Canucks Rewind: Daniel and Henrik Sedin’s jersey retirement night
There have been many dynamic duos throughout the history of the league, but the Vancouver Canucks were fortunate to have the very best in Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Originally drafted by the Canucks with the 2nd and 3rd overall picks in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, the Sedin twins would end up playing over 2600 combined games with the organization, evolving from quiet, dynamic forwards to game-changing, legendary franchise superstars.
Throughout their tenure in Vancouver, the twins gifted us with many memories and highlights, from the popularized slap pass and dominant down-low cycle game, to game-winning playoff goals and a truly unforgettable send-off during their final home game at Rogers Arena.
The Sedins gave so much to the organization and the city for nearly two decades, so it was only fair that we recognized and celebrated their illustrious careers a bit longer than most.
Sedin Week
The well-deserved festivities began on February 10th, 2020 with Legends Night. During the pre-game ceremonies, the organization showed their appreciation towards Markus Naslund, Stan Smyl and Trevor Linden, three of the four Canuck greats whose numbers were previously retired by the franchise.
The team donned their ever-so-popular redesigned black skate jerseys for the final time that night, coming away with a dominant 6-2 win against the Nashville Predators. The victory capped off an evening of excellence but, more importantly, set the stage for the grandest of goodbyes.
Two days later, the Canucks played host to the Chicago Blackhawks. It was always an entertaining tilt when Jonathan Toews and co. came to town, and even though the rivalry from the previous decade was slowly starting to lose its flame, it was fitting and even poetic that the team was lined up to battle an opponent that Daniel and Henrik were far too familiar with.
Each team had already claimed a victory earlier in the season coming into this game, and both were hoping to come out on top in this mini best-of-three series. The Canucks ended up with the two points, shutting out the Blackhawks by a score of 3-0, but that didn’t matter much.
It was what happened before the puck drop that made the night so memorable.
After 17 seasons with the Canucks, management, coaching staff, players and fans were able to say one final “thank you” to no. 22 and no. 33 as their numbers were hoisted to the rafters in eternal glory.
The pre-game ceremonies began with play-by-play commentator John Shorthouse at centre ice, surrounded by just over two dozen chairs, some filled and some empty. He first recognized the Aquilini ownership family, then fought off loud and expected boos towards Gary Bettman before saluting notable figures such Thomas Gradin and Brian Burke, who were instrumental in drafting the twins back-to-back, as well as former general managers Dave Nonis and Mike Gillis, current general manager Jim Benning, and long-time agent, J.P. Barry.
He went on to bring back Smyl, Linden and Naslund, who were all met with another round of thunderous applause as they stepped onto the ice from the player’s bench for the second time that week.
“Wait, there’s more”, Shorthouse stated.
He then gave everyone even more reason to stay on their feet and to continue their trip down memory lane, introducing fan-favourites such as Mattias Ohlund, Kevin Bieksa, Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler and Roberto Luongo.
It was a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans of all generations to show their appreciation and gratitude for some of the best players to ever wear the blue and green uniform during the club’s 50-year existence but, more importantly, it set the stage to welcome, for one last time, Henrik and Daniel.
After a touching, highlight-filled “Sedinery” tribute video, and after much anticipation, excitement and admiration, the twins finally made their way along the blue carpet towards centre ice. Bieksa started off the ceremony with a hilarious opening speech that had everyone smiling from ear to ear, which was followed by gift presentations from the Aquilini brothers, as well as from former teammates Alex Edler and Bo Horvat.
Finally, the guests of honour took to the podium.