Vancouver Canucks preview: One more home game for Sedins
Thursday night will be an extremely emotional night for Daniel and Henrik Sedin, as the twins prepare to play their last home game ever. Here’s what else you should watch for between the Vancouver Canucks and Arizona Coyotes tonight.
Up until Monday morning, few Vancouver Canucks fans and players thought Thursday would be such an emotional day, but Daniel and Henrik Sedin announced they’d retire following the end of the season – so the tears will be real tonight.
Tuesday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights was moving enough as is, with both twins getting major ovations at the end while the opponents stayed on the ice and shook their hands after the game.
Hollywood could not possibly write a script that will be as epic as the one that takes place tonight, when No. 22 and 33 skate around Rogers Arena one final time.
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The Canucks and Arizona Coyotes are both missing the playoffs, but the game isn’t meaningless. Instead, it will be one of the most memorable moments in franchise history.
Remember the sendoff Trevor Linden got in the season finale 10 years ago?
They fell 7-1 to the Calgary Flames, but Linden was named first star, shook hands with the rival team and received a massive ovation.
That also happened 10 years ago today, and the Sedins fill fittingly play their final home contest together on the anniversary of Linden’s last NHL game. You cannot make this stuff up, folks.
So imagine what kind of sendoff the Canuck icons will get tonight. Oh, how there won’t be a single dry eye in the arena. This will be a very epic game that you won’t want to miss.
Of course, the folks on #TeamTank will be cheering for Vancouver to lose this game. A regulation loss to the Coyotes puts them in the bottom-four. Should the Canucks not pick up another point this season and the Montreal Canadiens win one more game, Vancouver will finish as the third-worst team this year.
If Vancouver wins out, there’s a chance they surpass the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers, meaning they could finish as high as 25th-overall. There are major draft lottery implications in this contest, and that’ll be the main focus for many fans.
For most of us, the main storyline is simply the Sedins last game at Rogers Arena. There have been many great moments that we could go on about. Daniel’s long list of overtime goals, Henrik’s heroics in Game 1 of the opening playoff round against the Dallas Stars in 2007, the between-the-legs finish by No. 22 some years ago, we could go on.
But no matter the score and no matter how the Sedins play, all Canuck fans must relish and embrace the moment. You won’t see a twin duo like this ever again, and it’s possible we never see two heroes with so much class, professionalism and integrity in the city again.
Next: The Sedins are one of a kind and irreplaceable
Enjoy the moment, and let’s hope the Canucks fan provide one more great moment together as the future Hall of Famers play their last game at Rogers Arena.