Sedin’s praise humbles Boeser
Sedin stokes debate, saying rookie’s ‘most natural goal-scorer I’ve played with’
Brock Boeser thought it had to be a misquote.
When Henrik Sedin said the rookie is the “most natural goalscorer I’ve ever played with,” it set off a Twitter storm of compliments, comparisons and, of course, debate.
What about Daniel Sedin or Markus Naslund or a host of others who have been on his line?
It’s why the Vancouver Canucks winger was convinced something must have been lost in translation when the captain offered that assessment after Boeser scored in the opening period Monday in Winnipeg.
“Did he say that, really?” asked a stunned Boeser. “Or did he say may or might?”
Nope. He said what he said. “Really?” Boeser said again. “That’s a huge compliment. I still can’t say that’s true because it’s early in my career.
“It’s really humbling to hear that from Henrik. He and Daniel are going to be Hall of Famers for sure, so it’s pretty cool that he said that.”
It’s not really that surprising either.
At 20, Boeser has joined Bo Horvat as poster boys for everything that’s right about the NHL organization’s new-found commitment to the kids.
And it’s not just the rookie’s 16 goals after 28 games heading into Wednesday’s meeting with the Nashville Predators. Only Teemu Selanne (23), Eric Lindros (21) and Alex Ovechkin (18) have had more goals in the same number of games as first-year players.
What sets Boeser apart is a willingness to get better and his lofty numbers speak to the commitment.
“It’s pretty shocking obviously,” added Boeser. “I didn’t know I was going to start the year here. After last season, people were saying they didn’t even know if I would be able to stick with teams being more aggressive against us.
“I just wanted to come in and try to fit in and build my confidence as the year went on. Playing with the Sedins, I know their tendencies and consistencies. You just need to find some open ice and they will find you with the puck.”
Add that to his humble nature and you understand where Henrik was coming from with the summation of a rookie who’s on a 45-goal pace. And he might be a better person than a player, but the player is something special.
“Watching him every day, he has the touch,” said Henrik. “He finds shooting lanes that no one else can find and that’s impressive. Even scoring from out there (in Winnipeg) on a wrister, not many guys can do that. Even if he has the lane and room to shoot, he’s still way out and that was an impressive shot.
“Some guys have it and some don’t. Daniel scores in a different way than Brock or Markus did, but to score the way Brock is, that’s different.”
A sense of lineup entitlement is the worst possible scenario for any young player, especially a rookie. It’s only natural to feel you’ve made it when considerable work was done just to get to this level. Maintaining focus and consistency is something else.
That’s what the Sedins love about Boeser.
He did the work when challenged in July to get stronger. He didn’t pout when held out of the first two regular-season games. His eyes and ears were open and his mouth was shut.
“Obviously it’s nice to know they think that,” added Boeser. “Growing up, I’ve always been that type of kid. I know I’m really lucky with the talent that I have and very few individuals get to play out their dreams.
“I know I’m lucky and that’s part of the reason I come to the rink every day to be better each and every day.”
Said Henrik: “It’s nice that he’s scoring goals, but to see that (work ethic) on a daily basis, that’s special. And he keeps doing it. It doesn’t matter if he’s coming from a hat-trick game or hasn’t scored in three games. He’s the same guy every day.”
Troy Stecher was Boeser’s teammate at North Dakota. When the winger put up 60 points in 42 games as a freshman, Stecher knew there was something special about the kid.
When the 23rd overall pick in the 2015 draft met the challenge against the big, physical and talented Jets Monday, Stecher actually laughed.
“He’s done that at every level — it doesn’t matter who he plays with,” said the Canucks defenceman. “It (the goal) was pure. Our whole Dcore started laughing. It’s just automatic for him. A special talent. It’s fun to watch.
“I wasn’t surprised that he would have success, just maybe not to this magnitude. That comment that Hank made, I grew up here. I watched Naslund. He was a legend. He had 800 points (actually 869) and for Hank to say that, that’s pretty high praise for Brock.”
Maybe coach Travis Green put it best.
“Every day, you have to reset and go about it again,” said the Canucks bench boss. “Brock knows he has to score in certain areas and can’t just be sitting on the back side and looking for one-timers. He really hasn’t scored a lot of goals that way. He has done it other ways.”
That’s a huge compliment. I still can’t say that’s true because it’s early in my career.