The Sedin era is no more.
Twins Daniel and Henrik have played 17 years for the Vancouver Canucks – who moved mountains to select them back-to-back (the second and third picks overall) in the 1999 NHL entry draft – amassing more than 1,000 points each over that span. The two Swedes announced yesterday their plans to retire at the end of this season, citing a desire to spend more time with their families.
Being part of the Canucks family for 18 seasons has been the best period of our lives. But it's time to focus on our families and life after hockey. It's time to help with homework every night. It's time to be at every birthday party and to stand in the cold at every hockey rink, soccer game and riding lesson on weekends. It's time to be at home for dinner every night.
We're saying it now because we want to share these final three games with you. We also want to share these games with our families, friends, teammates, coaches, trainers, staff and everyone at the Canucks who have supported us. You've all been with us every step of the way, and we want to thank you.
Their stretch of dominance for the Canucks didn't end in a Stanley Cup, but the novelty of the two twins playing on the same line and putting up nearly identical, Hall of Fame level production is one of the most memorable storylines about the game's last 15-plus years. The two brought an incredibly consistent level of star production, skill and off-the-charts hockey IQ, thanks in part to a nearly telepathic chemistry that allowed them to routinely do things like this.
Each twin won an Art Ross Trophy and one other additional end-of-season award. For Henrik, it was a Hart Trophy in 2010, while Daniel took home the Ted Lindsay Trophy in 2011. They were both so good that even the referees had a tough time distinguishing the twins at times.
Favourite Sedin Twins tale, Henrik waved out of a draw, goes to talk to Daniel at the hashmarks to go over strategy with Daniel supposed to replace him on the faceoff, but Henrik glides back in without ref noticing.
— Lance Hornby (@sunhornby) April 2, 2018
Godspeed, twins.
