Growing up in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby, British Columbia, during the late 1970s and early '80s, a young Joe Sakic likely dreamt the dream of every hockey-playing Canadian boy-to someday skate in the NHL. And, on some cold winter nights, the corners of his mouth probably curled into a sleepy smile as he visualized himself lifting the Stanley Cup.

Well, all these years later, Sakic is among the talented few to have made his dreams come true. The shy, skinny little kid from Burnaby stands among the few current players to play his entire career for one franchise (albeit in two cities). He has held the Stanley Cup, twice. And, he can show off an Olympic gold medal.

On Wednesday, Sakic returns home with a chance to add another sterling mark on his already Hall of Fame resume. At GM Place, against the Canucks, the Avalanche captain and Burnaby native will try to gain passage into the 500-goal club. He needs only one goal-one of those laser wrist shots-to become the 31st player in league history to reach the prestigious plateau.

And, as fate would have it, he'll have a chance to hit the mark in front of the family and friends who watched him grow into a star. It sounds like another childhood dream, doesn't it? Well, Joe Sakic has been pretty good at making his dreams come true. And, on this night, that's bad news for the Canucks.

MEANWHILE, in Edmonton, another sure-fire Hall of Fame center -- Hurricanes' captain Ron Francis -- also will being eyeing a major milestone. Francis needs just three assists to become the second player to register 1,200 career helpers. Obviously, the only other passmaster to collect that many assists was Wayne Gretzky, who finished with a ridiculous 1,963. Just think, once Francis hits the 1,200 mark, he only needs another 763 assists to tie The Great One.

And, barring injury, Francis will become the just the fifth player to skate in 1,600 NHL games when he hits the ice for the 'Canes tilt with the Flames in Calgary on Thursday. Only Gordie Howe (1,767), Mark Messier (1,633 as of Dec. 10), Larry Murphy (1,615) and Ray Bourque (1,612) have played in more games.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.