Henrik Sedin Henrik Sedin ( born September 26 , 1980 ) is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . His identical twin brother Daniel also plays for the Canucks . Having played together throughout their careers , the pair are known for their effectiveness playing off one another . Henrik , a skilled passer , is known as the playmaker , while Daniel is known as the goal - scorer . Henrik began his career in the Swedish Elite League with Modo Hockey in 1997 and was co - recipient , with Daniel , of the 1999 Golden Puck as Swedish player of the year . Selected third overall by the Canucks in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft , Henrik has spent his entire NHL career in Vancouver and has led the team in scoring from the 2007 – 08 season to 2009 – 10 . In 2009 – 10 , he won the Hart Memorial and Art Ross Trophies as the NHL ' s most valuable player and leading point - scorer , respectively . He was additionally named to the 2010 NHL First All - Star Team . Internationally , Henrik has competed for Sweden ; he won a gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , and bronze medals at the 1999 and 2001 World Championships . Early life . Henrik Sedin was born on 26 September 1980 in Örnsköldsvik , Sweden , six minutes before his identical twin brother , Daniel . The pair have two older brothers , Stefan and Peter . Their father , Tommy , is a school vice principal who played for Modo Hockey in the 1960s ; their mother , Tora , is a nurse . Henrik began playing organized hockey with Daniel when they were eight . They did not regularly play on the same line until Daniel switched from the centre to the wing aged 14 . Henrik and Daniel attended high school at Nolaskolan Gymnasium in Sweden while playing professionally for Modo Hockey . Playing career . Modo Hockey ( 1997 – 2000 ) . Aged 16 , Henrik and Daniel Sedin began their professional careers in 1997 – 98 with Modo Hockey of the Swedish Elite League . Henrik recorded a goal and five points over 39 games during his rookie season . In his second year with Modo , he improved to 12 goals and 34 points , joint second in team scoring with Samuel Påhlsson , behind Daniel . At the end of the season , Henrik and Daniel were named co - recipients of the Golden Puck , the Swedish player of the year award . The Sedins were considered top prospects for the 1999 NHL Entry Draft . Rated as the top European prospects , they were expected to be top five selections and expressed a desire to play for the same team . Their agent , Mike Barnett , president of international talent agency IMG , presented them with two options to circumvent the usual NHL draft process , allowing them to play together . The first option was for the pair to enter the 1999 draft and not sign with their respective NHL clubs for two years , allowing them to become unrestricted free agent s . This option required that they play junior ice hockey in North America , which was not their intention . Barnett also suggested that either Henrik or Daniel opt out of the 1999 draft , in the hope that the same team that selected the first twin would select the other the following year . On the possibility of the Sedins ' playing for separate teams , Vancouver Canucks scout Thomas Gradin commented , " They ' re good enough to play with anyone , but separately their capacity might decrease by 10 or 15 percent . " Nevertheless , Henrik and Daniel entered the 1999 draft expecting to be selected by separate teams . However , through a series of transactions , Canucks general manager Brian Burke obtained the second and third overall picks , which he used to select Daniel and Henrik , respectively . Gradin notified them of the Canucks ' intentions five minutes before the draft . On 27 July 1999 , a month following the draft , Henrik and Daniel signed three - year contracts with the Canucks . As the contract did not require them to begin playing in Vancouver immediately , they announced on 12 August they would return to Sweden to play one more season with Modo . During the 1999 – 2000 season , Henrik led Modo in scoring with 47 points in 50 games , two points ahead of Daniel . The two brothers played on a line with New York Islanders prospect Mattias Weinhandl . Vancouver Canucks ( from 2000 ) . The 2000 – 01 NHL season was Henrik ' s first for the Canucks . His debut was the team ' s first game of the campaign on 5 October 2000 , a 6 – 3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers . With the game , Henrik and Daniel became the fourth pair of twins to have played in the NHL . Three days later , Henrik assisted on Daniel ' s first career NHL goal in a 6 – 5 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning . The goal tied the game at 5 – 5 with 1 : 26 minutes left in regulation . In a 5 – 2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on 17 October 2000 , Henrik scored his first NHL goal and added an assist on Daniel ' s second career goal . Henrik tallied 29 points over the course of the campaign – second among team rookies to Daniel ' s 34 points . He and Daniel played primarily on the Canucks ' third line . Henrik improved to 36 points in his second NHL season ; he finished with five goals in his last six games , taking his season total to 16 . In the opening game of the 2002 playoffs , Henrik scored the overtime winner against the first - seeded Detroit Red Wings to put the Canucks 1 – 0 ahead in the series ; it was his first NHL playoff goal . Detroit went on to eliminate the Canucks in six games en route to winning the Stanley Cup . During the 2002 – 03 season , Henrik suffered a sprained left shoulder that forced him out of three games . He had sustained the injury during a game against the Edmonton Oilers on 14 December 2002 . He finished the campaign with 39 points . After their third NHL season , Henrik and Daniel were re - signed to one - year , US $ 1 . 125 million contracts on 29 July 2003 . The Sedins began the 2003 – 04 season on a line with first - year player Jason King . The trio were named the " Mattress Line " ( two twins and a King ) and formed the Canucks ' second scoring unit until King was re - assigned to the team ' s minor league affiliate midway through the season . On 7 November 2003 , St . Louis Blues forward Doug Weight was suspended four games without pay for a cross - check he delivered to Henrik during a game the previous day ; Henrik was not injured . Late in the season , Henrik was sidelined for five games due to an abdominal strain . Over 76 games , Henrik increased his points total to 42 . He was re - signed to a one - year contract on 10 September 2004 , during the off - season . During the 2004 – 05 lockout , Henrik returned to Sweden to play for Modo with Daniel and their Canucks teammate Markus Näslund . During a game against Mora IK on 20 November 2004 , Henrik received a slash that required a minor amputation to his left little finger . He finished the season with 36 points in 44 games , third in team scoring behind Peter Forsberg and Mattias Weinhandl . As NHL play resumed in 2005 – 06 , Henrik returned to the Canucks and scored 75 points , finishing second in team scoring behind Näslund . His breakout season was sparked , in part , by the signing of winger Anson Carter , who played on the Sedins ' line and led the team in goal - scoring . The trio matched the scoring pace of the Canucks ' top line of Näslund , Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison . Vancouver ' s head coach at the time , Marc Crawford , recalled that season as marking the Sedins ' ascent as leaders on the team , stating , " by the end of that year , they definitely were our top guys . They had surpassed Naslund and Bertuzzi . " During the off - season , Henrik and Daniel re - signed with the Canucks to identical three - year , $ 10 . 75 million contracts on 30 June 2006 . Despite the team ' s success with Carter , the Canucks did not re - sign him ; he joined the Columbus Blue Jackets the following season . In the 2006 – 07 NHL season , Henrik established himself as the Canucks ' top - line centre . Winger Taylor Pyatt , been acquired in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres during the off - season , replaced Carter as the Sedins ' linemate and went on to score a career - high 23 goals . For the fifth straight season , Henrik recorded a personal best , with 81 points ; he set a new Canucks record for assists in one season with 71 , beating the 62 by André Boudrias in 1974 – 75 . Henrik passed Boudrias on 25 March 2007 , with a three - assist effort during a 5 – 4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche . In the opening game of the 2007 playoffs against the Dallas Stars , Henrik scored a game - winning , quadruple - overtime goal to end the sixth longest game in NHL history ( and longest in Canucks history ) at 138 minutes and six seconds of play . He struggled to produce offensively in a career - high 12 games in the playoffs , however , managing four points as the Canucks were eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round . Henrik was awarded his first NHL career penalty shot on November 27 , 2007 , during a game against the Anaheim Ducks . His attempt was stopped by goaltender Jonas Hiller . In 2007 – 08 , Henrik was selected to play for the Western Conference in the 2008 All - Star Game against the East , the first appearance of his career . He recorded two assists . He won his first Cyrus H . McLean Trophy as Vancouver ' s leading scorer with 76 points . His 61 assists ranked fourth in the league for the second consecutive season . The following season , Henrik scored 22 goals and 82 points , tying for the team lead in points with Daniel . Steve Bernier had been acquired in the 2008 off - season in another trade with the Sabres , and began the season on the top line with the Sedins . Bernier was later removed ; on 12 February 2009 , head coach Alain Vigneault moved Alexandre Burrows from the third line during a game against the Phoenix Coyotes . After recording 19 points and three game - winning goals in March , Henrik was named the NHL ' s Second Star of the Month . He added 10 points over 10 games in the 2009 playoffs , helping the Canucks advance to the second round , where they were defeated in six games by the Chicago Blackhawks . Set to become unrestricted free agents on 1 July 2009 , Henrik and Daniel began negotiating with the Canucks in the off - season and were reported to have asked for 12 - year , $ 63 million contracts in mid - June . With free agency looming , Canucks general manager Mike Gillis travelled to Sweden to visit the Sedins , where they agreed on identical five - year , $ 30 . 5 million contracts on 1 July . On 30 September , Henrik was announced as one of the Canucks ' three alternate captains , replacing defenceman Mattias Öhlund , who had signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the off - season . Four games into the 2009 – 10 season , Daniel suffered the first major injury of his career , breaking his foot in a game against the Montreal Canadiens . He was sidelined for 18 games , marking the first time in Henrik ' s career that he played without his brother for an extended period . In Daniel ' s absence , however , Henrik enjoyed a high - scoring start to the season . On 14 November 2009 , he scored his first NHL career hat trick in an 8 – 2 win against the Colorado Avalanche . Leading up to Daniel ' s 22 November return , Henrik scored seven goals in seven games . He continued his pace into December , recording a league - leading 25 points ( five goals , 20 assists ) in 15 games to be named the NHL ' s First Star of the Month . The following month , he was named Second Star , having recorded 25 points in 13 games . On 7 January 2010 , Henrik moved into top spot in the league scoring race , ahead of San Jose Sharks centre Joe Thornton with a three - assist night against the Phoenix Coyotes . It marked the first time in nearly five years , since Näslund was tied with Robert Lang on 18 February 2004 , that a Canucks player held the league lead in scoring . During a 3 – 1 win against the Calgary Flames on 14 March , Henrik recorded his 416th career assist to pass Trevor Linden as Vancouver ' s all - time leader . On 27 March , he scored two assists against the San Jose Sharks to become the fourth Canuck in team history to record a 100 - point season ( after Pavel Bure , Alexander Mogilny and Näslund ) . He was named Third Star of the Month for March after scoring 24 points in 15 games . Henrik entered the final game of the regular season , on 10 April against the Calgary Flames , one point behind Alexander Ovechkin for the scoring lead . He was awarded the Canucks ' Cyclone Taylor Trophy , Cyrus H . McLean Trophy and Molson Cup as the team ' s most valuable player , leading scorer and three - star selection leader , respectively . He recorded four assists in a 7 – 3 win to finish the season with 112 points to pass Ovechkin while also breaking Pavel Bure ' s franchise record of 110 points , set in 1992 – 93 . Ovechkin failed to register a point in his last game the next day , earning Henrik the league scoring title and making him the first Art Ross Trophy winner in Canucks history . With 83 assists , he also surpassed his own team record of 71 assists in one season . In the subsequent 2010 playoffs , Henrik added 14 points in 12 games . He scored the winning goal in game four against the Los Angeles Kings with under three minutes to go in regulation to tie the series at two games each . The Canucks went on to eliminate the Kings in six games before being ousted by the Blackhawks the following round for the second consecutive year . On 19 May 2010 , " The Sporting News " named Henrik their 2009 – 10 Player of the Year . He received 108 first - place votes out of the 353 NHL players , coaches and executives polled . Ovechkin received 86 first - place votes while Sidney Crosby received 72 first - place votes . At the NHL Awards Show the following month on 23 June , Henrik , Ovechkin and Crosby were up for both the Hart Memorial Trophy , awarded to the player deemed by the media to be the most valuable to his team , and the Ted Lindsay Award , given to the best player as voted by the NHL Players Association . After losing the Ted Lindsay Award to Ovechkin , Henrik was awarded the Hart , becoming the first Canuck and second Swedish player ( after Peter Forsberg in 2003 ) to win the trophy . Henrik garnered 894 voting points , compared to Ovechkin ' s 834 and Crosby ' s 729 . He admitted afterwards to feeling like the underdog going into the awards ceremony , noting " [ Ovechkin and Crosby ] are the faces of the sport . . . to be standing next to them as the old guy , it ' s a strange feeling . " He was additionally named to the NHL First All - Star Team ; at the same time , twin Daniel was named to the NHL Second All - Star Team . It marked the first time since Phil and Tony Esposito in 1973 – 74 that two brothers were named post - season NHL All - Stars . They were also chosen to appear together on the cover of EA Sports ' European version of the " NHL 11 " video game . On October 9 , 2010 , Henrik was named the Canucks ' 13th captain in team history during a pre - game ceremony celebrating the start of the team ' s 40th season . He succeeded Roberto Luongo , who had stepped down as team captain the previous month . Early in the 2010 – 11 season , he scored his first penalty shot goal on his second NHL career attempt on November 1 . Playing the New Jersey Devils , he scored on a backhand deke against goaltender Martin Brodeur . International play . Henrik competed for Sweden at the 1997 European Junior Championships , recording three goals and seven points over six games . He joined Sweden for the 1998 European Junior Championships , the final game of which required Sweden to beat Russia by four goals to surpass Finland in goal differential and win the gold medal . Henrik recorded a goal and an assist against Russia as Sweden won 5 – 1 . In his NHL draft year , Henrik competed for Sweden at the 1999 World Junior Championships in Winnipeg , Manitoba . He recorded nine points in six games , fifth in tournament scoring and second in team scoring to brother Daniel , as Sweden failed to win a medal . Later that year , Henrik made his international debut for the Swedish national men ' s team at the 1999 World Championships in Norway . He scored no points in eight games as Sweden won the bronze medal . In 2000 , Henrik once again competed in both the World Junior and Senior Championships . At the junior tournament in Sweden , Henrik led the tournament with 13 points in seven games , but Sweden did not earn a medal . At the World Championships , Henrik recorded five points as Sweden again failed to medal . Following his rookie season with the Vancouver Canucks , Henrik made his third World Championships appearance , in 2001 in Germany . He earned his second bronze medal in three years as Sweden defeated the United States 3 – 2 in the bronze medal game . He made a fourth tournament appearance at the 2005 World Championships in Austria . Sweden missed out on the bronze medal , losing to Russia 6 – 3 . Henrik had a goal and an assist in a losing effort during the bronze medal game . He finished the tournament with two goals and six points in nine games . On 22 December 2005 , Henrik was named to the Swedish Olympic team for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , Italy . He joined Daniel , Markus Näslund and Mattias Öhlund as one of four Canucks on the squad . Competing in his first Olympics , he contributed four points as Sweden won a gold medal , defeating Finland 3 – 2 in the final . Four years later , Henrik was once again named to the Swedish Olympic team , for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver . Unlike the previous Olympics , Henrik went into the 2010 tournament as one of Sweden ' s key players : at the time of the roster announcement on December 27 , 2009 , he led all Swedish players in NHL scoring . Sweden failed to defend their gold medal from Turin , however , losing to Slovakia in the quarter final . Henrik had two assists in four games . Playing style . Throughout his career , Henrik has scored more assists than goals . Known as a playmaker , he starts play sequences that lead to goals with passes to his teammates . Many of the plays he generates are created off the cycle . Henrik ' s familiarity with Daniel ' s play enhances his effectiveness ; the pair are known for their ability to find each other intuitively with passes , often without looking . Beginning around the 2008 – 09 season , Henrik began to expand his skill - set by scoring more goals . His increased tendency to shoot was given an extra push when Daniel suffered the first major injury of his career early in the 2009 – 10 season , forcing Henrik to play without his brother and consequently pass less often . He recorded the first two 20 - goal seasons of his career in 2008 – 09 and 2009 – 10 , and increased his shot totals . With his offensive skill the prime component of his game , Henrik is known to avoid initiating contact with opposing players . Early in their career , he and Daniel were knocked off the puck easily , leading many in the media to refer to them as the " Sedin Sisters " . As a result , players have often taken advantage of the brothers ' lack of physicality by playing aggressively against them . This once led Canucks general manager Brian Burke to publicly complain , commenting during a 2002 playoff series against the Detroit Red Wings , Sedin ' is not Swedish for ' punch me or headlock me in a scrum ' . " As their careers progressed , the Sedins have worked on their strength , improving their puck possession and allowing them to play more effectively . Personal life . Henrik is married to Johanna ; they have two sons : Valter , who was born in 2006 in Vancouver and Harry , who was born on 12 May 2010 . They live together in the city ' s Yaletown neighbourhood , and return to Sweden during the off - season . In March 2010 , Henrik and Johanna made a joint $ 1 . 5 million donation , with Daniel and his wife Marinette , to the BC Children ' s Hospital ' s $ 200 - million project for a new building ; the two families requested that it be put towards a pediatric intensive - care unit and a diagnostic imaging area . Henrik commented that it was something he and his wife had wanted to do since Valter was born .