For the first time in 18 years, Daniel and Henrik Sedin aren’t preparing for the start of an NHL training camp. It’s been even longer since the last time they weren’t tuning up for a professional hockey season.

But if the twins showed up to Canucks training camp in two weeks they wouldn’t be out of shape.

“We’ve done a few races,” Henrik told Perry Solkowski and Dan Murphy on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver. “We’ve done a bike race in Sweden and about another half-marathon trail run in Sweden so cardio-wise I think it’s as good as it’s ever been. But I think we lost a few pounds of muscle mass so that might be the problem.”

Sportsnet’s Starting Lineup Henrik Sedin: First year of retirement will be about enjoying life August 30 2018 Your browser does not support the audio element.



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The twins broke into the league all the way back in 2000 and had careers that will likely lead them to the Hall of Fame in a few years.

The two highest-scoring Canucks in team history (and only players to surpass 1,000 points) have already been back to the rink to see some of their former teammates, but are cherishing the opportunity they now have to spend time with their families. And though their competitive sides might miss the NHL life at points this season, Henrik said he doesn’t think he or his brother will regret the decision to retire now.

“Right now it feels like it won’t be (tough to be away from the team),” Henrik said. “But who knows once the season starts? You never know what’s going to happen. I’ve said all summer to people who asked that we did it on our terms, we walked away when we wanted to. We had no injuries the team didn’t force us to quit. We felt we could still play, so it was good that way.”

Like most retired players, the biggest thing Henrik said he’ll miss in retirement is just being around the players and talking with teammates. The two still reside in Vancouver, though, so the rink is just a short trip away. But while we expect to see the twins at Rogers Arena through the season, Henrik insists it won’t be every game or practice.

He thinks the team needs to have a chance to transition on its own.

“It’s important too that you let the team just be. You can’t be around them every day,” Henrik said. “That’s the good part about staying here, too. I think a lot of guys that retire they move away from the city, but we can still go down and talk to the guys. It might be once or twice a week. More than that I think might be too much.”

The other obvious bonus of retirement is they now have the freedom to do and see things they couldn’t when hockey was a full-time job – among them a ski trip in Whistler this winter.

They haven’t even waited for hockey season to attend some events they didn’t have the time to in the past — Henrik has already made the trip to Seattle to watch a Seahawks game.

“We actually stopped in London on the way over to watch the London derby — Chelsea-Arsenal — and that was a great experience. Just to be able to see other sports. Kentucky Derby is on the bucket list. Who knows, maybe the Masters? We’ll see. There’s a lot of things you want to be able to do.”

So while the Canucks are going through their own changes, moving to a more youthful roster now led by Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat – soon to be joined by Elias Pettersson – the Sedin twins are experiencing a transition period of their own.

“Before we trained every day to get better,” Henrik said. “Now I think we train so we can eat whatever we want.”