The Vancouver Canucks announced on Monday that the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, will retire from professional hockey after 17 years with the organization.
After 2,631 games played as members of the Vancouver Canucks, Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin have announced they will retire from the NHL at the end of this season.
The 37-year-olds were selected No. 2 (Daniel) and No. 3 (Henrik) by the Canucks in the 1999 NHL Draft.
The twins have played in the NHL, for the same team for 17 seasons. They are the only brothers in NHL history to each score 1,000 career points. Their stats, individually, are Hall of Fame worthy.
- Daniel Sedin – 1,303 games played, 391 goals, 647 assists, 1,038 points
- Daniel won the Lester Patrick Award and the Art Ross trophy in 2010-2011.
- Henrik Sedin – 1,328 games played, 240 goals, 828 assists, 1068 points
- Henrik won the Hart Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy in 2009-2010 season and the King Clancy Trophy in the 2015-2016 season.
Following their announcement, many players and coaches in the NHL had some nice things to say about the twins and their career in the NHL.
At 12:30 p.m. PT, the Sedins will address the media to discuss their decision to retire.
You can watch it LIVE on https://t.co/S19xmTS5li ?https://t.co/5ctvatzClZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 2, 2018
Dan Rosen of NHL.Com reported what current New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault had to say about Henrik and Daniel as he coached them from 2006-13 in Vancouver.
“They were also special people, they took ownership,” said Vigneault, the coach of the New York Rangers since the start of the 2013-14 season. “They took accountability. They didn’t look to pass the buck to anybody and that’s how they were. That was the twins. And any time they had success, and they had a lot of success, it was always everybody else. They were unreal examples to follow.”
Vigneault was coach of the 2011 team which featured the Sedin twins as they reached the Stanley Cup Final, which they lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games.
New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who had the opportunity to play with the twins for Team Sweden in different international games including 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, had this say of Henrik and Daniel:
“They’re so humble. Humble and professional in all the stuff they do,” Lundqvist said. “You always knew what to expect. They were super nice people to be around. The first time I met them I was 16. They were dominating the Swedish Elite League and me and my brother (Joel Lundqvist) got to meet them. For us, it was a big deal. They probably don’t remember it, because we were just two junior players, but we were twins and they saw the connection. They were two years older, but they were doing really well in the Swedish Elite League and we were still junior players. Obviously, as a twin, it was really cool to see and meet them. Over the years, when I got the opportunity to know them through all these tournaments and meetings, I feel they’ve stayed the same. They were the same type of people and you enjoyed just being on the same team as them because they are just so solid.”
Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews:
“That’s amazing,” Toews said. “As young as the game is, they’re still able to make incredible plays and go out there and make a difference for their team every night. It’ll be a relief not to play against those guys going forward. I’m sure they both feel they want to go out on top and feeling like they can probably still play another handful of years, so you respect their decision, obviously. Honor them for the years that they had and obviously some of the great series we’ve had against them and that team as well.”
The accolades continued all day on Twitter, as plenty of people wanted to tell the twins good luck and thank you.
Amazing role models, can’t thank these guys enough for everything over a year with them #thankyouSedins #halloffamers https://t.co/BP1KOYcKbN
— Brock Boeser (@BBoeser16) April 2, 2018
@Canucks Daniel and Henrik are two of the classiest players I ever played against. They are fierce competitors who played the game the right way. It was a pleasure to battle against them over the years. Enjoy your family now! Congrats on a great career!
— Ryan Smyth (@RealSmytty94) April 2, 2018
Couldn’t have felt more out of place sharing the ice with these two! Amazing players and even better people! Enjoy fellas! https://t.co/484FNRQhP9
— Tom Sestito (@TomSestito23) April 2, 2018
General manager Trevor Linden said this of his two-star players,
“They’re great people, humble as it gets and they love the game. Who they are and the culture they set will live within this organization and this city for a long time.”
"They're great people, humble as it gets and they love the game. Who they are and the culture they set will live within this organization and this city for a long time." – Linden
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 2, 2018
The NHL has been lucky to witness two players who played the game clean and with finesse game in and game out for 17 great seasons.
Not winning a Stanley Cup might be the only thing fleeting, but it is not what will define them as players, teammates, and brothers. Their on-ice hockey story will show who they are.
