Canucks: Yes, the Sedin twins belong in the Hall of Fame

There’s a strong debate about if Vancouver Canucks icons Daniel and Henrik Sedin should be in the Hall of Fame. Here’s why they both belong.

On Wednesday night, Daniel and Henrik Sedin were officially enshrined in Vancouver Canucks immortality, as they watched No. 22 and No. 33 get raised to the rafters of Rogers Arena.

When the twins retired two years ago, there was no doubt that the franchise would eventually retire their numbers. They are by far the two greatest players in Canucks history, and we’ll never see a dynamic duo like this ever again.

The question now is if Daniel and Henrik will receive the even greater honour of getting inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. They’ll be eligible in 2021, and the debate has already begun.

When it comes to voting players in, there are plenty of factors that must be taken into account. Did a player win enough individual hardware? Were they among the top three or five at their position in any point of their careers? Were they dominant enough for a long period of time?

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The Sedins check all of those boxes.

Henrik won the Art Ross Trophy after scoring 112 points in 2009-10, and he became the first and only Canuck to date to win the Hart Trophy. One year later, Daniel won the scoring title with 104 points, but Corey Perry beat him out for the Hart.

Daniel, however, won the 2010-11 Lester B. Pearson Award (now the Ted Lindsay Award), which is given “to the ‘most outstanding player’ in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players’ Association.”

Henrik won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy during the 2015-16 season for his work and contributions on and off the ice. The twins captured the award together in 2017-18, their swan song season.

And yes, both were top three or five at their respective positions (Henrik a center, Daniel a winger) at some point — specifically from 2008-09 to 2012-13. Daniel had four seasons of 80-plus points, and seven of 70-plus points. Henrik hit 90-plus points twice, 80-plus points five times and 70-plus points eight times.

Consistency should get you to the Hall, and consistent they were.

The Sedin twins guided Vancouver to consecutive Presidents’ Trophy-winning seasons in 2010-11 and 2011-12. They were, of course, just one game short of capturing the Stanley Cup in 2011. If Vancouver had defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 7, this wouldn’t be a debate right now.

Henrik is the franchise leader in games played (1,330), assists (830) and points (1,070). Daniel (1,041 career points) is the all-time Canucks leader in goals (393), power play goals (138) and game-winning goals (86). Being part of the 1,000-point club truly goes a long way in strengthening your Hall of Fame case, too.

Really, there shouldn’t be much of a debate. Daniel and Henrik Sedin belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Their decade-long dominance, consistency, accolades and places in the franchise record books make it an easy decision.

They may not receive the call in 2021, and maybe not even in 2022 or 2023. Other greats and former superstars like Daniel Alfredsson, Theoren Fleury and Alexander Mogilny are still waiting, but they should get in eventually.

But when all is said and done, Daniel and Henrik Sedin did more than enough to receive calls into the Hall of Fame. If you ask me, it’s a matter of when the two Vancouver legends get in, not if.