Henrik and Daniel Sedin and the 10 Best Families in NHL History

As the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals begin in Vancouver Wednesday, all eyes will be on the Canucks two best players, Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

The two twin brothers have grown up playing the game of hockey together and are both huge stars in the NHL.  Hockey has always had a family tradition, and the Sedins are the latest in a long line of family combinations.

Whether it is a father and son out on the pond playing, or two brothers dominating the local pee wee league, hockey has always been a family affair.

So, with the Sedin brothers in the spotlight of the Stanley Cup Finals, we will look at the 10 best families in NHL history.

Now, when compiling this list, I looked at combinations where all members were good to great players in their own right.  In other words, the whole family had to pull their own weight.

If not we would simply say that Wayne Gretzky and his brother Keith were the highest scoring brothers of all time.  Only problem is that Keith only netted one goal and three assists. 

The Gretzkys weren't good enough as a combo to be on the list.

If I've omitted anyone, let me know in the comments.

10. The Sutters

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11 Mar 1994: Center Brent Sutter of the Chicago Blackhawks works against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks during a game at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. Mandatory Credit: J.D. Cuban /Allsport

The Sutters are the first family of hockey.  With six brothers all contributing in the NHL, the six brothers combined for over 5,000 games and six Stanley Cups.

Brian, Darryl, Duane, Brent, Rich and Ron ensured that there was a Sutter brother in the NHL from 1976 through 2001. 

If that isn't impressive enough, the six have potted 1,320 goals as a six-pack.  The leader was Brent Sutter, who ended his career with 363 goals and 829, making him the Art Ross of the Sutter household.

The league isn't through with the Sutters, or maybe it is the other way around.  Several of the Sutter boys have found their way behind NHL benches and front offices.

Unfortunately for the Calgary Flames, the combination of General Manger Darryl and coach Brent did not work out, with Darryl eventually resigning.

The Sutters, as players, were all similar. Gritty players who always skated hard and were willing to get dirty on the ice.  And while they may not have been the most prolific scorers on our list, they make it by their sheer numbers alone.

9. Cammi and Tony Granato

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19 Feb 2002: Cammi Granato #21 of the USA celebrates her goal against Sweden with teammates during the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games at the E Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Cammi Granato may be the best female hockey player ever.  She is also the sister of long time NHL player Tony Granato.

Tony played 14 seasons in the NHL from 1988 to 2001.  Tony played for the Rangers, Kings and Sharks before he hung them up.

His best scoring season came in 1992-1993 with the Kings, when he scored 37 goals and 82 points.  Never a top scorer, Tony was a solid pro and ended his 14 year career with 492 points.

Cammi was one of the first females inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.  She has an Olympic gold and silver medal as the captain of Team USA.

In 54 official international games, Cammi scored 54 goals and had 96 points.  I think that is pretty good and makes the Granatos one of the best hockey families ever.

8. Scott and Rob Niedermayer

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NEW YORK - JANUARY 20: Brothers Rob Niedermayer #44 (L) and Scott Niedermayer #27 (R) of the Anaheim Ducks combine to check Chris Drury #23 of the New York Rangers on January 20, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Duc

Scott Niedermayer is simply one of the best defensemen to ever lace them up.  He played an amazing 18 seasons in the NHL and never seemed to age.

He only played for two teams, the Devils and Ducks, but no matter where he played or what level, he was a winner.  In his hockey career, he has been part of a team that has won the Memorial Cup, the Junior World Championships and IIHF World Championship, a World Cup, two Olympic Gold medals and four Stanley Cups.

Not too mention multiple All-Star games, a Norris Trophy and a Conn Smythe Trophy.  Scott is simply a winner who, along the way, rang up 740 career points.

His brother Rob is not as flashy, but has been a solid player who began his career in Florida in 1993 and played for the Sabres last season.

Rob has been a good defensive forward and played with Scott on the Ducks 2007 Stanley Cup Championship team.

The Niedermayers are one of the best hockey families ever.

7. Guy Carbonneau and Brendan Morrow

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MONTREAL- DECEMBER 4: Former Montreal Canadien Guy Carbonneau skates during the Centennial Celebration ceremonies prior to the NHL game between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins on December 4, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Guy Carbonneau played 19 seasons in the NHL, most of them with the Montreal Canadiens.  He ended his career with a five year stint in Dallas with the Stars.

While there, he must of really trusted a young Brendan Morrow, since Morrow married his daughter Anne-Marie, making them one of the best hockey families of all time.

Guy ended his long career with 260 career goals and 663 points.  Mostly known as a decent two way forward, he didn't light up the score board but was a player that every good team needs to make Stanley Cup runs.

He was part of two such runs in Montreal and another in Dallas.

Brendan Morrow is more of a scorer than his father-in-law was and is coming off a 33-goal season with Dallas.  In his 11-year NHL career he has netted 226 goals and 491 points. 

One wonders what pond games are like with this family.

6. Gary and Ryan Suter

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1989-1990: Defenseman Gary Suter of the Calgary Flames. Mandatory Credit: Ken Levine /Allsport

Gary Suter was one of the toughest defenseman in the game during the 1980's and 90's.  He retired in 2002, but his nephew Ryan Suter is continuing the family tradition of great defensive play.

Gary Suter played 18 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Calgary Flames, where he was a big part of their 1989 Stanley Cup Championship.  He also won the Calder Trophy his rookie season in 1986.

He was a two-way defenseman and ended as the 14th highest scoring blueliner in NHL history.

His nephew Ryan just completed his sixth season in Nashville and is establishing himself as one of the game's best young defenseman.

Ryan is following in his uncle's footsteps as a two-way defenseman with racking up 192 points in his first six seasons.  He was also named as an alternate captain for the USA hockey team at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

With a silver medal already on his mantle piece, he hopes to some day join his uncle's name on the Stanley Cup.

5. Peter and Paul Stastny

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ST. LOUIS, MO - FEBRUARY 22: Peter Budaj #31 of the Colorado Avalanche makes a save against the St. Louis Blues as Paul Stastny #26 also of the Colorado Avalanche looks on at the Scottrade Center on February 22, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dil

Peter Stastny was one of the best European players the NHL has ever seen.  He defected to Canada in 1980 from Czechoslovakia and signed with the Quebec Nordiques.

His rookie year in the NHL he eclipsed the 100 point mark with 109 points and would do so six out of the next seven seasons.

In his 16-year NHL career, Peter scored 450 goals and 1,239 points (977 games), played in six All-Star games, won a Calder Trophy and was elected to the Hockey Hall Of Fame.

His son Paul plays for the same franchise, now in Colorado, as his famous dad and seems to be following in Peter's footsteps by scoring 78 points in his rookie season with the Avalanche.

Paul also was on Team USA's silver medal winning team in 2010, and so far in his five NHL seasons, he has scored 105 goals and 321 points (348 games).

4. Daniel and Henrik Sedin

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ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 13: (L-R) Brothers Daniel Sedin #22 and Henrik Sedin #33 of the Vancouver Canucks speak during their game against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on October 13, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

The Vancouver Canucks maneuvered themselves to hold the second and third picks in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. They used those picks to pick up the Swedish Sedin twins, Daniel second and Henrik third.

At first, they seemed like an oddity.  Twin forwards who had played nearly every shift of their lives on the same line tried to see if their uncanny play would transfer into the NHL.

After a couple of years where they fought through a learning curve, they have arrived as two of the best players in the NHL.

Despite being twins, their games are different.  Henrik is more the playmaker, often setting up Daniel, who is the sniper of the two.

Despite that disparity in play, their career totals are nearly identical.  Henrik has helped out on 509 goals and has 666 points.  He also has an Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy and has his Canucks four wins away from their first Stanley Cup.

Daniel has scored 249 goals and has 651 career points.  He is the 2010-2011 Art Ross Trophy winner and is a strong possibility to follow up his brother's Hart victory this offseason.

The twins have grown stronger each year, and in the past two seasons, have become prolific scorers, which makes them one of the best hockey families ever.

3. Gordie and His Sons

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19 Jan 1996: Wielding a double bladed stick, Gordie Howe #9 of the NHL Heroes checks Phil Esposito #7 of the Boston Bruins Heroes from behind during the second period of the NHL Heroes of Hockey game played at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts. M

Before Wayne Gretzky there was only one Great One, and his name was Gordie Howe.

Howe was the Detroit Red Wings star who ended his career as the NHL's all-time leading scorer (surpassed by Gretzky), played a season at the age of 50 and played with both of his sons, Mark and Marty.

Marty Howe played 197 NHL games along with 449 World Hockey Association games, while his brother Mark Howe played in 929 NHL games and 426 WHA games.

Gordie Howe is hockey royalty, but Mark Howe was pretty good in his own right.  Mark decided to play defense and ended up with three Norris Trophy nominations, four NHL All-Star games and was one of the best defensemen in the 80's.

He spent 10 year with the Flyers and ended his NHL career with 742 points and has been nominated to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

While Mark and Marty will never escape the giant shadow of Gordie, they could play as well, and that makes them one of the greatest hockey families ever.

2.Bobby and Brett Hull

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TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 08: Brett Hull (L) and Bobby Hull (R) man the bench at the Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Game at the Air Canada Centre on November 8, 2009 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, known as "The Golden Jet," was one of the game's most prolific scorers.  His son Brett, "The Golden Brett," proved that goal scoring is a genetic trait.

Bobby potted 913 goals in both the NHL with Chicago and the WHA with the Winnipeg Jets during his career, and his Hall of Fame son Brett chipped in with 741 goals of his own.

Bobby also had a brother Dennis Hull, who scored 303 goals of his own.  That's three Hulls and 1,957 goals.

It's a wonder the sport hasn't changed the word "goal' to "Hull."

Those numbers aren't enough for you?

Bobby also won three Art Ross Trophies, two Hart Trophies, a Stanley Cup and a Lady Byng trophy. Brett hasn't fared too badly either, with one Hart, two Stanley Cups and a Lady Byng of his own.

You have to believe goalies get nervous when they see the Hulls out for a father-son walk.

1. Phil and Tony Esposito

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CHICAGO - MARCH 19: Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin of the Chicago Blackhawks wears a jersey honoring former Blackhawk goaltender Tony Esposito during warm-ups before a game against the Washington Capitals on March 19, 2008 at the United Center in Chicago,

Two brothers.  One a Hall of Fame goaltender, the other a Hall of Fame goal scorer. 

Phil and Tony Esposito played during the same era and are both legends of the game.

Phil was a big strong forward who could always be counted on to park himself in front of the net.  Many claim he scored a lot of "garbage" goals off rebounds, and while that may be where the majority of his goals came from, you can't call 717 career goals garbage.

When Phil was done playing, he ended with 1,590 points and scored 40 or more goals eight times, including three 60-goal seasons and his career high of 76 goals in 1971.

He started with the Chicago Blackhawks and was traded to Boston in 1967, where his career took off.  He finished his career with the New York Rangers, and his No. 7 has been retired by the Bruins.

Tony Esposito played most of his career for the Blackhawks and finished with three Vezina Trophies, the 1970 Calder Trophy, appeared in six all-star games and has had his No. 35 jersey retired by the Blackhawks.

With a Hall of Fame goaltender and scorer, you have to wonder how great their back yard battles were growing up.

They are my number one hockey family of all time.