Honouring The Sedins

I have watched a lot of hockey over the years. I have seen all the greats from 1980 to now. While I've tried to appreciate every player for what they are or were, very few of those players would I consider saying that I had the privilege of watching.

The Sedins were something truly unique. They weren't powered by physical gifts such as skating or strength, but by their advanced hockey IQ. But they were more than hockey geniuses. Their creativity and their insistence on playing a beautiful game made them magical.

Not enough can be said about them off the ice, either. The word classy has been used a million times to describe them, but this is not a case of overkill. They are the definition of class.

In the end we miss the creative magic, but their humble elegance will forever grace this franchise. It is a franchise that historically has not been very good, and as they continue to stumble now leaves a long time fan like me wondering at times if it's even worth it at times.

But with people like the Sedins defining the franchise, the answer is most definitely yes. On a day like today, we could not be more proud to call ourselves Canucks fans.

We are all Canucks. We should all try to be like the Sedins.

Who Was Better? Henrik or Daniel

In 2018 The Hockey News came out with a special publication where they named the top 50 players of all time, ranked by franchise.

It's a pretty fascinating exercise, with no right answers and many debates to be started. Beyond the lists there is some fantastic feature articles.

For instance they named a different player as the greatest Toronto Maple Leaf than did the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dave Keon, in fact, ranked 5th by The Hockey News estimation.

Wayne Gretzky tops Edmonton's list to no surprise, but where does he rank in Los Angeles in comparison to Marcel Dionne?

And maybe it's time to consider Sidney Crosby as the greatest Pittsburgh Penguin, and not Mario Lemieux?

And where do Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane rank among all the greats who have played for the Chicago Blackhawks?

Well you'll have to buy the magazine to find out these answers.

One spoiler I will give you is the top players of the Vancouver Canucks.

Despite Vancouver's emotional attachment and love affair with Trevor Linden and Pavel Bure, The Hockey News correctly identifies the fabulous Sedin Twins as the greatest players in franchise history. Hart, Lindsay and Art Ross trophies will do that, even though, for some odd reason, the twins haven't always been universally loved the same way in British Columbia.

But even though you kind of want to, you can't name both of the twins as the greatest player in franchise history. You can only pick one.

So the question begs - Who was better? Henrik or Daniel?

I do say was, even though their careers are not over yet. There best years are behind them, though early results suggest that under new coach Travis Green that the twins could be rebranded as excellent support players. They are getting bottom six minutes, but dominating the shot and goal differentials early in the season, leading to Vancouver's solid start. If they can find the right linemate, could the Sedins become the best third line in all of hockey? Could the Sedins provide the secondary offense that they never really benefited from in their heyday?

Those questions will be answered in the next few weeks.  But back to the question at hand. Who was better? Henrik or Daniel?

The Hockey News chose Daniel. They openly admitted there was almost nothing to choose from, except that Daniel is the goal scorer and that name of the game is to score goals.

I also think Daniel was always expected to be the better of the two, and likely because he was the goal scorer. After all, when the Canucks drafted the twins 2nd and 3rd overall way back in 1999, they drafted Daniel and Henrik.

That's right, at one time it was Daniel and Henrik.

But that changed when they became elite superstars in this league, Hall of Famers.  The most creative offensive players in an era defined by systems. They became Henrik and Daniel.

And that is because Henrik is the better player.

Henrik rose to the top when Daniel got missed several weeks in the 2009-10 season. The twins were dominating offensively, and there was growing talk of a possible one-two finish in the scoring race. But when the triggerman went down, no one knew what to expect.

Henrik elevated his game, and proved he could play at a very high level without Daniel - something Daniel never has done. Despite not having his favorite shooter on his side, Henrik went on to win the Art Ross Trophy as scoring leader and the Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player.

Beyond that, Henrik is regarded as the elite playmaker of his generation - with only Joe Thornton surpassing him. Daniel may be the goal scorer, but very few will mention his name when talking about the great goal scorers of the past 15 years - Ovechkin, Crosby, Stamkos, Carter.

Henrik also shoulders a lot more responsibility as a center, and as team captain.

In my mind there is no doubt that Henrik Sedin is the greatest player in Vancouver Canucks history.

Are Sedins First Ballot Hockey Hall of Famers?

Their resumes speak for themselves. They came one win short of hockey immortality with a Stanley Cup win, but Olympic gold medals, World Championships, Art Ross Trophies, Hart and Lindsay MVP awards make it a no brainer. Add the uniqueness of their careers, and I consider it to be a certainty.

The Hockey Hall of Fame has unintentionally created two unofficial levels of Hall of Fame honour - those who get in right away and those who have to wait several votes to get enshrined.

So the question becomes - Are the Sedin twins first ballot Hall of Famers, or will they have to wait?

Obviously the answer heavily depends on who else will be eligible. There is a three year mandatory waiting period once a player retires, so the Sedins will get their first look in 2021. Who else will be eligible depends on who retires this season.

Two names to watch will be Pavel Datsyuk and Jaromir Jagr. Both have left the NHL but are playing in Europe still. So they are considered active players regardless of the fact that they are gone from the North American scene. They are strong candidates to retire.

The Hall of Fame can only elect a maximum of four male players in any given year. Jagr is undeniably a first ballot guy. Datsyuk, based on the Stanley Cup wins, likely gets the nod before Daniel and Henrik.

Who else is possibly retiring this season who would get strong Hall of Fame consideration?

Henrik Zetterberg? He's already said he's likely to be back next season. Joe Thornton? He's always said he will play beyond his NHL career in Switzerland, so not likely? Patrick Marleau? He has two years left on his contract, for whatever that is worth. Henrik Lundqvist? Will the 36 year old Rangers legend want to carry on through a rebuild in New York? Ilya Kovalchuk? There's been rumors of his return to NHL, and he can likely cash in yet again with another season in Russia. Roberto Luongo? The Sedin's old running mate might actually be the most likely of this bunch to retire, and perhaps it's more on his mind than others due to the Sedin's announcement. That said, he was on record earlier this year that, health willing, "there's more work to be done."

Certainly all these players would make strong cases. Only time will tell if any of these players will retire this off season.

Marian Hossa and Jarome Iginla are strong candidates to announce their retirements soon, but they would actually be eligible for Hall of Fame discussion in 2020. This is because they did not play at all this season, and that would count as one season towards the waiting time period.

Many players will retire. With all due respect to the likes of Matt Cullen, Chris Kunitz, Brian Gionta and Ryan Miller should make no impact on the Sedins Hall of Fame immediate inclusion.

So the answer to the question of whether or not the Sedins will be first ballot Hall of Famers really can not be answered just yet. We need to see who else is first-time eligible in 2021 first.

Sedins To Retire In Vancouver

Henrik and Daniel Sedin have announced this will be their final season in the National Hockey League.

The Sedins are the most unique superstars in the history of the game. They had a magic chemistry together that left onlookers in awe and could only be described as "Sedinery." They were chess players playing three moves ahead of their opponent. At the same time they were creative artists who took great pride in the results of their craft. They believed hockey was to be played beautifully, and every shift, every scoring chance and every goal was treated as a masterpiece.

Two sure-fire Hall of Famers, Henrik has 1,068 points (240 goals, 828 assists) in 1,327 regular-season games, while Daniel has 1,038 points (391 goals, 647 assists) in his 1,303 outings. Henrik added 23 goals and 55 assists in 105 playoff games, and Daniel put up 25 goals and 46 assists in 102 post-season contests.

They led Vancouver to within one game of winning the Cup in 2011 - a moment they called their greatest achievement but also their lowest moment, too. They helped Sweden win a World Championship and the 2006 Olympic Gold Medal.

Individually they won accolades that cemented their status as the best in the game. Henrik won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer in 2009-10 with 112 points before also capturing the Hart Trophy as league MVP.

Daniel then took Art Ross honours in 2010-11 with 104 points and took home the Ted Lindsay Award as the league MVP voted on by the players.

Yet at the same time I never quite understood why the Sedins were not more respected around the league. In fact I dare say they are the most underrated superstars of this era. 

For some reason people who clearly don't look know a whole lot about hockey labelled them as soft. Soft is the last word to possibly describe them. They weren't gritty, but they redefined toughness.

The East Coast Bias did the Sedins no favors, as is still the case for so many west coast superstars. Too many of the pundits are in bed on the east coast before the Sedins took the opening faceoff in their game so many nights.

The Sedins embraced their adopted land as their home and are known for their work in the community. It is a community they will continue to live in until their children are fully grown, and perhaps beyond. Classy is the universally used adjective when it comes to describing them.

We know the Sedins will still be a part of the Vancouver community scene. Lets hope that, within the appropriate time frame, they are still part of the Canucks scene in some capacity, too.

If not, then we may not see the Sedins again until their undeniable inclusion in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

But for now we get one last week - three final games - to enjoy the two most unique players of our time and the two greatest players in the history of the Vancouver Canucks.

Puck On The 'Net: Henrik All Hart, Buff Thrashed

More On Henderson

• Here's a look at billionaire buyer Mitchell Goldhar.
• David Staples looks at how those '72 Team Canada jerseys were designed.

Henrik Wins The Hart

• No one can ever say the Sedins don't have "Hart" ever again. To me, there is no more important individual award than the league MVP award. Maybe the Art Ross as leading scorer, but hey Henrik has that too. As a Canucks fan, I can honestly say I never thought I'd see the day this happened.
• Henrik's peers voted to give the Lester B. Pearson Ted Lindsay Award to Alexander Ovechkin instead. That of course goes to the NHL's best player as voted by his peers.
• According to the Canucks Twitter feed, the first place in Las Vegas Henrik Sedin went after checking into this hotel room - the hotel gym. That's dedication.
• Pavel Datsyuk took home the Selke, Tyler Myers got the Calder, Dave Tippett easily won the Adams, Ryan Miller won the Vezina, Duncan Keith claimed the Norris and Martin St. Louis won the Lady Byng. Jose Theodore got the Masterton while Shane Doan won the King Clancy.
• Puck Daddy has all the awards voting breakdown.
• I can't even remember the last time I watched NHL Award Show. I think it was the last time Chris Chelios won the Norris. Even back then I watched only out of some misguided loyalty to hockey. I hated the award show.

Byfuglien Traded

• The salary cap induced break up of the Chicago Blackhawks hit full stride on Wednesday. Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Sopel, Ben Eager and Akim Aliu were traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for the #24 overall pick (originally New Jersey’s), the 54th overall pick, Marty Reasoner and Jeremy Morin. 
• For the Blackhawks this was a necessary evil. Sopel and Eager are replaceable parts, almost certainly by cheaper plug-ins. Byfuglien was the toughest choice. It was likely between him, Kris Versteeg and Patrick Sharp. Quite frankly, there was no choice. The other two could never command the return Byfuglien could. After that great playoff, Byfuglien's trade value was never higher.
• That being said, the Hawks definitely did not get fair return. They were dealing from a position of weakness and 29 other teams were circling like vultures.
• In one sense, Chicago made a wise choice to send Big Buff off to obscurity with a bottom feeder team in a non-hockey market. The chances of Byfuglien coming back to haunt Stan Bowman and the Hawks are somewhat lessened.
• Still, you have to know it was hard to move Byfuglien. Not only was he a crowd favorite, but he has one of the most unique skill sets in the NHL. Versteeg or Sharp are replaceable. There is no other Dustin Byfuglien.
• Byfuglien will feel at home right away in Atlanta. General Manager Rick Dudley is a former teammate of Buff's step-dad, Dale Smedsmo. The two played in the WHA with the Cincinnati Stingers. Dudley called Smedsmo the toughest player he ever saw.
• The Thrashers took a good step forward with this trade. And in Byfuglien they not only have a unique hockey player but a real marketable person. Here's hoping he builds upon his strong playoff with a strong regular season. He was impressive in the 2009 playoffs too, but had an unimpressive regular season this past campaign.

Pat Quinn

• It is very possible that 67 year old Pat Quinn has coached his last game in the National Hockey League. That would be a shame, because he is a great coach. For those naysayers who quickly point to his last place finish in Edmonton, let's not forget that the Oilers led the league in man-games lost to injury. You show me any other team that loses it's top offensive player (Ales Hemsky - 60 games), top defenseman (Sheldon Souray - 45 games) and top goaltender (Nikolai Khabibulin - 64 games), and I'll show you a coach who is looking for his next paycheck.
• Do not blame Pat Quinn for the disastrous season in Edmonton. Injuries are no excuse, but clearly the Oilers were not ready to take the next step and challenge for a playoff spot. You have to look at Steve Tambellini, Kevin Lowe and ownership for blame, as clearly they felt bringing in Quinn and Khabibulin would do that for them. Khabibulin's injury problems aside, upper management overestimated the other assets they had and failed to bring in players to fill the gap.
• For more evaluation on Quinn's performance, check this post by David Staples.

Slap Shots: Oh Henry!

Henrik Sedin enters the last day of the regular season as the National Hockey League's leading scorer, after picking up 4 assists on Saturday. He has a 3 point lead on Alexander Ovechkin. "Ovie" plays against Boston on Sunday. He only needs to tie Sedin to win the Art Ross trophy, as he holds the tie-breaker with more goals scored.

You can bet Ovechkin will be driven to score, as he is chasing not only Henrik for the Art Ross, but battling Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby for the Rocket Richard Trophy as leading goal scorer.

All three of those sharp shooters play on Sunday, while Henrik's regular season concluded on Saturday night. Will Ovechkin seize the moment?

Time to put the puck on the 'Net:

• If Henrik does hold on to win the Art Ross, does that make him the favorite for the Hart Trophy too?
  
• Matt Hunwick was Boston's playoff hero, for taking a hooking penalty. While in the box Boston scored an unthinkable 3 shorthanded goals on the same minor penalty, a NHL first. The three goals came in 64 seconds, a new record for fastest three shorthanded tallies.
• After failing to clinch a playoff sport by earning a lone point in the last two games, Montreal finally clinches in game 82 - by losing. Only in the NHL.
• How about Evandar Kane's 1 punch knock out of Matt Cooke. Maybe that shouldn't have been a surprise - Kane was named after former heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield.
• Nice to see Mike Modano in a Minnesota North Stars once again.
• Thomas Vanek finally erupts, scoring 4 goals against the Senators. Good news for Buffalo playoff chances.