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Daniel & Henrik Sedin capping off their Canucks career in spectacular style
April 6, 2018, 3:08 PM ET [197 Comments]
Carol Schram
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Thursday April 5 - Vancouver Canucks 4 - Arizona Coyotes 3 (OT)

What. A. Night.

A meaningless game became an instant classic when Daniel and Henrik Sedin combined in overtime to give the Vancouver Canucks a 4-3 overtime win over the Arizona Coyotes in the last home game of their careers at Rogers Arena.

Here are your highlights:



Tuesday's comeback to force overtime against Vegas was great. Thursday managed to build on that—with another third-period comeback plus two Sedin goals, including the OT winner.

Daniel and Henrik admitted after the game that they were jacked up on adrenaline. Daniel finished the night with 10 shots on goal—beating out Jake Virtanen's eight-shot outburst in Detroit early in the season and an eight-shot night from Alex Edler against Anaheim in early January, when the "Pass it to Boeser" movement was kicking into gear.

It was the fourth time in his career that Daniel hit double-digits in shots but only the second time he scored multiple goals, after a hat-trick performance against Atlanta back in 2009.

Daniel finished the night with 21:12 of ice time and Henrik had 21:39. For both, it was the most they'd played all year and the first time they broke the 20-minute mark. Travis Green definitely embraced the spirit of the occasion.




It was all right on SO many levels.

When I arrived in the building, the fans were already roaring in appreciation for players like Roberto Luongo and Todd Bertuzzi in the tribute video that was rolling. As I ducked to the washroom before puck drop, I was nearly run over by the Canucks' swarm of scratches, led by a robust-looking Brock Boeser. With a comfy players' lounge as part of their dressing room area, injured Canucks don't often watch games from our eagle-eye view, but I think the group wanted to feel the pulse of the evening just as much as the rest of us. Having them milling about in a packed press box that brought back memories of the playoff runs further kicked up the feeling that "We Are All Canucks."

On the ice, there wasn't much to get excited about in the first period. Christian Fischer scored the only goal off a Goldy giveaway but the shots were 11-7 for Vancouver and the twins were already trying moves that had the potential to turn into something special.

Daniel tied the game at—what else?—33 seconds of the second period before Derek Stepan and Dylan Strome gave the Coyotes a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes.

The 50/50 was also cranking the excitement up to the next level. Seeded with $400,000 in unclaimed funds to start the night, the growth of the jackpot was tracked on the scoreboard until sales stopped at the end of the second period. At that point, the total was past $800K; even I was open to getting in on the action but the ticket seller up in our area was swarmed as I headed back to my seat for the beginning of the third period.

That moment came just before this tweet:




In the end, the jackpot set a record:




And the winner has been identified:




Once ticket sales closed, the boys went to work—outshooting Arizona 15-0 in the third period. Jake Virtanen got things started with his 10th of the year—reaching double digits in goals for the first time with just his second of the season at Rogers Arena.

Brendan Leipsic kicked the energy in the arena up to the next level when he tied the game with an absolute beauty with 11:45 left to play.




I loved the fact that it was the kids who triggered the comeback. I also loved the fact that the kids got to feel emotion in the building that took us back to the playoff years—but which many of them had never felt at Rogers Arena before. I hope that energy is a legacy that will fuel the team going forward.

The kids seemed like they got all the feels, too. A sampling:













After the game was tied, both teams seemed content to play for overtime, letting the crowd revel in every Sedin shift with chants that included "Daniel, Henrik" and Hall of Fame."

After a good deal of discussion through the season, the Viking Clap also became reality, getting several spins through the third:




Though the actual Vikings are moving on, Henrik likes it.




I like the idea of it staying as a tangible reminder of this fabulous game. When I ran into Johnny Canuck in the stairwell as I was on my way out of the arena at the end of the night, he was buzzing: "Best.Game.Ever!"

Of course, the magic moment was Daniel's overtime winner, on a 4-on-3 power play, where he has been money throughout his career. Working with Bo Horvat and the third twin, Alex Edler, the Sedins took their time setting up the play. Daniel's shooting spot up high made it that much easier for him to slide straight into celebration mode when the puck went in.




The shared first-star honours were perfect. Murph's on-ice interview was excellent. Even Oliver Ekman-Larsson and ex-Canuck Brad Richardson got swept away by the emotion.




It was only once the on-ice celebration was complete and the building started to empty that I got a bit sad. Saying "See you next year" to the arena staff on the way out always leaves me with a lump in my throat.

But what a way to end. And Daniel and Henrik will get one more chance to add to their stats on Saturday night in Edmonton.




They'll also take one more turn in the spotlight. I'll be watching.




#ThankYouSedins
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