Vancouver Canucks: Falling in Love with the Sedins all over Again
The Sedin twins have always been special players, but the World Cup has shown just how truly special they are.
Flashback to 1999 when then-Vancouver Canucks GM Brian Burke pulled off the deals of a lifetime as he manuevered his way to acquiring a couple of Swedish twins. At the time, most NHL teams were afraid to select the twins because of their desire to play for the same team. There was speculation they would get drafted by separate teams and refuse to sign, thus being given the ability to sign with any team willing to take them both on.
However, Burke would make sure that would not happen, as he pulled off a flurry of trades. Trades that have become stuff of legend.
We knew we were getting good players on that day, but nobody could have predicted they would be as good as they have been. For 15 years, the Sedin twins have wowed Canucks fans with their ability to get the puck to each other, sometimes without even making eye contact. It seems like they have this innate sixth sense to connect with each other, something that can only be described as “twin magic.”
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We are not seeing anything from the Sedins that we haven’t seen time and time again. We’ve seen them cycle the puck against five defenders like they did against the Russians. They can still cycle the puck like nobody else, and they still know where the other is on the ice at all times. That hasn’t changed. But something has. They have a third player now, who is just as elite as they are, and who has a level of chemistry with them that only a triplet could.
So now, heading in to the Sedins’ 16th NHL season, there is a new sense of excitement surrounding Canucks Nation. It feels like 1999 all over again, because we can’t wait to see what the Sedins can do — but we know what they can do.
We’ve seen it for the last 15 years. But here we are, giddy with excitement about the upcoming season and seeing the Sedins again. It’s like we’ve fallen in love all over again.
The Sedins should be entering the twilight of their careers, but you can’t tell it by watching them on the ice. They might not be as fast as they once were, but they’re just as good as they’ve ever been. As long as their bodies can hold up for the season, we’re in for something special this year.
Next: Vancouver Canucks: New Top Line Impressing Early at WCH
For 15 years, we have always known the Sedins were right there with the top duos of the league.
The Capitals can have Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, the Penguins can have Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin, the Blackhawks can have Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and the Ducks can have Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.
The Sedins will always be ours and the World Cup of Hockey has reminded us of that.