VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Trevor Linden, the heart and soul of the Vancouver Canucks’ franchise for most of the last two decades, announced his retirement Wednesday.
Drafted second overall by Vancouver in 1988, the 38-year-old Linden spent 15 1/2 of his 19 seasons with the Canucks and retired as the team’s second all-time leading scorer.
In 1,140 games with the Canucks, Linden registered 733 points - a mark that was surpassed by teammate Markus Naslund last season. Overall, Linden played in 1,382 career games, recording 375 goals and 867 points.
Ironically, Linden announced his retirement on the 20th anniversary of the day the Canucks drafted him.
“Today is an emotional day and exciting day for me as an athlete and a person,” he said. “It closes one chapter of my life - my playing career - while opening up another one, which I am very much looking forward to.”
After negotiations stalled last summer, Linden signed a one-year contract with the Canucks after indicating that he did not want to leave Vancouver. Still, his productivity dropped off dramatically during the 2007-08 season. He was a healthy scratch 23 times and managed only 12 points in 59 games.
The Medicine Hat, Alberta native will be best remembered for leading the Canucks on their dramatic run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994, when they lost to the New York Rangers in seven games. Linden scored both Vancouver goals in its 3-2 Game Seven defeat to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
“Trevor has been a tremendous player, leader and ambassador for our club and our city for two decades,” said Chris Zimmerman, the president and CEO of Canucks Sports & Entertainment. “His contribution to our team, both on and off the ice, his efforts in our community and his connection to our loyal fans is very special.”
During Wednesday’s news conference, Linden payed tribute to the Griffiths family, which owned the Canucks when he was drafted.
“I think when I came here in 1988, the Griffiths had a clear vision how they wanted the franchise to be,” Linden said. “I owe a lot to them. They expected us to be professionals. But they expected us to be part of the community.”
Linden spent the first 9 1/2 seasons of his career in the Pacific Northwest, serving as the Canucks’ captain from 1991-1997. He skated for the New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals before returning to Vancouver in a trade on November 10, 2001.
A six-time 30-goal scorer, Linden registered a career-high 80 points with the Canucks in 1995-96, one of three seasons in which he netted a personal-best 33 tallies. He currently ranks first on the franchise list in games (1,140) and assists (415) while ranking second behind Naslund in both goals (318) and points (733).
Linden was a two-time All-Star who also represented Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. He was a member of the All-Rookie Team in 1988, won the King Clancy Trophy in 1997 and has held the post of president of the Players’ Association during his impressive career.
“Trevor truly epitomizes the phrase ‘Forever a Canuck,’” Zimmerman said.
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