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Sedins’ reputation for being soft angers Tortorella

Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin

Vancouver Canucks’ Daniel Sedin, right, celebrates his goal against the Calgary Flames with his teammate and twin brother, Henrik Sedin, both of Sweden, during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday January 5, 2011. The goal is the 10,000th in the history of the Vancouver franchise. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)

AP

Daniel and Henrik Sedin are both skilled forwards that have been performing at an elite level for the better part of a decade. They’ve also been referred to as soft, and that’s a label Canucks coach John Tortorella passionately disagrees with.

“I’m not sure who started it but I’m sure there are a couple of know-it-alls out there who always talk about it,” Tortorella said, according to the Vancouver Province. “But they don’t have a clue what these guys are about.”

He added, “It pisses me off, the reputation that’s still out there. It’s so undeserving and so disrespectful.”

Tortorella pointed to the twins’ puck protection skills and work along the boards as evidence of their toughness. He also feels that people look at their level of skill and just assume they don’t have a game beyond that.

The Sedin twins have become the cornerstones of the Canucks’ franchise and will remain in that role after agreeing to matching four-year, $28 million extensions today.

They are 33 years old, so the Canucks are gambling on the idea that they won’t regress significantly over that span, but if you’re going to make that kind of bet, these are the guys you want to do it with. They have stayed relatively healthy throughout their careers and haven’t slowed down significantly yet.

Not to mention that they have clearly earned Tortorella’s respect.

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