Sedins salivating over conference final

It was only must-see TV for curiosity’s sake.

Henrik Sedin emerged from watching his Swedish countrymen defeat Germany at the world hockey championship Wednesday morning and had no trouble shifting his attention to the upcoming Western Conference final. And while the Vancouver Canucks are still awaiting an opponent – either the San Jose Sharks or Detroit Red Wings – their captain can’t wait to make the right impression at the right time.

It’s a long way from Ornskoldsvik to the third round of the Stanley Cup marathon and the significance of playing at this point in the spring is apparent. Henrik and Daniel Sedin weren’t raised in an environment where an NHL championship was the ultimate achievement, but their craving for validation is obvious after 10 seasons of having their games dissected by the media scalpel.

“The world championship was No. 1,” Henrik recalled of his boyhood dreams. “Right now, it’s the Stanley Cup and there’s nothing after that. Then it’s nothing again and then it’s the Olympics, maybe, but I’ve won that already [2006]. And the world championship comes further down the list, that’s for sure.”

That’s why we saw a rare side of the calm and collected captain when the pesky Nashville Predators were finally eliminated Monday. Like a kid on Christmas morning, Henrik simply couldn’t contain himself. He jumped up and down on the bench like a video-game freak who had just scored an X-Box. And then he jumped into the arms of athletic trainer Mike Burnstein.

“It was joy,” recalled Henrik. “It’s such a big stage. The latest we’ve played is May 11 and you see teams move on and all the coverage they get. Those are the games we want to play in and we’ve never been there. To be there with the guys we have and the ones who have been here for a long time, it’s special. This is what we have been looking for.”

It will be memorable if the second-round series can be chalked up to a valuable learning experience. While Daniel scored the series-clinching goal, he had just three points (1-2) in the six games and was a minus-6, Henrik also struggled, with just four points (1-3) and was a minus-4. He looked out of sync and weary, as if he was trying valiantly to play through a suspected leg injury. Chemistry was clearly missing. Daniel has 10 points (6-4) in the postseason and is also a minus-8, but Henrik has made a point of ignoring the speculation.

“I played every game so far, so I’m good,” said Henrik, who has nine points in 13 playoff games and is a minus-8. “Against Nashville, we had a lot of pucks in their end, but it was tough to get chances down low. We’re good at analyzing our game. This whole year has been about how we prepare and play. It doesn’t matter who we’re up against, things will take care of themselves. It was a big hurdle to get over Chicago and that’s going to help us.”

The Sedins have reason to salivate no matter who the Canucks meet starting Sunday at Rogers Arena. They know the conference final will still be physical, but the up-tempo pace favoured by the Sharks and Wings could play into their hands. Daniel had six points (2-4) as the Canucks posted a 3-0-1 season-series record against San Jose, while Henrik had five points (1-4). Against Detroit, Henrik had seven points (6-1) while Daniel had six (5-1), including three on the power play.

“They were fun games to be a part of and fun games to play,” said Henrik.

Then again, the playoffs are a different animal. The space to create that was there in the regular season when the twins gained the blueline and then unleashed their artistry – or were allowed to cycle in the corners – often disappears now.

Which, of course, only ramps up the debate. Careers are defined by greatness under the glare of the biggest spotlight. Daniel entered this postseason with 42 points in 65 career games while Henrik had 44 points in 65 outings. They have both won an Art Ross Trophy and Daniel might follow Henrik and win a Hart Trophy, too. But how much of that really matters now?

“We’ve done special things in the regular season and that means a lot,” said Henrik. “It shows you worked hard to get to where you are, but if you don’t get beyond the second round, I don’t think people are going to remember us as great players. We’re not happy where we are and we’ve never been past the second round. It was a great feeling after the last game in Nashville. Seventeen years since the franchise has been here.

“To be here now with the team we have, it’s exciting.”

The only Canucks who have been to a conference final are Maxim Lapierre, Mikael Samuelsson and Raffi Torres. But that the Sedins have endured ongoing scrutiny, and Daniel finished first in scoring with 104 points and Henrik fourth with 94, says something. They left money on the table to sign here long term. Chicago was their seven-game litmus test to get past a long summer of second-guessing the roster. So was Nashville.

“To take it to the next step was a nice feeling,” said Henrik. “We’ve been through a lot here and we just kept getting better and decided to stay here, knowing the team is going to be better. It’s been lot of small steps.”

Now comes the bigger one.

bkuzma@thprovince.com

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