Vancouver Sun

SEDINS DESERVE PROPS FOR BEING ‘FIVE-TOOL’ PROS

- TOM MAYENKNECH­T The Sport Market on TSN 1040 rates and debates the bulls and bears of sport business. Join Tom Mayenknech­t Saturday from 7 to 11 a.m. for a behind-the-scenes look at the sport business stories that matter most to fans. Follow Tom Mayenkne

BULLS OF THE WEEK

The sudden retirement of the Canucks’ Henrik and Daniel Sedin is more than just a West Coast hockey story. It’s national, leaguewide and internatio­nal when it comes to the global hockey community spanning North America and Europe.

Just as Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is a generation­al talent as an individual player, the Sedins — as a pair of twin brothers collecting more than 2,000 points between them while playing all of their 17 NHL seasons for the same team — are certainly a once-in-a-generation occurrence and perhaps never to be replicated again.

Baseball has its “five-tool players,” those rare stars who hit for average, for power, run with speed, throw and field. In hockey and in the business of sport, the Sedins are “fivetool profession­als” like we’ve never seen before; a remarkable combinatio­n of assets in terms of their telepathic playmaking talent, their impeccable work ethic, their exemplary leadership abilities, their philanthro­pic generosity and, more than anything, their second-to-none quality as human beings.

If role models are still a thing in this modern era of profession­al sport, the Sedins are the rarest of prototypes.

The Sedins made this a winning week for sports talk radio, sport television and social media, especially Twitter, along with Canucks merchandis­ing and 50/50 fundraisin­g draws — with Vancouver real estate agent Derek Kai winning the biggest North American prize on record, the $507,278 share of the $1,014,555 pot.

As ESPN sport business reporter Darren Rovell pointed out, both Kai and the Canucks for Kids fund for children’s charities made more Thursday night at Rogers Arena than the Sedins did themselves (US$397,275 apiece compared to US$170,732 combined for the twins).

It was also a winning week for numerologi­sts and the numbers 22 and 33, with Daniel scoring his 22nd goal of the season at the 0:33 mark of the second period and then at 2:33 of overtime (or as some preferred to suggest on Twitter, 22:33 of the third period), both times assisted by Henrik.

And that came after their second-to-last game on home ice Tuesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights, when the regulation-time shots on goal were 33-22.

Secondary ticket prices rocketed up to 4½ times face value for Thursday’s home-ice finale, but the real winners were the fans who held on to their tickets and witnessed first-hand a glowing tribute to “Sedinery.”

BEARS OF THE WEEK

The Stanley Cup is the one hole in the resume of Henrik and Daniel. The hockey gods got that wrong.

Sure, the yin and yang of life mean there will always be critics and contrarian­s, yet those who do not fully appreciate the Sedins reveal more about themselves than anything else.

That’s why we’re so bearish on the critics of Henrik and Daniel in the face of everything they’ve accomplish­ed on and off the ice in their lives. That’s especially true of those naysayers fortunate enough to live in Vancouver throughout their remarkable 18-year NHL careers.

There’s no one more offside this week than those who do not respect the qualities required to win Olympic and world championsh­ip gold and to be automatics when it comes to the rafters at Rogers Arena, the Hockey Hall of Fame and the IIHF Hall of Fame.

 ?? GERRY KAHRMANN ?? Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who played their final home game Thursday, are the rarest of prototypes when it comes to role models in sports, says Tom Mayenknech­t, earning them the bulls of the week.
GERRY KAHRMANN Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who played their final home game Thursday, are the rarest of prototypes when it comes to role models in sports, says Tom Mayenknech­t, earning them the bulls of the week.
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