In a 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks captain Markus Naslund recorded his second hat trick of the season and became the first player in the team’s history to lead the league in scoring after Jan. 1. The left winger’s third goal came after a pass from Todd Bertuzzi on the team’s newly minted top line created after coach Marc Crawford replaced Andrew Cassels with Brendan Morrison at centre earlier in the month. The trio was soon dubbed the “West Coast Express” after the local commuter train, and Naslund went on to record eight goals and 21 points over 14 games in January to earn NHL Player of the Month honours.
In December 2010, he became the third Canucks player to have his jersey retired, joining Stan Smyl and Trevor Linden in the rafters at Rogers Arena.
