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“You have to want to be the guys and the twins wanted to be the guys,” Vigneault, now the Flyers coach, said from Philadelphia.

The Canucks had natural leaders that season in Markus Naslund (33), Brendan Morrison (31), Sami Salo (31) and Mattias Ohlund (29). Trevor Linden was 36 and would retire the following season, but was still a voice of reason and a staunch supporter of the twins.

In the 2007-08 season, Vigneault saw another side of the Sedins. They had already shown the physical and mental resolve to help stake their place in the game. But they wanted more. Much more.

“I was tougher on the twins than any other players,” stressed Vigneault. “They came to see me in my office. I do a lot of teaching through video and they were growing in their leadership, responsibility and accountability.

“They said to me: ‘You know AV, if you’ve got something that might be more on the negative side — and if you could find us doing it — it might be better for the team.’”

What the Sedins meant was if Vigneault really wanted to get his message across to the group, and especially those who needed a wake-up call, why not target the twins?

“They didn’t name names or anything,” added Vigneault. “It was just their way of saying if you need to be tougher on the group, be tougher on us. We’ll be able to handle it and it will send the right message.

“They were an extension of me and were able to take the message to the room. What an impact that had and it’s such a strong memory. I’ve told it to other players I’ve coached in New York or Philly and shared it with our leaders.”