount of NHL players are superstars who’ve lasted a dozen seasons or more. Some players get there because they’ve proven to be difference-makers in multiple markets. And then there are players such as current Vancouver Canucks blueliner Tyler Myers and Nashville Predators D-man Luke Schenn.
Myers celebrated his 1,000th career game this weekend against Philadelphia, while Schenn logged his 1,000th game this week as well. When you break down each of their careers, you see a player doesn’t need to be a star performer to achieve career longevity the way Schenn and Myers have.
Schenn had a very high bar to clear when the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted him fifth overall in 2008. There was immediate pressure on the then-19-year-old when he joined the Leafs for the 2008-09 campaign. While Schenn did his best to live up to expectations in his four seasons in Toronto, he ultimately was dealt to Philadelphia for star Flyers left winger James van Riemsdyk in 2012. And from there, the road to 1,000 games got much rockier for Schenn.
Indeed, after three-and-a-half years in Philly, Schenn was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings in January 2016. After just a half-season in Los Angeles, he moved on again, this time to the Arizona Coyotes for two years, then to Anaheim, where things really got problematic for him. The Ducks quickly demoted Schenn to their AHL affiliate in San Diego and then traded him to the Canucks.
Schenn then bounced between the AHL and NHL for the following season before finally re-asserting himself as an NHLer with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20. Since then, Schenn has moved between the Vancouver Canucks for a second stint, the Maple Leafs for a second stint and now, to the Nashville Predators, where he’s still a key puzzle piece at age 34. It would’ve been easy for Schenn to give up his fight when he was an AHLer, but he instead doubled down on himself and was rewarded with career longevity and two Stanley Cup championships with the Bolts in 2020 and 2021.
Myers, meanwhile, was drafted seven spots behind Schenn in 2008, although his career hasn’t had the same challenges just to remain an NHLer the way Schenn’s career has. Myers initially succeeded greatly in his rookie NHL season, winning the 2009-10 Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. Myers had a solid sophomore season, but health problems kept him from playing 74 games or more in a campaign from 2011-12 to 2016-17.
Myers did get more fortunate on the health front in the last seven seasons, playing 77 or more games in all five seasons where that was possible. And while he hasn’t won a Cup, he has been a key part of Vancouver’s success, getting back to the 24-assist mark last season, his best total since 2017-18.
Myers and Schenn aren’t Hockey Hall of Famers, but there’s something to be said for their dogged determination to play in hockey’s best league as long as their body can sustain them. They’re great examples for not-exactly-elite players to try and follow.
Only 400 NHL players have been good enough and fortunate enough to play 1,000 games, so Schenn and Myers are in elite company. Their longevity and resilience are admirable, and they’re both playing until their competitive tank is empty. Congrats to both on a momentous achievement.
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