‘He Deserves It’: Canucks React To Brock Boeser’s 500-Point Milestone

There was a silver-lining in the Vancouver Canucks’ 5–1 loss to the New York Rangers on Friday night, one that emerged in the form of a 500th-career NHL point for none-other than long-tenured Canuck Brock Boeser. 

Boeser, who was drafted 23rd-overall in 2015 by the Canucks, became just the eighth player in franchise history to hit 500 points in their time with Vancouver. He joins an even more-extensive list of players who hit this particular milestone in 650 games — the exact number of games it took him to reach 500 in. 

With the milestone seemingly on the horizon at the time, The Hockey News spoke to various Canucks about Boeser’s milestone throughout the team’s practices earlier this week. 

Vancouver forward Elias Pettersson has been with the Canucks only a season-ish less than Boeser, having joined the team the year after his longtime friend’s rookie campaign. The duo have played on the same team since 2018–19, a fair amount of which they skated together during.  

“It means a lot. It’s a big number to hit. He deserves it,” Pettersson, who also hit the milestone back in March, told The Hockey News the day before Boeser’s milestone. He also specified that he’d be “very happy for him” when the moment came.  

While not around for his entire career, Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra has coached Boeser both as a league newcomer as well as a seasoned veteran, having served as an Assistant Coach for Vancouver during the beginning of the forward’s career. He shared some of the changes he’s noticed from Boeser, having known him both then and now. 

“Obviously, it’s been almost a decade since he’s been here, but just the growth in his game, seeing him come in as a young guy, really quiet and unassuming, to an older guy that’s now quiet and unassuming,” said Malhotra with a chuckle on Tuesday. 

On a serious note, however, Malhotra did emphasize Boeser’s quiet-style of leadership as one of the things that has developed in the winger’s time with the Canucks. 

“He takes on that leadership role of wanting to be a voice in the room and wants to do his best to lead by example. It’s interesting to see a guy entering the league now become a veteran with the same team. His development, not just as a player but as a person, it’s been fun to watch.” 

For Boeser, the milestone is a significant one — not just from a numerical standpoint, but also regarding what it means to him as a member of the Canucks as a team. 

“It means a lot. Obviously, I’ve talked about a couple rough seasons where I wish I could have played better and done more for our team, but I’m really trying to be a guy that you can count on to produce out there and score and be a leader. So I think it’s a big milestone,” he shared on Tuesday. 

To do it all with Vancouver, though, makes the milestone even more significant to Boeser. The Canucks are the team that drafted Boeser over 10 years ago. They’re the team that he re-signed with long-term after the 2024–25 season seemed like it could have been his last with Vancouver. 

As he says, Boeser is a loyal guy — and reaching the 500-point mark with this specific team is nothing short of “special.”    

“It’s really important. I love the place. I love the city, and everyone’s been so great to me here, and the fans supporting and cheering us on. I’m a loyal guy, and like I said, I love it here.” 

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