'Hometown heroes': In Vancouver, Sedins' contributions go beyond hockey
Hockey superstars remembered as much for community service as on-ice greatness
With over 2,400 NHL games and 2,000 points between them, it's fair to say that Daniel and Henrik Sedin have created more than a few on-ice memories for Vancouver Canucks fans.
But for Tony Lourenco, his fondest memory of the twins — who announced their retirement Monday — comes from off the ice.
His daughter, Lindsey, was suffering from leukemia. It was a years-long battle spent in and out of hospital.
But thanks to the Sedins, they have one fond memory from that bleak time.
"All of a sudden, Daniel and Henrik came in and absolutely shocked them. Shocked all of us as a family that they would come down and take time out of their schedule," Lourenco said.
"It has given them a memory for a lifetime."
Lindsey had a twin sister, Sadie, and Lourenco said when the two pairs got together, they connected over their unique sibling connection.
They even gave her a customized Canucks jersey: her number was one. "It was their way of saying that Lindsey is number one," said Lourenco.
Sadly, Lindsey died. But Lourenco said he'll always be grateful for the time they spent with his daughter.
And he was not alone Tuesday in Vancouver sharing fond memories of the two players who have become more than hockey players in Vancouver.
'Hometown heroes'
The Henrik and Daniel Maria Faccio knows are humble and down-to-earth — but try telling that to the kids.
Faccio is the head of philanthropy at B.C. Children's Hospital, a place where the Sedins have given a lot: most notably, a $1.5 million donation to the hospital to open an acute care centre but beyond that, many hours spent with sick kids to distract them from hospital life.
"For [the kids] it's having these heroes, these hometown heroes that come in, spend some time with them, hear their stories and give them that little bit of hope," Faccio said.
"They're truly like parents. Humble, down to earth. They do get quite shy when they see all the parents and kids go up to them and think they're movie stars."
Faccio said she's glad to hear that the Sedins are staying in Vancouver.
She said while they've already given the city so much she hopes they'll continue to make a positive impact in the lives of sick children.
'A proper goodbye'
The Sedins and the Canucks will play one last home game before hanging up their skates, on Thursday, against the Arizona Coyotes.
Dan Kooner, who shares season tickets with several friends, said until they announced their retirement Monday, it wasn't seen as such an important game. So he let someone else take them.
On Tuesday, he was one of several people buying tickets from a re-seller and willing to pay a premium.
"The Sedins have been so fantastic for our team, for our city, for all these years," Kooner said. "It'd be heartbreaking not to be at the last game."
He's been at other big Canucks games in the past: Trevor Linden's retirement game is a standout.
And a season ticket holder for about a decade, he's seen his fair share of the Sedins' magic.
"For me the last 10, 12 years have been fantastic and to be seeing them Thursday evening, say a proper goodbye, will be nice," he said.
With files from Anita Bathe