Hearing the roar of the crowd in Rogers Arena last spring twigged Alex Edler’s emotions.
The longtime NHL defenceman had brought his daughter to watch a Canucks playoff game and the experience stirred memories for Edler, who spent parts of 15 seasons with Vancouver.
“I kind of forgot how loud this building can be,” he said. “It was almost emotional when we were here and I heard the crowd.”
Edler heard the cheers again Friday as his years of service were recognized on the ice before Vancouver took on the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 38-year-old Swede signed a one-day contract to officially end his career as a Canuck.
“I’m very proud of all that I’ve accomplished,” he said Friday morning. “I had so many good leaders around me, so that made it easier for me and to learn what we need to do to play in this league for a while. There are actually so many good memories from this organization.”
The Canucks all wore jerseys with Edler’s No. 23 during warm-ups on Friday night and, before the game, a video montage of his career highlights set to Seal’s “Fly Like an Eagle” played on the big screen.
Clad in a jersey and leaning on a stick, Edler watched from the Zamboni tunnel, then skated to centre ice to take a ceremonial faceoff in front of a cheering crowd. His daughters Emme and River dropped the puck.
Selected by Vancouver in the third round of the 2004 draft, Edler played 925 regular-season games for the Canucks, contributing 409 points. He made 82 post-season appearances, including during Vancouver’s 2011 run to the Stanley Cup final.
“There’s so many memories. I remember my first NHL game, obviously our Cup run,” he said. “But I think mostly, it’s just all the people that I’ve come to know here over the years. I made so many friends for life, worked with so many good people. So it’s always very special to come back here.”
Edler went on to play two seasons with the L.A. Kings and finished his career with 104 goals and 335 assists over 1,030 regular-season NHL games.
He holds the franchise record for goals (99), assists (310), and power-play points (177) among Canucks defencemen, but he knows these marks won’t last forever — especially with Quinn Hughes on the roster.
“I have those records because I was here for so long. He is going to break every record, and that’s just because how good he is,” Edler said of Hughes, who won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenceman last season.
“They’re going to be broken very soon. And he deserves that because — you all see him out there — he’s a top player.”
Hughes is just one of the young players Edler watched grow into stars over the course of his career, and those athletes have made watching the Canucks exciting in recent years, he said.
“During my time here, we had some great years when we’re really good, and then we kind of had a bit of a rebuild,” he said. “You always want to be part of a good team, but it’s kind of special to see young guys coming in and developing.”
It’s been more than a year since Edler played his final NHL game. He spent last season in L.A., where he now lives with his family, soaking up moments that he’d miss on the road, like holidays and school functions.
What comes next isn’t clear yet, he said, but Edler knows he’ll be back around a rink sooner or later.
“I see myself doing something in hockey, for sure,” he said.