As you may know, Henrik Sedin is very close to a career milestone. He is close to joining an elite list of players to score 1000 points in the NHL, and even more rare is that he’s done it all with one team. Vancouver has a love for the Sedin Twins that dates back nearly 20 years, and that means there are plenty of moments that they have used to put their stamp on Vancouver’s fabric. With that in mind, I asked our writers what their favourite Henrik Sedin moment was in the roundtable.
Question: What’s your favourite Henrik Sedin moment?
Grainne Downey
I was at the game where he became the franchise points leader and the standing ovation that lasted until his next shift was pretty cool I think that’s my favourite but there’s so many cool things he’s done that it’s hard to pick just that one. The time he passed the puck five hole on Antti Niemi is also up there.
Vanessa Jang
One that sticks out is when he scored the quadruple OT goal against Dallas in 2007. I was still pretty young back then but I think that’s my first Henrik moment as well.
Of the moments that I clearly remember, my favourite is probably when he was named Captain. It still gives me chills watching it all back.
J.D. Burke
I know this isn’t a glamorous or even sexy pick, but one of my favourite moments wasn’t an accolade or anything that even showed up on the scoresheet. For me, it goes back to before Henrik was even captain. There was a moment during a game when Shane O’Brien is losing his sh*t and yelling at Alain Vigneault, and Henrik Sedin shuts him down in a matter of seconds without so much as raising his voice. I just loved the moment because it showcased the kind of respect they command without ever having to bark or bite. It’s always been imprinted in my mind. Weird pick, sure. But I like to think it showcases one of Henrik’s most under-appreciated attributes.
Taylor Perry
It seems as if the Sedin twins have been around almost as long as I’ve been a Canuck fan, and as a result they have given us so many memories – both on and off the ice. In a Canucks uniform, the most memorable Henrik moment for me was when he scored the quadruple overtime winner in Game 1 against Dallas in 2007. My brother and I were at the game, and we had moved down a few rows behind the Canucks bench for the last couple of overtime periods (after all the suits had left). Just when I was beginning to wonder if the Skytrain would still be running when the game ended, Henrik scored one of the most famous playoff goals in franchise history.
Off the ice, the Sedins have been model citizens. Their $1.5 million donation to BC Children’s Hospital in the spring of 2010, a donation they intended to keep secret until the BCCH Foundation suggested they do otherwise, is a great example of their philanthropy. For myself, as a longtime volunteer at Canuck Place, I always have a chuckle when I see an old photo of the twins – beardless and baby-faced – hanging near the kitchen.
Always90Four
It’s tough to separate Henrik from Daniel and with every hilite, the other one is usually attached. We can talk about “the shift” or “the shift part 2”, the slap pass, or any number of things that define the Sedins together but for me, Henrik winning the Art Ross and capturing the Hart trophy is one of those things that you can’t forget. He proved to everyone that he could survive on his own merit and ultimately carried the team as Captain in his first season within a win of the Cup. The tip pass to this Daniel goal against the Flames just cements the skill he has on his own.
Tyler Horsfall
I echo @tjperry’s off the ice moment. The fact they wanted to keep their donation secret represents a lot of who they are as people. They’ve been tremendous ambassadors for the team and for the sport. Oh, and their commercial for the NHL was amazing.
On the ice, it’s tough to choose just a single moment. Outside of everything mentioned already, I think the one that stands out to me is when the refs sent Henrik to the box on Daniel’s penalty against the Kings. What a great captain!
Jackson McDonald
Even though Daniel’s hat-trick goal is probably the most memorable part of that night, it’s probably Henrik getting four assists against the flames in the final game of the 09-10 season to steal the Art Ross out of the hands of Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Hank winning the Hart that season is probably the single greatest achievement by a Canuck, and likely will be until the team brings home a Stanley Cup.
Matthew Henderson
The Dallas 4 ot winner is a classic, and one of my favourite hockey memories. Also, one of my favourite Henrik goals came in the 2009 season against the Kings, moving past the blueline he deked out Sean O’Donnell with a spin-o-rama and deke combo, which is perfect,
However, my favourite Henrik moment was his Hart trophy winning performance, and to see him take the stage and win the award was a huge moment for the Canucks franchise, and proved that the Sedins had finally received some of the league-wide recognition they had desperately deserved.
His Art Ross winning campaign made it so fun to watch, and it made you truly appreciate the star you were watching perform in front of your eyes, even with the absence of his brother.
