In 1999, then-Vancouver Canucks general manager Brian Burke selected Daniel and Henrik Sedin with the second and third overall picks. He made trades with Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Atlanta Thrashers to acquire the picks.
Related: NHLers By Country – On Top of Their Game and the World
The two wouldn’t play in the NHL until the 2000-01 season, but are one of the best duos to play in the NHL. Although they are known as a great duo, they also had great individual careers.
Rookie Seasons
At the age of 20, the Sedins became the fourth set of twins to play in the NHL. The Sedins played on the Canucks third line that season, while the West Coast Express of Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, and Todd Bertuzzi occupied the first line.
Related: Best #9’s in NHL History
The Sedins’ first career points came in their third career contest when Henrik assisted on Daniel’s first career NHL goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning to tie the game.
Henrik had 9 goals and 29 points in 82 games that season. His 29 points were the 10th-highest on the team that that season. His first goal came against the Toronto Maple Leafs in his sixth career game. Daniel’s rookie season was a bit better than his older brother’s, as he had 34 points in 75 games. Daniel established himself as the scorer of the two with 20 goals in his rookie season.
Career High
Henrik’s career-high in goals, assists, and points came during the 2009-10 season. His 29 goals, 83 assists, and 112 points are impressive since Daniel missed 19 games that season. His 112 points are the franchise-high as well, passing up Pavel Bure’s 110 points in 83 games during the 1992-93 season. That same season Henrik won the Art Ross and Hart Memorial Trophy beating, out Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. He became the 13th captain in franchise history the following season.
Although Daniel missed 19 games that season, he had his second-highest career total in points. With 85 points in 63 games, he was on pace to score 111 points, which would’ve been good for second in the league. Daniel hit his career-high in all three categories in the following season. He hit the 40-goal mark for the first time in his season and the 100-point mark for the first and only time as well. With 41 goals and 104 points in 82 games, he won the Art Ross Trophy a year after his older brother had and the Ted Lindsay as well.
Career Totals
Henrik ended his career with 1,070 points in 1,330 games, which leads the Canucks franchise. Daniel is right behind his older brother with 1,041 points in 1,306 games. Henrik’s lead on Daniel is due to him staying healthy during the prime of both their careers. He had a 679-game ironman streak, which ended after almost 10 seasons in 2013-14.
Although Henrik is ahead of his brother in points, Daniel finished his career with 393 goals, 154 more than his brother. On the other hand, Henrik had 182 more assists than Daniel.
Awards
They both won Olympic gold medals in 2006 with Sweden in Turin, Italy. They both had three All-Star Game appearances and played against each other in 2010-11. Henrik was named to the first All-Star team twice in 2009-10 and 2010-11, while Daniel was named to the team in just 2010-11 and to the second All-Star team in 2009-10. They both received the King Clancy Award as well, for demonstrating leadership qualities.
Henrik’s trophy case is a bit more impressive than Daniel’s since he won Hart Memorial Trophy in 2010-11. Daniel won the Ted Lindsay, which is awarded to the most outstanding player voted by members of the NHLPA. He lost out on the Hart Memorial Trophy to Corey Perry, who had 50 goals that season, 19 of which came in the final 16 games to help the Anaheim Ducks make the playoffs.
Who’s the Better Twin?
It is tough to determine who the better twin is because both of them had impressive careers. Henrik had impressive seasons based on points, while Daniel’s goal-scoring stands out. Henrik had 112 points in a season where his brother missed 19 games and beat out Crosby and Ovechkin for the Hart Memorial Trophy at the same time. Daniel was on a similar pace in the 63 games he played – he would be one point behind his brother had he played all 82 games.
Daniel’s goal-scoring abilities give him the upper hand between the two. He scored 20 goals in 11 of the 17 seasons he played in, while Henrik only hit the 20-goal mark twice in his career. Daniel scored 30-plus goals twice in his career and he had 41 goals in 2010-11. He holds the lead for the Canucks in goals, even-strength goals (255) and power-play goals (138). His goal-scoring ability is made even more impressive since he has the most game-winning goals in Canucks franchise history with 86, ahead of Naslund’s 49 GWG’s. He’s also second in all-time assists behind his brother.
Related: Top 10 All-Time European-Born NHL Forwards
Daniel has the edge over Henrik because he is a true playmaker like his brother but has goal-scoring abilities. Daniel holds a lot of goal scoring records for the Canucks and is right behind Henrik in assists.