Vancouver Canucks’ Henrik and Daniel Sedin have decided to call it quits and retire from professional hockey after this season. The 37-year-old brothers, known in the NHL world as “Sedin twins,” have announced their decision in a letter titled “Thank You Canucks Fans.”
“We started the year with the mindset that a decision would be made in the postseason. But it became clear, after discussions with our families throughout the year, that this will be our last season. This feels right for all of us,” – wrote the brothers in the statement. “Being part of the Canucks family for 18 seasons has been the best period of our lives. But it’s time to focus on our families and life after hockey. It’s time to help with homework every night. It’s time to be at every birthday party and to stand in the cold at every hockey rink, soccer game and riding lesson on weekends. It’s time to be at home for dinner every night.“
After starting professional careers in their native Sweden, Henrik and Daniel entered the 1999 NHL Entry Draft expecting they will be drafted by separate teams although they wanted to continue playing together. Luckily for them, Vancouver Canucks made a series of trades, which allowed them to take the twins with second and third overall pick.
“Sedin twins” went on to have a successful NHL career, with Henrik winning the league’s MVP award in the 2009-10 season. Brothers also won the Art Ross Trophy, given to the league’s leading scorers, in consecutive years; Henrik did it during his MVP campaign and Daniel repeated the feat a season later.
Henrik and Daniel saw a decline in their playing time this season since the team wanted to play their younger players more. Still, the brothers managed to be effective with less time on ice; Henrik has 48 points in 79 games while Daniel has 52 points in 78 games.
