After 17 seasons as the twin faces of the Vancouver Canucks, Daniel and Henrik Sedin are calling it quits.The pair announced their intentions to retire following the team's final three games of the season via statement on the Canucks' website.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.
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 lessons on weekends. It’s time to be home for dinner every night.
We’re saying it now because we want to share these final three games with you. We also want to share these games with our families, friends, teammates, coaches, trainers, staff and everyone at the Canucks who supported us. You’ve all been with us every step of the way, and we want to thank you,” the statement read, in part.
For just short of two decades, the Swedish twins were the faces of the franchise since Brian Burke selected Daniel and Henrik No. 2 and 3 overall, respectively, in the 2001 draft.Daniel has tallied 391 goals—the franchise's all-time leader in that category—and 647 assists, good for and 1038 points in over 1300 games with Vancouver. He was a two-time All-Star, and won the Art Ross and Lester B. Pearson Trophies in 2011.Henrik, meanwhile, won the Hart and Art Ross in 2010 when he posted a career-high 112 points. He's notched 240 goals and 829 assists in 1327 contests, while serving as the Canucks captain since 2010.Vancouver has captured seven division titles with the Sedins and went all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final during the 2010-11 season before being ousted by the Boston Bruins in heartbreaking fashion. The Sedins will each retire sitting in the top three in franchise history in most major offensive categories including games played, assists, points, power play points, as well as postseason games played, assists, and points.Despite falling short in delivering a Stanley Cup to Vancouver, the Sedins reached the pinnacle of international hockey when they helped team Sweden capture an Olympic gold medal at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, beating Finland 3-2.Tickets started to vanish quickly for the Canucks' final two home games this season, with resale prices on StubHub for upper-bowl tickets starting at over $200 and climbing within an hour of the announcement, according to Stephanie Ip of the Vancouver Sun. Fans will have a very short time to pay tribute to two of the best players in franchise history, but this understated send-off is a perfect one for the humble twins who are on a short list off all-world skaters to ever suit up for the Canucks—alongside Markus Naslund, Pavel Bure, and Trevor Linden.Chemistry is unquantifiable, but watching these two play alongside each other for more than 17 years—while trying desperately to figure out how the hell one brother was able to get the puck to the other on a near-nightly basis—makes clear that sharing 99.9 percent of their DNA and genetics gave them a special sense and awareness when playing side-by-side that has rarely, if ever, been seen in the NHL.They were drafted one after another, skated on the same line for 18 seasons, signed matching contracts throughout their career, had almost identical offensive production, and will now retire together before (possibly) being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame together in a few years time. If that's not brotherly love, I don't know what is.Though there's been a few sets to lace them up in the NHL together—Rich and Ron Sutter being the most notable—the Sedins are by far the most famous and productive twins to ever play together, and it’s not even close. 
