#19MarkusNäslund - 12: The Sedins

Naslund, 27 at the time, was seven years older than the Sedins when they arrived, but he was quick to take them under his wing and help make sense of their new surroundings.

“He was a huge help off the ice at the start,” said Henrik. “Just getting apartments, doing all the bills, everything was new that way. We only lived in our own place for a year before moving over, so there were a lot of new things.

“Having a guy from our hometown was great. To come from our city to Vancouver with so many people living here in such a big city, and to have a guy that’s from your neighborhood and he plays here and he’s been here a long time, so it makes you believe it’s not such a big step.”

“He’s a guy that came from the same home town and had a lot of success in the NHL and you see a lot of similarities between personalities between the three of them,” said Kevin Bieksa.

“Markus being very easy going, even keel and you see that with the twins, they don’t get too high or too down. They’re good genuine people, good family values and I see a lot of similarities.”

The Sedins went to Naslund with questions about anything and everything before getting on their feet; Naslund was a mentor to two of hockey’s biggest up and coming stars and he’s a major reason the twins are where they are today.

When Naslund spoke, they listened. Daniel still reflects back to one talk in particular when the Sedins are facing adversity today.

"Where do you start?," asked Henrik, the reigning Hart and Art Ross Trophy winner. "For us, it was just having him here when we came over. You walk into the dressing room and there's a different language and you're on the other side of the world. The pressure is a lot bigger over here from fans and the media. And then you see a guy sitting next to you and he's from the same neighbourhood back home. 

"You see the way he carries himself and interacts with the players and media. He showed us that it's possible."

"He took a franchise from nothing to being a contender," said Daniel, who matched Naslund's assist total with 56 helpers last season. "When we lost games or played bad, he was the most upset. That didn't really come out to fans or the media. He never showed it, but he did in this room.

"We always looked up to how he played, but off the ice was the number-one thing. It was how he treated people and also his competitive nature. There is pressure to win, but in our first years we realized as a Canuck that you have to be good in the community, good in front of the fans and the media.

"If it wasn't for him, I think a lot of players on this team would be a lot different. We try to do the same with the younger players."

"That's going to make up for a lot of things he missed out on," said Henrik. "Growing up in Sweden, you don't realize how big this is. But playing here now for 10 years, this is the biggest thing you can have except for winning the Stanley Cup. I know Markus is really excited about it. I'm sure he's going to shed some tears."

"It's going to be an amazing night," summed up Daniel. "It's so well deserved."