Kiefer Sherwood is more just than a fan favourite, he's a potential NHL record holder.
While the Canucks are continuing their hunt for the playoffs, one player is set to do something remarkable. Kiefer Sherwood, the fierce, hard-checking, and fan favourite forward for the Vancouver Canucks, is set to break the NHL record for hits in a season.
Sherwood, following the Canucks’ win against the Jets, has 373 hits this season. All he needs to do is get 14 hits in 14 games and he’ll break the NHL record set by Róbert Švehla of the Florida Panthers during the 2001-2002 season who had 386 hits.
Looking at Sherwood, at 6’0” and 194 pounds, he does not look like the person who would be known for his physical game, especially compared to the all-time great hitters such as Scott Stevens, Eric Lindros, Cam Neely, and Milan Lucic, who all are much heavier and taller than No. 44. However, Sherwood’s feisty, if not carefully reckless style comes from a more understandable place.
Sherwood, who was never drafted by any NHL team, had to fight and earn for every minute of ice time. Since he unfortunately did not possess the hockey IQ of Sidney Crosby or the lighting speed of Connor McDavid, Sherwood had to help the team another way besides offence, and the way he could was through hits. As he said himself, “As a guy that had to scratch and claw for every opportunity…, you've got to do the little things to try and stick in…[o]ne of them was just finish every check.”
Finally, Kiefer's hard work paid off with a 2-year, 3 million contract from the Canucks after a breakout season with the Nashville Predators in 2024, where they made the playoffs and played the Canucks in the first round, losing to them in six games. That being said, he made an impression on Canucks superstar Quinn Hughes, who loved Sherwood’s game and was reportedly ecstatic when the team acquired him.
Sherwood has not disappointed his captain with 14 goals, 14 assists, and 31 penalties minutes (beast). With a couple games left in the season, Canucks fans hope that Sherwood can break the NHL single season record with a good clean hit.
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