Sedins, Luongo, Alfredsson enshrined in Hockey Hall of Fame
CBC
During his Hockey Hall of Fame induction speech, Henrik Sedin didn't miss the opportunity to take a playful shot at his twin brother, linemate — and as of Monday night — fellow inductee.
"It came down to a last-minute decision to attend," he said in his speech. "But as our coaches always said, 'Henrik at 70 per cent is a lot better than Daniel at 100."'
The Sedins, Canucks teammate Roberto Luongo, former Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, Finnish women's national team player Riikka Sallinen and builder Herb Carnegie were welcomed into the hall as the class of 2022 on Monday.
Selected No. 3 at the 1999 NHL draft — one spot behind Daniel — Henrik Sedin owns a big chunk of Vancouver's record book as its leader in assists (830), points (1,070) and games played (1,330) in his 17 seasons.
The centre playfully offered his two cents in the never-ending debate about which of the symbiotic Sedins, who terrorized a generation of defenders with their vision and skill, was better.
"I missed 30 games in my career and Danny's production was not the same," he said with a smirk. "In 2010, Danny missed 20 games ... I had 11 goals and nine assists.
"With Daniel I was barely a 20-goal scorer. Without him I would have been a career 45-goal scorer."
WATCH | Daniel and Henrik Sedin's jerseys raised to the rafters:
Henrik won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Art Ross Trophy as its leading scoring in 2009-10. He added 78 points in 105 playoff games that included the Canucks' run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final.
"You have always been a calming influence in my life," Daniel, who spoke before Henrik, said of his brother. "In my mind, you are both a better hockey player than me [and] better person than me.
Daniel Sedin's 393 goals — many of them off a pass from Henrik — top Vancouver's all-time list, while he sits second behind his twin in assists (648), points (1,041) and games played (1,306). He put up 71 points in 102 playoff appearances.
"I want to thank whoever it was that selected me to speak first," Daniel said with a laugh. "It reminds me of draft day."
WATCH | 5 things about the Sedin twins:
The younger Sedin, by a whole six minutes, won the Ted Lindsay Award as league MVP voted by NHL Players' Association members as well as the Art Ross in 2010-11.
