The Vancouver Canucks were fortunate to have drafted Henrik and Daniel Sedin — and in this feature story from THN's exclusive archive, writer Elliott Pap profiled the Sedins as they began their NHL days.
The Vancouver Canucks were blessed to have employed twin brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who never fail to make headlines, regardless of where they are in their competitive cycle. And in this feature story from The Hockey News’ Feb. 5, 2008, edition (Vol. 61, Issue 17), contributing writer Elliott Pap profiled the Sedins at the beginning of their NHL careers.
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The Sedins never let their emotions get the best of them, as their other brother, Stefan Sedin noted. They always were up to the challenge that came with being a high draft pick and playing in hockey-crazed Vancouver.
“They are very strong mentally,” Stefan told Pap. “I don’t know where it comes from. They’re very stubborn. When they put their minds to do something, they will complete it. Maybe not their first year, maybe not their second, but I think they will be good players in the NHL, great players.”
The Sedin twins have moved into a management role with the Canucks since retiring, but then-Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault always valued their vision for the game, their instincts, and their incredible talents on offense.
“When they move well and they get close to 19 minutes of ice time during 5-on-5, or power play, they’re our best offensive players,” Vigneault said. “If I use them to kill penalties, those are minutes that, in theory, they’re not going to get offense because they’re trying to stop offense. And they’ve wasted a lot of energy. So I’m trying to get them as many minutes as I can where they can generate offensive chances.”
THEY CAN’T SKATE!
Vol. 61, No. 17, Feb. 5, 2008
By Eliott Pap
Henrik Sedin was born first, which apparently entitles him to crack the first joke about identical brother Daniel.
“I am the better golfer and I am the better tennis player,” said Hank proudly, with his tongue somewhere in the vicinity of his cheek. “And, yes, I’m the better looking one, too.”
It’s a pretty good line, considering hardly anyone can tell them apart. But when it comes to lines that really matter, the 27-year-old twins from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, are among the most feared combos in the NHL.
It wasn’t always this way, however. After being drafted second and third overall by Vancouver in 1999, left winger Daniel (the scorer) and center Henrik (the passer) took an agonizingly long time to develop into prime-time players.
Their first coach, Marc Crawford, granted them second-unit power play minutes that seemed unwarranted at the time and led to some petty jealousies within the dressing room.
They were derided for their lack of foot speed – “They Can’t Skate” screamed a Vancouver Sun headline during their maiden training camp in 2000 – and when they were pushed around their first few seasons, one radio wise guy mocked them repeatedly by referring to them as “The Sisters.”
Impatient Canucks fans called sports talk shows demanding the twins be shipped out because they weren’t going to be any good.
Fortunately for the team, management didn’t listen to the naysayers. Or perhaps they did listen to Stefan Sedin, one of the twins’ two older brothers, who predicted their eventual stardom back in 2000.
“They are very strong mentally,” Stefan said. “I don’t know where it comes from. They’re very stubborn. When they put their minds to do something, they will complete it. Maybe not their first year, maybe not their second, but I think they will be good players in the NHL, great players.”
During their first four seasons, they were merely average. Daniel scored 20 goals as a rookie, but only 23 times in the next two seasons combined. He didn’t crack the 40-point barrier until his fourth year. Ditto for Henrik.
It wasn’t until the post-lockout 2005-06 campaign – a full six calendar years after their draft – the Sedins finally began to blossom.
Who knows what triggered it? Maturity? More minutes? New linemate Anson Carter? Probably all of the above.
The twins were, at long last, the formidable players former GM Brian Burke had worked so tirelessly to draft in 1999.
Their passes no longer went astray, but were delivered tape-to-tape. Their half-court game became a nightmare for opposing defensemen and they were harder to knock off the puck. They became dynamite on the power play, their puck movement uncanny.
“They’re twins,” said fellow Swede and team captain Markus Naslund, succinctly summing up their chemistry.
“We’ve had success like this before, but not over here,” Henrik said. “It’s been great. We’re getting chances every game and we’re able to get some goals, which is nice.”
Although inseparable on the ice, the twins aren’t constant companions away from the rink.
They’ve always had their own apartments in Vancouver and their own lives.
Daniel was the first to get married and the first to become a father. He and his wife Marinette have a two-year-old daughter, Ronja, and are expecting a second child around the all-star break.
Henrik followed Daniel into fatherhood when he and wife Johanna had a son, Valter, last year. Daniel claimed he gave Henrik no brotherly advice before Valter arrived on the scene.
“I think he pretty much knows already what to do,” Daniel said at the time. “He’s been reading a lot of books to get some experience, so I think he will be OK. He was over at our place a lot when we had Ronja and he was watching me. He did get to do some things himself so I’m not worried about his skills at being a father.”
In the off-season, the twins train together back home in Ornskoldsvik. During the season, they usually arrive and depart the rink together. On the road, their hobby of playing backgammon has given way to the current rage of poker.
They follow the NFL because “on this team you have to,” said Henrik, and admire international athletes Roger Federer and Tiger Woods.
Henrik was the first to grow a beard and Daniel followed suit, the brothers feeling the facial adornment gave them a more mature look.
“People think we look 16 without them,” said Daniel, refuting the notion they maintained the same appearance to confuse opposing netminders.
Whatever the case, the twins are still confusing Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. A year ago, he insisted he couldn’t tell them apart.
“I’m always looking for the number on the helmet, but if I can’t see it, I have to ask: ‘Which one are you?’” he said.
A year later, is he having any more success telling them apart? “Not a chance,” Vigneault replied, laughing.
“Some guys say it’s their jaw or their teeth,” offered Aaron Miller. “But I can’t tell. When they sit in their seats, I’m OK, but if they switched seats, I’d be in trouble.”
People should have no trouble telling them apart at the all-star weekend in Atlanta. Henrik will be there and Daniel won’t be, the latter’s omission likely due to the expected arrival of his second child.
The impending separation of the twins, however brief, wasn’t lost on Henrik – he gleefully pointed out, tongue in cheek once more, that his all-star selection finally proved he was the better Sedin.
Daniel, with the timing of a good comedic partner, quickly replied: “I guess so. It’s on paper now. What can I say?”
Naturally, he was proud of his bro. Their sibling rivalry is all in good fun and Daniel was obviously pleased about Henrik’s selection.
“He really deserves it,” said Daniel. “The last couple of years he has been playing exceptional so it’s good to see.”
Daniel, too, has been exceptional. The twins are truly a case of the sum being greater than its individual parts. Without Henrik feeding him, Daniel wouldn’t be leading the Canucks in goals. And without Daniel’s finishing touch, Henrik wouldn’t be leading the team in assists. Their on-ice chemistry is undeniable, almost eerie in some instances. At times, you wonder if they have emerged from a sci-fi film entitled The Hockey Players With One Brain.
Vigneault has been riding them for his one-and-a-half seasons behind the Canucks bench and is always seeking ways to get them more minutes.
“When they move well and they get close to 19 minutes of ice time during 5-on-5, or power play, they’re our best offensive players,” Vigneault said. “If I use them to kill penalties, those are minutes that, in theory, they’re not going to get offense because they’re trying to stop offense. And they’ve wasted a lot of energy. So I’m trying to get them as many minutes as I can where they can generate offensive chances.”
It’s a role the Sedins relish and one they’ve sought since joining the Canucks. The growing pains are over and they’re first-liners on a team challenging for first place in its division.
All you can say to that is: “Oh, brother.”
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