Bieksa Reveals Sedin Twins Used To Switch Jerseys, Trick Linesmen

During their 17-year reign with the Vancouver Canucks, Henrik and Daniel Sedin not only dominated the NHL, but also had some fun and pulled off epic trickery as identical twins.

Via NHL Breakers on Instagram, former teammate Kevin Bieksa recently revealed that the Sedin twins would occasionally switch jerseys ahead of preseason games, All-Star Games and “probably more” events. It would all be “just for fun,” and carried over into their pro careers following years of doing it at the minor hockey level.

He also said that if one brother got excused from the face-off dot, he would go talk to the other and then go right back for the draw. The linesman would think they switched and dropped the puck without issue.

There have been other times that the twins have been mistaken for one another. Former coach Marc Crawford used to mix the two up, as did Alain Vigneault and several media members. And, in a 2014 Canucks tilt against the Los Angeles Kings, the officials called Daniel for hooking. However, they confused the two and ultimately sent Henrik to the box off to the box. He stayed, amused, and served the two-minute minor.

There are ways to tell the brothers apart, though. Henrik is one inch taller (6-2) than Daniel (6-1). Daniel’s jaw is also squarer than Henrik, who also has a higher hairline. Besides the subtle differences, it was easy to get them confused, as they had the same hairstyle and facial hair.

Both Henrik and Daniel also hold multiple franchise records for Vancouver. Henrik is the Canucks’ all-time leader in assists (830), and Daniel is second with 648. Daniel is the all-time goals leader (393). Henrik and Daniel also rank first in second in points (1070, 1041) and games played (1330, 1306).

READ MORE ON WHN: Breaking Down The Washington Capitals’ Blue Line Battle

The Swedish twins played their entire careers side by side and were linemates most of the time. In the 1999 NHL Draft, former Vancouver general manager Brian Burke traded up and both Sedins together, second and third overall. They hung up the skates together as well, retiring at the end of the 2017-18 season. Their numbers 33 and 22 were also raised to the rafters, and the two were both named to the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2022.