Henrik Sedin became the Vancouver Canucks captain Saturday night in a ceremony before their season-opening game against the Los Angeles Kings.
Sedin takes over from goalie Roberto Luongo, who relinquished the role almost four weeks earlier.
The 30-year-old Swedish center led the NHL in scoring with 112 points and was voted league MVP last season. Identical twin brother Daniel Sedin, and Ryan Kesler, a two-time finalist for the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward will serve as alternate captains.
After a lengthy ceremony to kick off the Canucks' 40th NHL season that included most of the first Canucks team from 1970-71 gathering at center ice, original captain Orland Kurtenbach presented Sedin with his new jersey with a ''C'' on the chest.
In 2008, Luongo became the first NHL goaltender in 60 years to captain a team, but league rules prohibited him from wearing the ''C'' or acting as captain on the ice by talking to referees. Instead of the usual set up of two alternates and a captain, the Canucks used three alternates.
