"I was in the bathroom": Daniel Sedin, Roberto Luongo reflect on getting Hall of Fame call

It’s hard to imagine the Vancouver Canucks having a more memorable Hockey Hall of Fame weekend.

Three former players — both Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Roberto Luongo are all getting the official nod this year, a well deserved honour for three of the most iconic players in team history.

But for the trio, who were all in their first official year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, there was a bit of doubt as to whether they’d actually be picked for hockey’s greatest individual honour.

“I thought the call was going to come at noon. By 1:30 I was on my third scotch,” Luongo joked at Friday’s ring ceremony, where the inductees also saw their plaques unveiled for the first time.

Unlike baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, players aren’t required to represent a specific team on their induction plaque. Having spent 572 games with the Florida Panthers (and currently working as a Special Advisor to General Manager Bill Zito), 448 with Vancouver, and 138 for the New York Islanders, Luongo wasn’t willing to pick an NHL club to represent if he needed to.

“Team Canada,” Luongo replied.

On a rare ocassion, Daniel was left without twin brother Henrik, who is recovering from a bout of COVID-19 but expected to be in attendance on Monday for the official induction.

Where were you when you got the call?

…a place Lu can relate to 😂 pic.twitter.com/gPOVwYtRXB

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 11, 2022

“I was back in Sweden [when I found out I was inducted,” Daniel Sedin said. “I was actually in the bathroom when I got the call… they told me not to call Henrik. But I stayed away from him for 10 minutes, and then he called me back.”

Luongo was also asked about his @strombone1 Twitter account, the worst-kept secret in the sports social media scene, and whether he’d have considered using the short-lived $8-a-month fee to be verified, following Twitter’s takeover by Elon Musk.

“I never had the blue check,” Luongo said. “I never wanted to be verified, and now I look like the most brilliant one of all.”

After appearances at the Leafs home games tonight against Pittsburgh and tomorrow against, well, the Canucks, up next is the Legends Classic, where Luongo and Daniel Sedin are expected to be playing on opposite teams. And though earlier reports listed him as a defender, Luongo says he’ll be playing up front.

“I’m playing forward,” Luongo said, adding that he’d want to take the opening faceoff against Daniel.