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Most successful brothers in NHL history

Henrik Sedin added another impressive milestone to his resume Friday when he notched his 1,000 career point - a goal assisted by brother Daniel. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
Henrik Sedin added another impressive milestone to his resume Friday when he notched career point No. 1,000 on a goal assisted by brother Daniel. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

With a swift move to the backhand and a display of that soft Swedish touch, Vancouver Canucks centre Henrik Sedin slid a gorgeous goal past former teammate and good friend Roberto Luongo for his 1,000 career NHL point Friday night. What made it most fitting was that his brother Daniel, as he always seems to do, made the pass across for the primary assist on his twin’s milestone tally.

The goal was Henrik’s 11th of the season and No. 233 of his career, to go along with 767 assists over 1,213 games with the Canucks. Brother Daniel’s helper on Henrik’s benchmark goal was the 968th point of his career, leaving him just 32 back of joining his brother in the 1,000-point club. There’s no doubt that Daniel and Henrik Sedin are two of the most skilled and productive brothers to ever hit the ice, and so in honour of Friday’s milestone, we recall some of the other memorable siblings in hockey history:

Scott and Rob Niedermayer

Scott is one of the greatest NHL defenceman of all time and among the most decorated, too — having won nearly every major championship from junior, to the NHL, and international format. The elder Niedermayer put up 740 points in over 1,200 NHL games while his brother Rob was one of the best away-from-the-puck forwards of the 1990s and 2000s. Like his slightly older brother, Rob is a former top-five draft pick, who tallied 469 points over parts of 17 NHL seasons. These two also share the unique experience of competing against each other in a Stanley Cup final (2003) while winning one together as members of the 2007 Anaheim Ducks.

Sutter Brothers

Six (yes, six) Sutter brothers migrated from their Alberta farm to have solid NHL careers. Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich, and Ron combined to play 4,994 NHL games, collectively compiling 1,320 goals, 2,934 point,s and 7,224 penalty minutes. Brent went on to have the most productive playing career of the bunch, scoring 829 points over 1111 NHL games, while Darryl would eventually experience huge success off the ice – coaching the Los Angeles Kings to a pair of Stanley Cup titles (2012, 2014). The Sutters are truly the first family of hockey, as from 1976 to 2001 there was (at least) one Sutter active in the NHL.

Stastny Brothers

1998 Season: The Stastny Brothers. (Photo by Brian Miller/Getty Images)
1998 Season: The Stastny Brothers. (Photo by Brian Miller/Getty Images)

Marian, Peter, and Anton are known as much for their contributions to the game off the ice as they are for their magnificent talent and production on it. Anton and Peter’s well-told defection helped lay the groundwork for future stars from Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union to pursue their NHL dreams. Marian joined his brothers in Quebec for the 1981-82 season, and in their four seasons together with the Nordiques, they combined for a massive 1,029 points. Peter went on to have the most productive NHL career, as his 1,239 points over 977 career games helped get him inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998.

Phil and Tony Esposito

2004 Season: The Esposito brothers during their playing days And Player Phil Esposito. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)
2004 Season: The Esposito brothers during their playing days And Player Phil Esposito. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)

Phil Esposito’s 1,590 career points currently ranks 10th on the NHL’s all-time list. Though he also spent time with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers throughout his career, the eldest Esposito really made his mark in Boston, where he put up at least 125 points in six of his eight full seasons with the Bruins. Tony, meanwhile, spent his entire career with the Blackhawks, posting 76 shutouts and a sub-3.00 goals against average over 15 seasons and 886 games. Though they never got to compete on the same NHL team together, the Espositos are the only skater/goalie brother combination in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Maurice and Henri Richard

Maurice “Rocket” Richard was the first player in NHL history to reach the 500-goal mark and finished with 965 career points over 18 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. Henri Richard, affectionately known as the “Pocket Rocket”, was 15 years younger than Maurice but actually outscored his older brother during his illustrious career, finishing with 1,046 points in more than 1,200 games.The two were teammates on the Canadiens from 1955 to 1960 where, incredibly, they won the Stanley Cup each year they played together.

Of course, no sibling list would be complete without the Gretzkys, the second-highest scoring brother combination of all time. Wayne and Brent combined for 2,861 career NHL points – just four of which came courtesy of the younger Gretzky – leaving them just 73 points back of the Sutter clan.