June 26th, 1999 will be a day partly remembered for inflicting Patrik Stefan on the NHL. To Canucks fans though, it marks something else entirely. Coming into the 1999 draft at the FleetCenter in Boston, there was a Swedish duo who shared a connection like few others. Together these men would become the beating heart of the Vancouver franchise in the years to come.
After making the 1994 Stanley Cup Final, times had become bleak in British Columbia. Since 1995-1996, the team had missed the play-0ffs four years running and the rot was beginning to set in.