Watermelons Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Quote I had the best seat in the house for what may have been the ground zero of Sedin bashing. It was at the 1999 World Junior Championship in Winnipeg, a tourney I'll always remember for a) the loudest fans I've ever heard; Roberto Luongo's coming-out party as an elite goaltender; and c) the Sedin twins being threatened with death and dismemberment. Quite literally. Canada was playing Sweden in the old Winnipeg Arena. It was rocking. The game ended up being no contest, a frenzied 6-1 home-team walkover. The beating wasn't limited to the scoreboard. A Swedish player — if I remember correctly it was a linemate of Daniel and Henrik — was crushed into the boards (Brad Ference's name rings a bell as the perpetrator) and had to be taken from the ice on a stretcher. I was stationed at ice level, right between the two benches, no better vantage point to see and hear everything happening. Oh, my goodness. I still have nightmares. As the motionless Swedish player was being wheeled off, the Canadian players targeted the twins for a cacophony of verbal abuse like you wouldn't believe but can only imagine. Death threats. Decapitation. Dismemberment. It was all liberally spiced with the saltiest language and slurs of all varieties. Nothing was off limits. The general theme of it was, "You're next." I do recall looking at the then wide-eyed 18-year-old brothers, who were in their NHL draft year, and wondering what they must have been thinking at that moment. Were they scared? Intimidated? Or were they simply dumbfounded at their discovery of a whole new species of animal? All these years later, 17 of them to be exact, has much changed? Well, yes and no. The Sedins are still getting verbally abused and challenged, though we need not wonder any more about what they're thinking, or how they will respond or what they're made of. They just keep answering the bell. Daniel's game-winning goal in overtime against the Florida Panthers on Monday, and his subsequent celebratory fly-by of the Panther bench and stare-down of Shawn Thornton (who had apparently prefaced overtime by making some "inappropriate" comments to the twins that infuriated them) — was a great mic drop moment, Swedish style. You talk a good game; I play one. Boom. Game over. Of course, it didn't end there. It rarely does where the twins are involved. Hall of Fame defenceman Denis Potvin, on the home-team Panthers' broadcast, called Daniel a "low life" and made some disparaging remarks about pointing fingers and peanut butter. Okay then. A near brawl erupted. And afterwards, Daniel said what is said on the ice stays on the ice but what the unnamed player (Thornton) said to two Canuck players (Daniel and Henrik) was clearly unacceptable. I think I have a pretty good idea of what Thornton said to the Sedins, but since I don't know with absolute certainty I'll take a page out of Daniel's book of restraint and just leave it at that. Potvin's comments were just silly. The real point, I guess, is that, after all these years, Daniel and Henrik Sedin are still getting the business. "I don't get it," Vancouver general manager Jim Benning said. "I really don't get it. "Daniel and Henrik play big minutes, hard minutes, against the biggest and best competition in the NHL. They go to the hard areas to make plays and score goals. They aren't finesse players off the rush; they mostly play the cycle game down low in heavy traffic and go to the front of the net. They win battles. They're strong on pucks. "They don't get injured a lot and when they do, they play hurt. They've played at a really high level consistently through their careers and they're still playing at a high level. They're leaders, on and off the ice. They're excellent players on the ice; they're even better people off the ice, in the community. "I was in Boston, part of the Bruins, and I know Boston loves its tough hockey players. Well, these guys are tough as anyone — physically, mentally, emotionally. They play the game like warriors. They still always seem to be getting challenged and questioned. I don't get that." For what it's worth, neither do I. http://www.tsn.ca/talent/the-sedins-just-keep-answering-the-bell-1.422353 Nice article by Bob McKenzie on the Sedins. I didn't see it posted here yet. It's always good to see that many respected hockey minds (McKenzie, Babcock, Hitchcock, etc.) say good stuff about the Sedins. Two other TSN analysts defended the Sedins today: Lebrun: http://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/lebrun-the-sedins-are-mistreated-and-unappreciated-1.421992 Ferraro: http://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040-i-1410/ferraro-ignorant-to-call-sedins-low-life-1.422015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry Goose Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 huge +1 from me. JB is the man too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnews Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuxfanabroad Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Always like Bobby Mack's writing. Seems a perfect blend of timing, context, stats & historical anecdotes..was my comfort food, back when he regularly penned for The Hockey News. Brilliant, as per usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I am happy that there has been so much support for the Sedins in the national media. If these guys carried a different passport, they'd be talked about the same way people talk about Sakic and Yzerman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry Goose Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 The awesome thing is you can't really argue with Bobby Mac. If he was a Lord of the rings character he would be Gandolf. I guess that would make Bettman Sauron? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Biestra Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 1 minute ago, Nuxfanabroad said: Always like Bobby Mack's writing. Seems a perfect blend of timing, context, stats & historical anecdotes..was my comfort food, back when he regularly penned for The Hockey News. Brilliant, as per usual. Yeah, he's one of the decent sports journalists out there. I remember one broadcast he talked about a game he played in rec league in the 70s where started biting the guy he was fighting, and they showed his team picture and he looked almost exactly like Ogilthorpe. Doesn't have anything to do with the topic, but an example of enjoying MacKenzie's stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swizzey Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 An absolute riveting article leaving me in tears and adoration of the twins I grow to love watching play the beautiful game. I ponder how much I have taken for granted the opportunity and privilege to watch these two Swedish sensations work their magic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Bobby Mac and Elliotte Friedman are two of the biggest supporters of the Sedins. They also happen to be two of the most respected writers out there. You can add Pierre LeBrun to that list of Sedin supporters as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkpoet Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 4 minutes ago, swizzey said: An absolute riveting article leaving me in tears and adoration of the twins I grow to love watching play the beautiful game. I ponder how much I have taken for granted the opportunity and privilege to watch these two Swedish sensations work their magic! Lol... now you're just being overly dramatic.... take your tears and your kleenex, and your jar of peanut butter and go work those fingers, sister ! /sarcasm :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X-PatLostInEdm Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 My only question is where was all this admiration from the national media when it actually might have done some good? Van fans were saying all this stuff, but we were voices in the wind. You never saw this stuff on CBC, even when we were the only Canadian team left in the fight. So, it's nice and all, but don't care what they think anymore, positive or negative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt kilgore Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 9 minutes ago, Down by the River said: I am happy that there has been so much support for the Sedins in the national media. If these guys carried a different passport, they'd be talked about the same way people talk about Sakic and Yzerman. You took the words right out of my mouth, or keyboard. I was just going to post the same. Both those players played with class, and kept their mouths shut, and the only difference is they got to hoist the cup. One wonders if we had won the cup in '11 if they'd get a little more respect. Probably not. But can you imagine a player like Thornton spewing extreme verbal abuse at either of those players later on in their careers? Or the other Thornton waving his stick in Henrik's face right in front of the ref. Or Benn and Seguin making homophobic juvenile comments about those other two on a live radio show? No way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd. Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Nuck for lyfe baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Pierre LeBrun: "I've covered this league for 21 years, and I don't know if I've met to classier guys than Daniel and Henrik Sedin" http://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/lebrun-the-sedins-are-mistreated-and-unappreciated-1.421992 Specific quote starts at about 10:50, Sedin conversation at 10:30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJDDawg Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 What a great article by Bobby Mac. "You talk a good game: I play one. Boom. Game over". Awesome. Every player on that team should get a T-shirt with that slogan on it and wear it after every game where the media can broadcast their ESPN highlights every night straight to Thornton's big screen tv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimberWolf Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Now that were losers again it's back to being lovable. Not a knock on Mackenzie who I always found fair but when we were on top all these media wold join in on the crap talking parade. Now that were no longer winning the Sedins finally get a little respect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassetgreg Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 If we had Lucic Thornton, Benn and Sequin would only have nice things to say about the Sedins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanTSN Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 2:55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocksterh8 Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Even Torts had nice things to say about the Sedins, so what does that tell ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanaholic Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 1 hour ago, Watermelons said: 1 hour ago, Watermelons said: Nice article by Bob McKenzie on the Sedins. I didn't see it posted here yet. It's always good to see that many respected hockey minds (McKenzie, Babcock, Hitchcock, etc.) say good stuff about the Sedins. Two other TSN analysts defended the Sedins today: Lebrun: http://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/lebrun-the-sedins-are-mistreated-and-unappreciated-1.421992 Ferraro: http://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040-i-1410/ferraro-ignorant-to-call-sedins-low-life-1.422015 Nice article by Bob McKenzie on the Sedins. I didn't see it posted here yet. It's always good to see that many respected hockey minds (McKenzie, Babcock, Hitchcock, etc.) say good stuff about the Sedins. Two other TSN analysts defended the Sedins today: Lebrun: http://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/lebrun-the-sedins-are-mistreated-and-unappreciated-1.421992 Ferraro: http://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040-i-1410/ferraro-ignorant-to-call-sedins-low-life-1.422015 Sometimes I just read was in on the site and then sign off and sometimes I comment. The absolute only reason to sign on tonight was to give you a thumbs up (32). Thank you for the post. When the two Dallas players were on that radio station and we were playing the STARS that night I had a sign: Not sure if I can put it on here but I will try. Unfortunately I can't load it as it is a jpg picture and it is too big and I don't know how to make it smaller. Sorry. BUT, the sign read as: TWINS R REAL STARS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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