The matching haircuts, the identically manicured goatees, the sometimes uncanny synchronicity — it was all well and good. But beyond all that, Henrik and Daniel Sedin were simply one of the most dominant duos to ever take the ice in the NHL. That they were brothers was just an added wrinkle to their historic offensive reign over the West.
But, to be fair, the Sedins’ time in Vancouver was never short on intriguing wrinkles. The fact that the brothers wound up on the same NHL club initially seemed a miracle enough. That their intuitive chemistry translated so seamlessly to the big leagues was yet another bonus for the Vancouver Canucks faithful. But as the famed twins’ careers wore on, our understanding of just how unique they were got lost.
We became so accustomed to the Sedins’ greatness that their wholly inimitable presence in the game became commonplace. They were, of course, no strangers to reminding us that it was anything but — of showing us instances of their intuitive chemistry that went beyond even our most generous expectations of two players who’d spent their entire lives alongside each other:
But the synchronized magic of their game was the least of the oddities. There was also the historic context of their career-best campaigns — the fact that Henrik and Daniel each had exactly one 100-point season on their resumé, one after another in 2010 and 2011, and that, incredibly, those campaigns netted each twin a scoring title, in back-to-back years.
By far the most uncanny moment during the twins’ NHL tenure came in their final game in Vancouver, though, a wild evening for Nos. 22 and 33 as they closed out their careers as Canucks at home.
First came a goal 33 seconds into the middle frame from Daniel (his 22nd goal of the year, of course), assisted by Henrik. Then, with the game fittingly tied 3-3 at the end of regulation, an overtime winner from Daniel, assisted by Henrik, at 2:33 of the extra frame — or 22:33 of the third period, if you really want to stretch the numeric fate thin.
More? How about this: It was Alex Edler, No. 23, who got the other helper on both of Daniel’s goals that night, the latter of those tallies ranking as Daniel’s 23rd of the year. With a 7:07 p.m. start time and 9:37 p.m. end time, the game lasted exactly 2:30. Vancouver won exactly 33faceoffs in that tilt, while their opponent, Arizona, won exactly 22. The Canucks earned an edge in power-play opportunities that evening, 3-2 — and their success rate on the power play that game after Daniel’s overtime winner was, of course, 33.33 per cent.
Given how all those power plays shook out, and the time elapsed before that overtime tally was scored, when all was said and done the game’s total even-strength minutes played sat at 56:22, while the total minutes played sat at 62:33.
With the Canucks set to retire those fated digits to the rafters Wednesday night, let’s take a look back at some other noteworthy numbers that tell the story of the Sedins’ 17 years in the big leagues:
1: As mentioned above, one of the wildest accomplishments of the twins’ careers was their back-to-back run atop the league’s scoring race. In earning those consecutive distinctions, they became the one and only pair of siblings to both win the Art Ross Trophy.
2: Beyond the brother bond, Henrik and Daniel also simply had an unprecedented run as teammates. By the time they’d hung up the dream, the pair had played the second-most games together of any pair of teammates in NHL history, with only the ageless Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio besting them.
3: While the offensive totals amassed tell one side of the story of the Sedins’ impact in Vancouver, their trophy case speaks to another. In 2018, Henrik and Daniel were named co-winners of the league’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded to a player “who best exemplifies leadership qualities both on and off the ice and has made a significant humanitarian contribution in his community.” In earning his first King Clancy that year, Daniel became the third Canuck to ever win the trophy, following his brother Henrik and Trevor Linden. Henrik, in turn, became the only player to win multiple King Clancy trophies during his career, while the brothers also became the first co-winners of the award.
4: A world in which the Sedins didn’t suit up together would be a world we would want no part of. In both getting the nod in the first round in ’99, they became one of four pairs of brothers to both earn first-round selections from the same franchise. The others: Dave and Mark Hunter in Montreal, Duane and Brent Sutter for the Islanders, and more recently, Callan and Nolan Foote in Tampa Bay.
5: Impressive by sibling standards, the Sedins are no less impressive among the pantheon of the great Swedes who’ve graced the NHL with their talent. Both Henrik and Daniel rank among the top five Swedish scorers in NHL history, coming in at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. Daniel’s 393 goals rank him fifth among all-time Swedish NHLers in that category, while Henrik’s 830 assists rank him second all-time among Swedish playmakers in the big leagues.
16: Given all they’ve done together, it’s almost difficult to view either Henrik or Daniel in isolation, but given how different their skill-sets and impacts on games were, there’s plenty of individual accolades for the brothers. One of Daniel’s great distinctions: being among the most clutch scorers in history. He ranks tied for fourth all-time in career overtime winners with 16 to his name, only Alex Ovechkin (23), Jaromir Jagr (19), and Ilya Kovalchuk (17) sitting above him. Tied with Daniel at 16? Sidney Crosby and Patrik Elias. Henrik’s career was, of course, just as dominant if viewed on its own — from the time the centreman debuted in 2000-01 to right now in 2020, only four players amassed more points than him: Joe Thornton, Ovechkin, Crosby and Jarome Iginla.
90: In 2010-11, the brothers went on a tear to post a combined 198 points, with 104 of those claiming the Art Ross Trophy for Daniel. In doing so, the duo became only the second pair of brothers to ever top the 90-point plateau in the same season — the others being Peter and Anton Stastny in 1982-83.
743: Over the course of their time in Canucks colours, Henrik and Daniel combined on 743 goals for Vancouver. That sum ranks as the second-most ever amassed by two teammates together. Only Wayne Gretzky and Jarri Kurri combined on more tallies, connecting on 764 during their time together. Overall, at least one of the Sedin brothers factored in on 1,363 of 3,799 total Canucks goals scored during their tenure, good for 36 per cent of the club’s total offensive output.
1,000: You can weave a whole web of intriguing numbers based only around the fact that both Henrik and Daniel managed to surpass 1,000 points during their NHL careers. In doing so, they became the only siblings in league history to each reach that plateau. They’re also the only Canucks to ever do so, and only the fourth and fifth Swedes to ever do so. Their combined 2,107 points makes them the fourth-highest-scoring sibling duo of all time, behind the six Sutter brothers (who posted a combined 2,936), the Gretzky brothers (who very much equally contributed to their 2,861), and the Stastnys (who posted 2,169). In terms of sibling duos, the Sedins are topped only by the Gretzky(s).
1,300: Finishing with the most games in a Canucks sweater, Henrik and Daniel each surpassed the 1,300-game mark before all was said and done in their career — in doing so, they joined a select group of all-timers who logged 1,300 games with one NHL club. The only others in that loyalty club: Nicklas Lidstrom, Alex Delvecchio, Shane Doan, Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic, Stan Mikita.
6,752: In October 2018, the Canucks begrudgingly began the post-Sedin era in Vancouver. The moment was made more poignant by the fact that, over the course of the twins’ entire 17-year career, there wasn’t a single Canucks game that didn’t feature at least one of them in the lineup. The exact time in between games featuring zero Sedins: 6,752 days and 1,465 total games.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
