It was 19 years ago when Daniel and Henrik Sedin were drafted second and third overall in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. It was a historical moment seeing both twins being picked back-to-back by the same team -- two guys with incredible talent that would be the cornerstones of the Canucks' franchise for nearly two decades. After 18 seasons in Vancouver, Daniel and Henrik are saying goodbye to the NHL and will retire after this season wraps up.

It is a very bittersweet moment for the fans in Vancouver. The twins have been a staple of excellence and leadership for them for so long, but them being 37 on a team that is trying to rebuild, it is probably best that everyone is moving forward.

Both Henrik and Daniel's numbers will likely both be retired in Vancouver.

Great careers

The only regret that the Sedins probably have is not winning the elusive Stanley Cup the franchise had been chasing since its birth over 40 years ago. They came within one win of the trophy in 2011 but lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games. However their playing careers were still very successful. They played basically the same number of games, with Henrik edging Daniel by just 24 games.

Daniel was the better goal scorer while Henrik racked up the assists. Daniel has recorded 391 goals, 647 assists and 1,038 points in 1,303 games. Henrik has scored 240 goals with 828 assists and 1,068 points in 1,327 games. 11 of their 18 seasons in the NHL they played in the playoffs and totaled 48 goals and 101 points between them.

They can tally a few more goals and assists in these last few games in the season, but these will pretty much be their career totals. Each twin has scored over 1,000 career points, with 2,106 total between the two. They are the second-highest in total points by two brothers in the NHL behind the Gretzky brothers. Do note that Wayne Gretzky scored all but four of the total points between him and his brother Brent.

Legacy

It is so rare to see a player not only play all 18 NHL years with one franchise, but two players who both happen to be twins. Seeing brothers play together is rare enough as it is in professional sports. It is hard to imagine how special it was for Daniel and Henrik to play together their entire career.

They may not have brought a cup to Vancouver, but they helped bring many good seasons, including several President's Trophies and a Western Conference title in 2011. It will be odd for Canucks fans and hockey fans alike to see their roster not have either of them next year, but they are trying to revamp things in Vancouver and soon there will be zero remnants of the 2011 team that got within one win of the cup.

Happy retirement, Sedins.