The Vancouver Canucks have been fortunate enough to have had some of the best players the NHL has ever seen.
Trevor Linden, Stan Smyl, Pavel Bure, and Kirk McLean have all worn the Canucks jersey proudly. However, for many Canucks fans, there are two players who stand above them all.
Henrik Lars Sedin and Daniel Hans Sedin were born on September 26th, 1980 in their hometown of Örnsköldsvik Sweden.
The same town that has produced other NHL caliber players, such as Peter Forsberg, Markus Naslund, Anders Hedberg, Niklas Sundström, and Victor Hedman.
The Sedin twins have two older brothers, Stefan and Peter, who they idolized growing up. Their father, Tommy, is a school Vice Principal, while their mother, Tora, is a nurse. Their father also played for Modo Hockey in the 1960’s, which down the road, the twins followed in his footsteps by doing the same.
The Sedin’s real taste in organized hockey was not until the age of 8, but they would not start playing together for some time.
Daniel made the move from center to the wing at the age of 14, and as a Canucks fan, I must thank him for that. Sedin wizardry? That would not exist as we know today.
At the age of 16, the twins realized just how far they could take their hockey careers. Together (what else would you expect), they began their professional careers with Modo Hockey of the Swedish Hockey League. Even today as they play for the Canucks, the twins still represent their country on Team Sweden.
From a very young age, the twins knew how to play off each other effortlessly and always knew where the other would be.
At the end of the 1997-1998 season, the twins were both recipients of the Golden Puck, which was awarded to the Swedish player of the year. I guess in this case, it was the Swedish twins of the year.
Next, Daniel and Henrik made their move to the Vancouver Canucks. However, this was not as easy as it sounds.
In the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, then-Canucks GM Brian Burke possessed the third overall pick, but he had his sights set on getting both twins.
In a series of moves, Burke was able to get his boys. The twins were selected with the second and third overall picks that year and the rest is history.
Had they gone to different teams, Vancouver Canucks scout Thomas Gradin believes their production would decrease. “They’re good enough to play with anyone, but separately their capacity might decrease by 10 or 15 percent”.
During the 2000 season (their first full season with the Canucks), Daniel registered 34 points, while Henrik finished with 29 points. Their production continued to evolve year after year, which peaked during the 2010-2011 season. Daniel led the league in points (104), while Henrik led in assists (75).
With their careers still underway, the twins might have enough left to make one more run at the Stanley Cup.