Welcome Matt: Sedins and Luongo set a high culture standard for Canucks
Listening to the Sedin twins and Roberto Luongo last night, you realize how lucky we were to have them, and how far away this current Vancouver Canucks group is.
Weâre talking about this edition of the Canucks having talent but not chemistry, but the Hall of Fame speeches last night illustrated how above and beyond the chemistry the 2011 Canucks had was.
The Sedins didnât just have chemistry — they had telepathy.
And the rest of the roster had symbiosis.
A well earned and now cherished possession. #HHOF2022 | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/UkqqpKOB7y
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 15, 2022
The quiet calm of Henrik and Daniel, the passion of Luongo and Ryan Kesler, the keep-em-honest narration of Kevin Bieksa, the worth ethic of Alex Burrows⌠on and on it went.
My favourite part of last night was not Hank dunking on Danny, although that was most amusing, but the words that Luongo uttered at the start of his speech looking directly at the brothers in the front row. They came from the heart, and they transcended hockey.
He talked about how much he admired them as people and how they carried themselves, not letting the pressures of this market change them.
PART 2: Roberto Luongo reflects on his goaltending partners, his career, and his family during his HHOF induction speech.#HHOF2022 | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/S7AX0XwAIw
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 15, 2022
Fame, fortune, pressure: itâs a cocktail that many canât manage. The Sedins did so effortlessly.
Luongo wanted so much to be enshrined alongside them that it was his first question upon receiving the call to the Hall. That spoke volumes, too.
It makes Henrik scoring that goal on Luongo for his 1,000th NHL point even more meaningful when you look back on the affectionate tap they gave each other on that night in January 2017.
The other thing that struck me — and the Sedins just arenât wired this way — was Henrik telling Roberto that he set the standard for those teams, that “average” wasnât going to be accepted and that the goaltender was going to make sure of it.
As we know, the Sedinsâ humanity is going to trump their other characteristics. Theyâre competitive with themselves, but they were going to be the examples, not enforcers, of standards in the room.
"To have the feeling at 23 to feel like you don't belong in the NHL, to stand here now and be part of this evening…it shows what an unbelievable journey it has been."
Henrik Sedin reflects on his career during his HHOF induction speech.#HHOF2022 | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/ahWS2etWVn
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 15, 2022
Luongo was their perfect compliment. Make a mistake on the ice that led to a goal, you were going to get glared at.
Luongo may be a softie at heart (and how many times do you think he rehearsed that bit about his brothers not making it to the NHL to be able to hold it together emotionally?), but he was a hardened competitor always looking to get better. So much so, he revamped his game under Rollie Melanson, and his relationship with the public via the Strombone Twitter account. No detail too small.
True professionals, and lucky to have found each other in Vancouver where they brought out the best in one another.
The current Canucks have drifted so far from that culture.