"One more lap boys!" It was a storybook ending for the Sedins in their home finale. Luckily they were MIC'D UP for all of it, including the post-game salute. WATCH
Points to ponder as we wonder who gave Henrik and Daniel Sedin the keys to the DeLorean on Thursday. In their final Rogers Arena appearance it really was Back To The Future as the Canucks’ dynamic duo was energized by a raucous crowd, were at their playmaking best and had just enough gas left in the tank for Daniel to net his second of the night at 2:33 of overtime on the power play to complete the rally in an unforgettable 4-3 triumph over the Coyotes:
HENRIK: ‘ONCE IN A LIFETIME’ EXPERIENCE
There was The Viking Clap.
There was the deafening roar every time a Sedin touched the puck.
There was even The Sedin Salute Tracker — a tabulation of each time Henrik or Daniel or both acknowledged the crowd from the bench — and all of that would have been enough, even if the Sedins didn’t turn back the competitive clock.
It was going to be a gigantic Love-In regardless of the result or who showed up on the scoresheet. But when Henrik rang a shot off the post on his first shift, you knew the Sedins were dialled in. They are not only going out on their own terms, they wanted to back the faithful. They did it in spades.
Daniel had 10 shots and none were blocked or missed the mark. Henrik had two shots and six attempts. And when Daniel connected in overtime, you thought the roof was going to come off the arena.
“It’s tough to put into words,” admitted Henrik. “A special moment from warm-up on and just a special night that we’ll remember forever. We couldn’t have asked for more. Nice play by Eddie (Alex Edler) on the first (Daniel) goal and I guy who has meant so much to us. And in overtime, Danny showed what he’s good at again.
“It was like Tuesday. Once we got the first goal in the third period, the crowd just carried us. We tried to stay focussed but it was tough. It seemed like every time we stepped on the ice, they (fans) were on their feet. It was nice how things ended.
“A night like that and a chance to go through it, it’s once in a lifetime and you can’t describe it the feelings. It was the whole day. When I woke up this morning, I just knew it was going to be a big day and we just tried to enjoy every minute of it.”
HENRIK ON OT: ‘I COULD BARELY STAND UP ‘
The best play in overtime came from Travis Green.
He could tell the twins were running on fumes. When Richard Panik was called for a hook on Michael Del Zotto’s one-handed attempt to get the puck past Darcy Kuemper, the sense of anticipation was obvious. So were the gasping twins.
But when Daniel pulled the trigger from the high slot and bolted down the ice like Usain Bolt in celebration before being mobbed by his teammates, everybody could finally catch their breath.
“That (winner) topped everything,” said Henrik. “When we got the power play, it felt like something good was going to happen, even though we were dead tired. We asked Greener for a time-out and he gave it to us.
“Still, I could barely stand up in overtime. The emotions throughout the day and the game really got to us. You’ve got 15 seconds to get some (time-out) energy and you’re done. We tried to keep the shifts short.”
Added Daniel: “We needed that time-out. It was huge. I’ve got to thank Greener. He played us a lot tonight (Daniel 21:12 and Henrik 21:36) and as the team gets better, it’s going to show how good a coach he is. The brand of hockey he wants to play is a lot of fun.”
Green knew the Sedins were running on empty in overtime and called the time-out.
“It wasn’t to draw up a nice, special play I can tell you that,” said Green. “I almost called a time-out before overtime. We were going to run them hot tonight.”
DANIEL: ‘THE WHOLE NIGHT WAS SPECIAL’
Welcome back to the playoffs.
That’s how Daniel felt throughout the game and especially in the third period and overtime. He was running on adrenalin and wanted his last outing in Rogers Arena to play out like a fairy tale. It couldn’t have been scripted better.
There has to be a movie in the works. Somebody call Hollywood.
“It was amazing — you couldn’t dream of a better ending for sure,” Daniel said of his winner. “I turned around and saw Marky (Jacob Markstrom) coming from the other end and he’s such a happy guy and saw him smile through his mask.
“The whole night was just special and the fans treated us nice and I hope they went home with a smile on their face, too, because it was a good game.
“A lot of guys were tired, But when you have this crowd, it keeps you going. The fans showed up and we did, too. And I hope the fans show up and support this team next year, they way they supported us through the years.”
Daniel said nothing needed to be said in the second intermission with the Canucks trailing 3-1. And, really, what was there to be said? The twins were about to play their final period on home ice and their teammates weren’t about to let them down.
“It was pretty quiet,” said Daniel. “We said we came back last game and let’s do it again and let’s finish this off the right way. I’m proud of the guys. We have a lot of good leaders in this room.”
The chants of ‘Go, Sedins, Go’ and ‘Hall of Fame’ and even ‘One More Year’ meant a lot to the twins because after some down time following the season finale in Edmonton on Saturday, they’re going to have that competitive itch to scratch.
“It’s going to sink in when September comes and that’s going to be the tough part,” admitted Daniel.
STECHER: ‘I CAUGHT MYSELF BEING A FAN’
When you grow up in Richmond and faithfully follow your hometown club, it’s something to witness what occurred Thursday. Imagine playing in the game or sitting on the bench and watching the twins look like they were in the Art Ross Trophy race?
“The perfect script,” said Troy Stecher. “Maybe the go-ahead goal to get a playoff spot would be more special but that’s as close as it gets and they (Sedins) deserve everything.”
Stecher knew when Henrik clanged a shot off the post 20 seconds into the game that it wasn’t a one-off. It was a sign that the Sedins came to play and were going to leave everything on the ice.
“Without a doubt, our whole bench knew it (effort) was coming,” said Stecher. “All game they were making plays and beating guys 1-on-1 and they were just a real treat to watch. From the bench, I caught myself smiling and laughing and being a fan and tapping my stick on the boards.
“A special night and pretty cool to experience. It kind of sums up their careers. Hardest workers. Best leaders. Incredible skills.
“I’ve just tried to embrace their presence and their professionalism. This ranks right up their with winning a national (NCAA) championship and I will never forget it.”
Maybe Alex Edler put it best.
“The twins were on fire,” he said. “This meant a lot to me and I was so happy to be a part of it and so happy for them. It was going to be a great night anyway, but it was a perfect ending.”
GREEN: ‘THEY EMPTIED THE TANK’
Green was laughing a lot in his post-game address.
The Canucks coach, like the rest of us, couldn’t quite grasp what we were seeing. The Sedins were in vintage form. They ate up minutes. They tried their patented plays. They combined for four points and Henrik set up Daniel for the winner. Good times.
“There were some moments where you can’t help but listen to the fans and look at what’s going on. It was a hell of a night — unbelievable,” said Green. “I was pretty sure we were going to get their best tonight and they emptied the tank, that’s for sure. They were on.”
It wasn’t just good for the Sedins and the fans. It was good for younger players to embrace the atmosphere and see first hand how future Hall of Fame players leave it all on the ice.
“To experience that was special for me and the players,” added Green. “They (Sedins) are leaving a legacy behind in how you be a good pro.”
THE SEDINS: MARATHON MEN?
Daniel isn’t hitting the couch. He may starting training for a marathon.
“There is some truth to that,” he said. “Maybe the Vancouver Marathon next year. I love running and it’s a big part of our training routine in the summer and we’ll keep doing that.
What about Henrik running a marathon?
“We’ll see,” added Daniel. “We love running and we’ll keep doing it and if we feel we can run a marathon, we’ll do it.”
And what else to fill the hockey void?
“Family for sure,” said Daniel. “We’ll keep working out and training and there will come a time when we need something meaningful outside of family. That will take time and we’ll make sure it’s the right decision.”
What about Canucks alumni hockey?
“I could start right away,” said Daniel.
THE SEDINS: BURKE’S FINEST MOMENT
Brian Burke’s brash, bully-like bravado allowed the Canucks general manager to complete a complicated scenario to secure the second and third overall picks to land Daniel and Henrik Sedin in 1999.
It seems fitting to re-visit my breakdown with Burke about a seminal moment in franchise history.
“That was the hardest deal I’ve ever made and the most work I’ve ever put into a trade,” he started. “I know they told us they weren’t coming unless we got them both.”
Here’s how it all went down:
1. WINDY CITY CALL: The Canucks had the third overall pick, but quietly got the fourth from Chicago GM Bob Murray.
“We got it from Chicago a week before the draft, but we didn’t tell anybody,” said Burke. “I didn’t file the trade with the league until the following Friday before the draft.
“The deal was a first-round pick (Pavel Vorobiev in 2000) — the extra pick we got in the Bure deal — so we felt we could spring for a first and then [trade] Bryan McCabe. It was a very expensive trade, but we felt the twins were worth it.”
2. DUDLEY DO-RIGHT: Tampa Bay held the first overall pick, which meant Burke had to convince GM Rick Dudley to part with it. It was tough.
“I had some difficult and profane conversations with him that night,” said Burke. “I told him: ‘Nobody is leaving with these kids except me.’ And finally I told him we had two of the top four picks [third and fourth overall] and he said that hadn’t come across yet.
“I said it was registered a couple of hours ago.”
3. SLEEPLESS IN BEANTOWN: Despite his pleas, Burke didn’t have the pieces in place the night before the draft to swing the Sedins deal.
“I went to bed that night and didn’t have the deal,” he said. ‘It was 2:30 in the morning and we both swore at each other and hung up.”
4. THE MORNING GLORY: Burke pacing the floor is an entry draft fixture. Before the first-overall pick was announced, Burke’s persistence put the deal in place. The Lightning gave the Canucks the first and third overall picks in exchange for the fourth, 75th and 88th picks.
“Now we had No. 1 and No. 3 and I didn’t want to go up there [podium] twice,” said Burke. “I said to Atlanta [GM Don Waddell]: ‘You’re a brand new team and do you want to draft first first overall? Go up there first and be the stars of the show, but you’ve got to give me your pick.’
“We got the pick.”
The Thrashers would later select Patrik Stefan first overall.
5 MAD SCRAMBLE: Burke had his picks, but assistant GM Dave Nonis had to complete them before the draft because there are no time-outs in the first round.
It was a tense time before Burke announced that the Canucks would claim Daniel second overall and Henrik third overall.
“It was like: ‘Davey, you’ve got to get these deals done,’” recalled Burke. “He did and I went up and told the twins you’re coming to Vancouver.
“They walked up on the stage and I didn’t know which one was which. I held out the sweaters and Danny took his. That’s why they wear 22 and 33 — they were second and third overall. They wanted higher numbers, but I don’t want my players to wear high numbers.”
bkuzma@postmedia.com
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It took 18 years for hockey to tire out the Sedin twins.
Also, it took a weeklong love-in so endearing everyone in Vancouver seemed to want to play a part in it. It took a lineup of tributes which, at this rate, may not fizzle out until June. And it took the most emotional game the Sedins have ever played.
If someone could adapt Thursday’s NHL game into a Broadway-like show it would play to sellout crowds in Vancouver for years. There would be an emotional powerhouse story told and through it the most satisfying piece of art the city has ever seen.
On paper, the Sedins’ curtain call in Vancouver was a thrilling 4-3 overtime win against the Arizona Coyotes. But if you were there, or watching the broadcast, it was a robust, inspiring emotive experience that felt more like a guided tour through a rich museum than a sporting event.
Oh, the sporting part of it was incredible and better than anyone could have hoped. But the historical angle, the what-this-means portion of the night, pierced right through the centre of your heart.
Together, both elements left the Sedins admittedly exhausted. Now they have to do it one more time in Edmonton — and with feeling.
They will dig in one last time, but they are on fumes.
Against Arizona, Vancouver head coach Travis Green didn’t let the city down. He played the Sedins more than 21 minutes each and gave them huge roles in overtime. They made the coach look good with a series of dominating shifts where they got that signature cycle going one final time in Vancouver.
The crowd fed them but they fed the crowd, too. The feeling from the audience went from “this is cool” to “I can’t believe what I’m seeing” over the course of three periods.
Whatever happens in Edmonton, it can’t top Thursday night and that’s how it should be.
The day started like any other for the Sedins. They drove to the rink the same way they have for the past 700 trips, give or take a couple.
They took the optional, like they almost always have, passing on the game-day skate, a routine some have dubbed “The Swedish Holiday.”
More players than usual gathered in the morning behind the locker-room in what they refer to as “The Swedish Lounge.”
They had a team meeting, and their coach shared a video of some of their most beautiful moments.
“It was when we looked like some of the younger guys in here,” Henrik joked.
Funny because that’s how they looked in Thursday’s game, too.
Fuelled by either adrenalin or magic, and we’re leaning toward the latter, the Sedins put on a show that would have impressed even during their eight-year run of offensive dominance.
From 2005-13, Henrik was fifth in NHL points and Daniel eighth. Together for those eight years, they were the most potent line in hockey.
Well, they were again Thursday.
They combined with Alex Edler on a tick-tack-toe goal pulled from the 2011 yearbook. Daniel scored that one and the overtime winner too, a goal birthed from the type of persistent puck possession shifts that so often whittled opponents down to the nub.
It brought the house down.
Asked what he will take with him, Henrik said it’s what happened from that game-winning goal on.
It was a sequence where they celebrated with teammates before skating their final, slow laps around Rogers Arena saluting the fans with whom they’ve forged this dynamic bond.
The performance was so stunning because it’s been a long time since the Sedins have played with that kind of speed and ferocity. It’s part of the reason fans started chanting “one more year.”
But in what was his most telling comments yet, Henrik explained why that just can’t happen.
“We’re at peace,” he said. “It was a great ending. It couldn’t have finished any better. But we’re done. There’s no coming back.
“We’ve been gone a lot (because of road trips). But even when we’re home, we go to games at 3:30 p.m. every day. (The kids) come home from school every day at 3:30 p.m. We never see them.
“They’re in bed when we get back. I have seen a lot of their soccer games. I haven’t seen a lot of their hockey games. It’s going to be fun to be a part of it now.”
For most of us, the most compelling parts of the night were wrapped up in either the Sedins or some of their memories.
One of the things that stuck with them was the visuals on the scoreboard when the camera panned to their kids.
“When I saw them playing rock, paper, scissors, I thought it was the right decision (to retire),” Daniel said.
That’s because they want to miss as few of those moments with their kids as they can.
jbotchford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/botchford
NEXT GAME
Saturday
Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers
7 p.m., Rogers Place, CBC, SNETP, SNET 650 AM
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Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com
There was only one star Thursday night.
One for Henrik Sedin shared with his brother Daniel.
It’s the only way their NHL careers with the Vancouver Canucks should have ended, with a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes, with the Sedins supplying the overtime magic.
Two stoic superstars saluting the city with which they made an extraordinary bond.
An emotional week ended in an exciting game that was filled heart, soul and the Sedins.
When it was over, the Canucks’ greatest two players of all time said thank you, their sticks held to the sky as they did their final laps on the Rogers Arena ice.
Their fans responded, expressing this with a long ovation: “We love you.”
There was the three stars announcement and an interview with Sportsnet from the bench that made up a post-game scene that won’t ever be forgotten. It was a game in which the fans adoringly chanted “one more year.”
Only if that were possible.
The game was marked by a string of wonderful tributes, featuring lots of footage of the early years, reminding everyone of just how far the Sedins have come.
This is what we learned:
The past two games have been among the best of the season
The crowd was on fire and so were the Canucks. They fought back from two goals down in the third period and got it into overtime.
And then it happened.
Daniel scored the game-winning goal 2:33 into overtime.
It was destiny. It was beautiful. And it was assisted by his brother Henrik.
The Sedins have another gear
If there are any regrets it’s that in their final three seasons the Sedin twins never got into the playoffs.
They gave a glimpse of what that could have been when they exploded out of the starting blocks to begin Thursday’s game against the Coyotes.
Maybe it was the adrenalin but the Sedins charged down the ice on their first shift like they were 27 years old and not 37. They nearly scored, too. Henrik shot one off the post and then swung his head back in frustration.
Of course he did. The last time he scored a goal in Vancouver was 15 months ago in January, 2017.
It’s difficult to believe but it also explains why there won’t be “one more year” for the Sedins.
The Sedins scored a throwback goal
It was one more time and with feeling.
On the rush, the Sedins combined for a highlight-worthy goal that could have been pulled from the years they won back-to-back Art Ross Trophies.
Henrik made the play happen with some unexpected speed and some wicked edge work in the offensive zone. Alex Edler helped by making such a pretty play through the slot he brought the Coyotes’ star defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to his knees.
Daniel finished the play, scoring his 22nd goal of the season. The best part? The goal was scored 33 seconds into the period.
Somethings happen for a reason. The winger wearing No. 22 scored his 22nd of the season at the 33 second mark, on a goal set up by Nos. 23 and 33.
Oh yes, that was some fun.
Crowd saved one of its biggest ovations for Derek Dorsett
The Sedins weren’t the only ones being feted Thursday.
The Canucks handed out their year-end awards, voted on by their fans. Brock Boeser made an appearance winning the most-exciting player and Alex Edler was named the team’s best defenceman.
But Dorsett, who was forced into retirement by injury, was announced the Canucks’ unsung hero and it brought the house down.
Jake Virtanen’s speed is difficult to contain
He grew up a Canucks’ fan, idolizing the Sedin twins.
It is fitting then on their home finale, Virtanen scored. It was a rocket of a shot off a faceoff.
His speed looked dominant in the second half of Tuesday’s game against Vegas. It was the same story against Arizona.
He created his own partial breakaway, flying by defenders before trying to slide the puck into the net five-hole.
It didn’t work but man it was some display of raw power and speed.
The fans made the Viking clap happen
There’s been a suggestion before when Henrik reached milestones that the crowd should shower him with something called the Viking clap, a cheer common in soccer in Sweden.
No one could pull it off before, but Thursday it was something to see.
The clap started the third and the fans managed to get it going a couple more times before the game ended.
Brendan Leipsic scored like the Sedins
It was the best goal of the game and will go down as one of the most exciting of the season.
Leipsic raced to a loose puck, passed to himself and then completed a spin-a-rama, before dunking the puck in the net.
If you squinted your eyes for just a moment, it was like he was Daniel Sedin in his prime.
jbotchford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/botchford
NEXT GAME
Saturday
Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers
7 p.m., Rogers Place, CBC, SNET 650 AM
With the Sedins on their way out, it’s time for another Pat-cast, powered by Eagle Ridge GM. Jeff Paterson and Jason Botchford discuss the big announcement and what it means moving forward. They share Sedin memories of being around them for years on and off the ice, relive the night at Rogers Arena on Tuesday and the outpouring of emotion. Listen here:
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