Trevor Linden officially retires.

Today is 20 years to the day that Trevor Linden was selected in the 1st round, 2nd overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft.

 

“Today is an emotional and exciting day for me as an athlete and a person,” said Linden. “It closes one chapter of my life, my playing career, while opening up another which I am very much looking forward to. The game of hockey has been good to me and I would like to thank my family, former teammates, coaches, managers, support staff and the incredible fans that have been so generous in their support of my career.”

 

“Trevor has been a tremendous player, leader and ambassador for our club and our city for two decades,” said Chris Zimmerman, President and CEO, Canucks Sports & Entertainment. “His contribution to our team both on and off of the ice, his efforts in our community and his connection with our loyal fans is very special. I have never seen a professional athlete have such a significant impact on a city and province as much as Trevor has had during his illustrious career as a Canuck. Trevor truly epitomizes the phrase Forever a Canuck.”

 

In his press conference, Trev sounded choked up, but he read out his statement, emphasizing the day he came home. He said that when he got the call from Burke that he was on his way back, he was concerned that it wouldn’t be the same. He had 10 special years in Vancouver, and he didn’t know if those years could be as good. They weren’t, he said—they were even better.

 

Trev thanked his wife and his family; thanked the fans in the rink, on the street; thanked the people at the game on April 5th and said that “it should have been me saluting you”; thanked Quinn “for being like a father”; the Griffiths family “for showing me the way”; Burke, Nonis, Tambellini and Bob McCammond for giving him every opportunity; McCaw and the Aquilini family; Don Meehan for his guidance; his junior GM; the training staff (named them all); T.C.; Peter Twist, for telling him every year that he was just hitting his prime; Stan Smyl for 20 years of friendship in the organization; Ohlie for not taking his own room when he could have; Eric Brewer, Brendan Morrison and Saku Koivu for being good friends; his teammates last year and over the years “for making this game the best game in the world.”

 

Really, though. Where did 20 years go?

 

I was a Trevor Linden fan long before I was a Canuck or a hockey fan. He embodies everything I love about this franchise and about this game.

 

Thank you for 20 amazing years.

 

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Questions from the press conference:

 

Was it difficult to have so much attention on him?—Don’t think so. When playing in Medicine Hat and in junior, you’re exposed to a bit of that. In the early days, he wanted to be that guy, looked forward to that. Probably took on a little too much at times. Nothing better than playing in a Canadian city and being expected and counted on and when things go well, that’s great, when things don’t, you answer the questions.

 

How would you like to be remembered?—Difficult q. Wanted to be a guy who worked/tried hard and did what was right. Always felt v. fortunate to do something he loved and to be be part of the great fraternity of the NHL. When you have those opportunities you try to do the right thing.

 

Can you explain why people like you?—(This is a stupid question by a guy named Perry.) He came here as an 18 year old right out of h.s., and he kind of grew up here. People saw him come here as a young boy and mature and he thinks they got to know him, and that might explain a bit of the connection. But to him it’s truly an honour. Met some of these kids named Linden and they’re getting a little old now-some of them are in high school. That’s maybe a sign that it’s time to move on.

 

Highlights?—Playing first NHL game, getting drafted, winning series against TO., game 6 against the Rangers (today’s anniv), the last game. There’s a lot of Hall of Fame superstar players that have played baseball, football, basketball, hockey. Doesn’t consider himself one of those and they don’t get that kind of reception for their last game. Feels v overwhelmed and truly blessed.

 

Do you want to be remembered more as the hockey player or the person?—When he came to the team, the Griffiths family had a very clear idea of how they wanted the team to be like. Quinn and Burke pioneered how pro teams should be responsible in their community, same with Griffiths family. Griffiths expected people to be professional and play well in arena, but also expected them to be part of the community and really set the tone. Not one or the other because the obligation and the pressure is to be responsible and make a difference. To make a difference isn’t difficult to do. It’s the package that you’d want any player who came to the org to have.

Any thoughts of running for mayor?—No, he hasn’t, despite what some of his teammates might have said at various times. Never say never, but it’s not something he envisioned himself doing. Right now he feels that it’s time to feel out where his heart is.

 

What did you go through to come the decision of retiring?—After his last game, he got a pretty good hint from the fans that, “Thanks a lot, but it’s time to move on.” Just took some time after this season, always looking for that thought/feeling that it’s not right [to retire], and he never got that. Then he contacted his dentist and once you do that as a hockey player, you realise that you’re not coming back again—he spent hours getting his teeth fixed. As a player, you always get your teeth fixed temporarily. Once you make that call to the dentist you’ve made the choice in your head. Just as Morrison. This visit was made a few weeks ago.

 

Can you compare leaving Vancouver for the first time to leaving hockey this time?—Different circumstance altogether. This has been fantastic for him, been a pro athlete for 20 years and very thankful for that. It’s the right time and he feels very-mentally, he feels that he’s got everything out that he could and it’s time to look to other things and he’s looking forward to that.

 

Do you remember the emotions you had when you came in?—Feels like forever ago, sometimes just yesterday. Most times forever ago. What he remembered most about that first season was telling [agent] Meehan, “Get it done, do whatever you have to, I just want to play” (he had to sign before a certain deadline in order to play in the NHL for that season). He just really wanted to perform and perform well, knew there were a lot of expectations on him. Singularly focused on playing hockey. Pretty special time for him.

 

Can you talk about 94 and some of the emotions and memories?—It was a great time in his career, his 6th season and they had a very strong team the year before. Pat did a great job of assembling a great group, made a great trade with the deadlines, Kirk played extremely well, Geoff Courtnall, Pavel, Sergio, Cliff-a really good team that came together at the right time. An amazing spring. The weather was great. The city was electric and it was a lot of fun.

 

Has Van ownership offered you a position with the team post-hockey?—A few conversations with Chris Zimmerman and Francesco, very general. Had those conversations and for Trev, they’ll continue having them. But like he said, to get perspective on anything, you need to distance yourself from everything and for him, that may be the best thing. He thinks that time will kind of sort things out on where his heart lies and the direction he sees his future going. To do that and do it fairly, you have to take some time.

 

Can you see yourself not being involved in hockey?—It’s a possibility. Two tracks you can go: Stay in the game that you love and know, that you’ve been part of for 20-25 years, and another part that says you may have something else that you have a passion for and love doing. It’s going to take some time to figure out but he intends on doing that.

 

How could you always find it in yourself to visit sick and dying kids?—It was difficult especially early in his career. Got a lot of help from Brenda Eng, the driving force behind Canuck Place. She kind of taught him how to deal with those situations and that was helpful. Like Dean [his brother] said a long time ago, you have an amazing gift to make a difference, and they talked about how he’s a great guy, but he can’t walk into a room and make a difference. But Trev can, so Dean urged him to use it. When you’re visiting children like that, you don’t get a lot out of them, but you hear from the parents that you made such a huge difference. Obviously nice to hear, but anything you can do to help out is an obligation, he thinks most guys do. Hockey players are such a great fraternity and they make big differences.

 

I think a question about football?—Netherlands won the other day and that didn’t make him popular with his in-laws. He’s going to go away for a few weeks and do some cycling in Europe, maybe catch a game.

 

How do you feel about leaving hockey without a championship ring?—Obviously when you come into this game, for him, his only goal was to win a ring and a cup. Opportunity in 94 and lost in game 7. Turns out it was the best chance he had and you kind of know that when you’re going through it, and you kind of know that it’s the only chance you have. It’s not something you dwell on, certainly he would have loved to be part of a championship team here in Vancouver, but he performed as well as he could and tried to do what was right, but it’s a tough game, a tough sport, and it takes a lot of things to go right.

Will be transcribed later.
 

It takes me a while to catch up on other hockey blogs, especially once school starts. It also takes me a while to catch up on interviews, which I do like to get transcripts of, if only because as a history student, primary sources are everything.
 
I don’t always have time for both (or either), so seeing Alanah post a transcript of Roberto Luongo‘s interview made my little primary-source-loving-heart swell to twice its size.
 
Go check out Canucks and Beyond: Luongo Press Conference for a fantastic interview with Roberto Luongo, conducted by David Keon.
 
(I once had a teacher in high school with the last name Keon. We did not get along, and ironically, he looked a bit like Messier. Maybe it was the blinding light shining off of his bald head. The highlight of my time with him was when we argued over my menstrual cycle.)(Was that too much information?)

Caught Trevor’s interview with Pratt and Taylor on 1040. Sorry guys, no transcript today, but to sum up:

1. He’s had talks with Nonis before the free agency period began (July 1), and Nonis knows that Trevor wants to return. Nothing since then, though.

 

1. He wants to return to play for Vancouver. The Canucks are his number one choice. When pressed by Taylor if he would play for another team, Trevor took a pause and said that it would depend on whether or not it was under the right circumstances. He talked briefly with other teams, but his number one choice (and, the way I read into it, number one priority) is to re-sign with the Canucks.

 

1. He feels that he still has something to contribute to the team, and that Crawford didn’t use him to his full potential last season. Trevor’s ice time was mostly on the PK with very little time on the 5-on-5, thereby limiting his offensive opportunities. (I agree.)

 

1. Best trash talker he’s played against, and played with, is Garth Butcher, although Jarkko Ruutu was pretty good at that as well. However, the problem is that they both speak in their own “tikanese” language, making it difficult to understand them.

 

1. When asked if he was a Jim Rome fan, Trevor replied: “Am I a fan or do I listen?”

This is a partial transcript, meaning that the main points were recorded nearly verbatim, but a few words may be off here and there.
 

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What do you make of all the changes going on? Are you going to recognize anybody come September?
 
Yeah, I know. That’s the question. Yeah, there have been definitely a lot of changes with our team and you can approach it a couple different ways. You can be disappointed that some of your buddies are lost, but I think the approach that we have to have, it’s going to be a little refreshing. You’re coming into a bit of a different environment, you’re a little bit nervous of the changes, you’re also motivated to prove that what happened last year was an anomaly and we can get back on track and start winning again.
 
*
 
We all knew changes were coming, but how do you view this? Is this retooling or rebuilding?
 
Anytime you’re unsuccessful as a team, or in any aspect of life or business, there’s going to be changes. We had a window of about 5 years with a core group of guys to get the job done and the bottom line is we didn’t. you can say we ran into some problems with injuries, but the bottom line is we didn’t get the job done, so. I don’t think this is a complete rebuild; I think this is more of a reload. We’re getting a lot of quality players coming in. We’ve lost some quality guys, but the guys stepping in are going to do a great job and give us a chance to win.
 
*
 
Do you wonder where you’re going to get the additional scoring, especially if Anson leaves? With Todd leaving, with his 25 goals, and Anson Carter with possibly his 23, do you wonder who’s going to be on the right side of not only your line but with the Sedins?
 
Well I mean that’s a bit of a question mark right now, but you know what? It’s the opportunity for the other guys to come in and show what they can do. And that’s what makes it great for the other guys: they have to have a chance. And there’s going to be chances for guys to come in and prove what they can do, and there’s going to be a bit more of an onus on myself to score goals instead of in the past, and for Nazzy to get back to his goal scoring form, and for the Sedins to continue on and improve upon last year. So, it’s going to be a group effort here. We’re not looking for one or two guys to carry the burden.
 
*
 
I know Dave Nonis and Steve Tambellini both told me earlier in the week that they’re not done yet, they both have moves that they plan on doing in terms of bringing guys in. How different is this hockey team going to look on the ice in terms of the style that you play?
 
I think if you’re looking at a lot of the teams that have gone a long way in the playoffs here the past couple years, there’s been a real focus on defence. I mean aside from Tampa Bay. I mean, they had a real run and gun offensive team. But a team like Buffalo played great defensively, Carolina played great defensively, but they also have a dangerous offensive game. So I think we’re a team that fits that mould: we’ve got guys who are going to be awesome defensive players but we also have guys in the front who’ll be able to provide excitement and energy and score goals.
 
*
 
This team is going to have a bit of a different attitude. Let me ask you about your line, yourself and Markus Naslund: I don’t want to say it was a burden with Todd Bertuzzi last year, but Todd had the dark cloud hanging over him for almost 2 ½ years. Is it a bit of relief, and is it a bit of a changing of the guard now on that line with Todd gone? How do you see that?
 
Well, we’ll have to see how things play out. But you know – Todd had a very difficult time. You know, every time it seemed like one issue was put to bed, another one arose. You’re dealing with something everything. And it’s tough for him to completely leave that baggage away from the risk.
 
*
 
Did that affect you guys though? Did that affect you and Markus as well?
 
Yeah, I mean. You’re there for your teammate and for your friend, and you want to try and help them out as much as possible. And when you know a guy isn’t feeling well, you feel for him, and maybe you start to consume some of what he is going through. And by no means am I trying to use that as an excuse but you know, I know that did happen in some instances, yes.
 
*
 
Alain Vigneault – how different is he going to be from Marc Crawford?
 
Well, I mean, I don’t know him that well. I had a brief conversation with him a couple weeks ago, and what I heard is that he’s a man who demands hard work from his guys and that’s great. I think he’s going to hold everybody accountable. He expects us to go and work hard. He’s honest, he’s upfront, he lets you know where you stand, and I think guys need that. In today’s game, I think communication plays such a huge part, and although it’s a little thing it goes a long way. A guy knows where he stands or he knows what he has to correct out there so that will definitely help.
 
*
 
Okay, give me a medical update: I’ve seen you hobbling around on crutches for the last month and a half. First off, for all our listeners, tell everybody what you went through in terms of your procedure. I think it was a little more serious than it was first led to believe.
 
I was diagnosed with a torn labrum. And a labrum basically acts as an insulator over your hip capsule. So they went in to repair that and the procedure of the doctor that I went to go see down in [Veil?] Colorado uses is – he repairs the labrum and he anchors it back to the capsule, and then he did some bone shaving of my [indecipherable] hip capsule and then the top of your femur. And then I had a bit of cartilage damage, and then they shaved that down. Then there will be another procedure called microfracture where they poke holes in your bone and it bleeds and regrows new cartilage. I mean, yeah, it’s nice to have it over done with and get back on track and be healthy.
 
*
 
Have you thrown the crutches away yet? Can you put weight on it?
 
The crutches have been gone for 2 weeks. The first 6 weeks were moving at a snail’s pace but the last 2 weeks have shown considerable improvement.
 
*
 
You’ve played with that injury since about December, correct?
 
Right around December I started to feel it.
 
*
 
How much was that a burden for you? Your point totals were the lowest in 5 years, 19 goals, just 56 points, and you finished a minus 1 which is the first time you’ve been a minus in an awful long time in your career.
 
Well, I mean, at the time it’s a lot of second guessing going on. You’re questioning yourself: what is the problem? But when everything was said and done, it was diagnosed, and I had the surgery, it was – questions I had about myself were answered. Again, I’m not one to sit here and make excuses about it, and I never talked about it till the whole year, kind of kept it to myself, and to be honest I didn’t realise it was going to be as serious as it turned out to be. When you’re in the moment, and you’re fighting for playoff life, and you’re trying to help out the guys in room as much as possible, you just do whatever it takes to get on the ice and try and help out.
 
*
 
How is the rehab going, Brendan? Are you on schedule? When do you anticipate being back on skates? Any possibility of missing training camp?
 
No, I’ll be ready to go at camp. It’s been 2 months now and they estimated the time of getting back to 100% being 3-4, I think closer to 4. But I should be fine. I’ve shown significant improvement since getting off the crutches and getting stronger everyday. It’s still real tight mobility-wise and motion-wise, but the strength is coming.
 
*
 
As far as injuries goes, has this been the most serious of your career?
 
Probably the one that affected me the most over a period of time is – I’ve had my shoulder done a lot in college. I could play with that, dislocated it a few times, I’ve had that fixed at the end of the year, and a couple smaller other things: an ankle. But yeah, this one’s probably been the one that’s lingered the longest.
 
*
 
Let me talk about what’s going on in the free agent market. Have you been blown out the water like the rest of us by the amount of contracts, long-term contracts, and the money being thrown around? Obviously you’re happy as a player, but has it caught you off guard how busy it’s been?
 
It’s been surprising, there’s no question. I remember the first day there, watching the ticker at night and seeing 30 names flashing at the bottom of the screen, you’re just trying to keep up with what’s going on. And yeah, it’s been mind boggling. But I’m a little surprised at the terms that a lot of the guys have been signing, especially with the upper limit possibly moving up or down every year based on revenues. A lot of teams are sinking a lot of money into guys which are a bit of an unknown factor. But like you said we’ll see how everything plays out. It’s great for the players. It’s one of the things where the top end guys are going to get paid all the time, and the guys who are so-called 4th line guys, 5h or 6th defencemen, are going to be battling to see what they can get.
 
*
 
We both know this is a business, there have been several deals. Dan Cloutier was traded away yesterday. Your name has popped up – I mean, it’s a business. But what do you make of your name in trade rumours?
 
Well to be honest I don’t really like it. Everyone knows I grew up here, and for me to come back and play in Vancouver is a huge thrill. And I have no intention of going anywhere. There are a lot of rumours and speculation, and at the end of the day you really have no control. It’s tough not to worry about it at times, but I guess that’s the nature of the job and you have to deal with it when it happens, but no, no, no part of me wants to leave Vancouver. This is where I want to be.
 
*
 
Have you chatted with Canucks management at all? Have they contacted you at all with regards to the upcoming season?
 
Well I ran into Dave and Steve down at the rink. I was there doing some rehab this week. We had a brief conversation on how things were going. Not too much detail; it was more “hey, how ya doing?” and that was it.
 
*
 
For a good chunk of the season it seemed like you needed aloe vera on your back for the whipping that you took from Marc Crawford, it seemed game-in and game-out. Do you view this as a new fresh start for you under Alain Vigneault?
 
[pause] I understood where Crow was coming from a lot of times. A lot of times he felt that he could motivate me by treating me like that or doing that. But I also think that he used that tactic to motivate other guys. I mean, I never took it personally, I know I’d be crazy to think it’s personal. And I owe a lot to the Crow. When I came here to Vancouver he gave me tremendous opportunity and played me in all kinds of different situations and I think I’ve really grown as a player here, but at times it gets a little redundant. When you hear the same thing coming off the ice, every shift, it gets on your nerves a little bit at times.

 
Mentally exhausting, Brendan?
 
Yeah, it’s a little mentally exhausting over time. For the most part it was definitely more positive than negative.
 
*
 
Aside from the rehabbing, how difficult has this summer been for you since the fact that you’ve been doing so much rehab – forget about the golf course, you’re a guy who loves to be out on the water.
 
[laughs] Yeah, my fishing’s taken a little hit. That’s all right, work comes first, but I’ll make up for it a little bit this weekend here. I’ve got a trip planned to go up north with my dad and a couple buddies to go fishing.
 
*
 
How much do you enjoy fishing? I know that you’re an avid fisherman, and we’ve talked about fishing before, but some of the areas you’ve discovered here in BC: throw out some of your favourite fishing holes for us.
 
Well I think if you’re talking salmon fishing, the ultimate trip is going up to the Queen Charlotte’s, you can’t beat it. That’s – you’re in salmon heaven up there. That’s the ultimate. Probably the best salmon fishing in the world. Locally, on the Fraser River, you can also salmon fish, but I like to get out there and do some sturgeon fishing. There’s some huge fish on that river, you know fish that are over 10 feet long and weighing close to 1000lbs, and that’s pretty intimidating. In the interior lots of great fly fishing, and on the west coast on the island as well off the west side, there’s some great salmon fishing and halibut. We’re in fishing paradise.
 
*
 
How many rods do you have in the garage and what’s your favourite lure that you’re using these days? Do people still use “hoochies”?
 
[laughs] Yeah, oh yeah. Hoochies are still part of the repertoire for sure. Hoochies, anchovy, herring, you name it. I probably have close to 12 to 15 different rods.

 
Biggest salmon you’ve caught, largest halibut, and the longest sturgeon.
 
Biggest salmon… 45lbs up at the Charlottes 2 years ago. Largest sturgeon… just over 7 feet, about 250lbs.
 

How long did it take you to bring it in?
 
That was about 40 minutes. And then my biggest halibut I ever got was a 95lb halibut.
 

Were you eating that for about a year?
 
[laughs] Yeah, basically. We divvied the meat up a bunch of different ways but it’s pretty tasty.
 
*
 
The way things are going you’re on track, on schedule, to be making training camp, Brendan?
 
I’ll be there. I’ll be ready, and again I’m excited and motivated. I’ll be the first one to tell you that I didn’t have the year last year that I expected myself to have or anticipated to have. So getting back, getting healthy again, coming back to camp with these new rules should really help me out.