Drafted together, retired together, inducted together. The Sedin twins will have had an identical journey until their entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame, which will take place on Monday evening.
Posted at 3:02 p.m.
Four years after their retirement, Henrik and Daniel Sedin will receive next Monday evening the ultimate honor granted to the great hockey players of this world. The Swedes met the media virtually on Wednesday afternoon. In the calm that characterizes them, they said they were happy and honored, although nervous to find themselves in the spotlight.
“We never considered ourselves Hall of Famers,” Daniel said. From day one, we only wanted to become better players. […] It’s been surreal ever since we got the call. »
“Monday will be a great night. We don’t like being in the spotlight, but you have to agree to be there for a few minutes. It will be beautiful spotlights, ”suggested Henrik.
The brothers were never fond of attention. They will nevertheless have to go on stage to deliver a speech, as tradition dictates.
“That’s the thing we’re a little more nervous about,” admitted Daniel. But you try to take advantage of it. We want to thank all the people who have accompanied us through all these years. This is a great opportunity to do so. »
“We have our own speeches, but we also want to make sure that we are not saying the same thing. We want to thank the good people. On this side, we will have to separate the work. »
between brothers
Drafted second and third overall in the 1999 National League Draft, Daniel and Henrik Sedin spent their entire 17-season career with the Vancouver Canucks. Strongly criticized in their early years, the twins finally had a remarkable career. They were one of the best duos in the NHL for several years.
“We felt the pressure, for sure,” admitted Henrik. Some days it was difficult to go to the rink, but there are people who believed in us in this locker room and in the administration. It meant a lot to us. There were several nights where we didn’t know our best matches. It would have been easy to blame us, but [ces gens] stood up for us, supported us. »
Together, the two attackers went through ups and downs. But they never wanted to leave Vancouver, they assured. “We knew that if we didn’t perform better, there was a chance that we would be traded. We were going one day at a time, one year at a time,” Henrik explained. We just wanted to prove to everyone and ourselves that we were improving. »
With 112 points, Henrik Sedin won the Art-Ross trophy at the end of the 2009-2010 season, in addition to the Hart trophy. The following season, it was Daniel’s turn to get his hands on the Art-Ross by virtue of his 104 points.
In 1,330 games on the Bettman circuit, Henrik recorded 1,070 points, while Daniel tallied 1,041 in 1,306 games.
Through all these years, the brothers could count on each other. And that is undoubtedly what will have been their greatest strength.
“We knew at all times that someone else was going through the exact same thing,” Daniel said. To be able to talk to someone on a daily basis about problems or nice things is huge for everyone. Having your brother, of course, makes it easier. »
“Several things happened exactly as they should,” admitted Henrik. We had the chance to play in the same team and we wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. This is what we are most proud of. If we hadn’t persevered and worked hard, some things might have happened along the way. »