Vancouver, B.C. –
Vancouver Canucks forward
Trevor Linden officially announced his retirement today, 20 years to the day, after the Canucks selected him with the 2nd overall pick in the 1988 National Hockey League Entry Draft at the Montreal Forum. Linden spent 16 of his 19 NHL seasons in a Canucks uniform.
“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.”
Linden, 38, leaves the Canucks and the NHL after 19 seasons where he recorded 867 career points (375-492-867) in 1382 regular season games with the Canucks,
Montreal Canadiens,
New York Islanders and
Washington Capitals. In addition, Linden proved himself to be a strong Playoff performer, in 124 Stanley Cup Playoff games, he recorded 99 points (34-65-99) and 104 penalty minutes. Of his 124 Playoff games, 118 came in a Canucks uniform, highlighted by his 25 points (12-13-25) in 24 games during the Canucks 1994 Stanley Cup run that concluded in a Game 7 versus the
New York Rangers.
Linden completes his NHL career among the all-time League leaders in a number of statistical categories. His 1382 regular season games rank 32nd on the all-time list. Linden’s 375 career goals rank tied for 94th all-time (Butch Goring) and his 867 career points place him 99th in NHL history.
After joining the Canucks in 1988 from the
Medicine Hat Tigers, Linden enjoyed immediate success, finishing runner-up for the 1989 Calder Trophy and being named The Hockey News Rookie-of-the-Year. In his first eight NHL seasons, Linden recorded 30 or more goals six times.
In 1991-92, Linden, just 21 years old at the time, was named the Canucks captain, becoming the youngest captain in the NHL.
Linden wore the “C” as Canucks captain for seven seasons, the second longest tenure as captain in club history. After spending his first 10 NHL seasons in Vancouver, Linden went on to play parts of five seasons with the Canadiens, Islanders and Capitals before returning for six more years in a Canucks sweater after he was re-acquired in November of 2001.
During his 19 seasons, Linden was a two-time NHL All-Star (1990-91, 1991-92) and represented Team Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. He retires as the Canucks all-time leader in games played (1140), assists (415) and is second in goals (318) and points (733). His 118 games, 34 goals, 61 assists and 95 points in the Playoffs are all club records.
Just as impressive as his on-ice accomplishments are, Linden’s work in the community has been tireless over the past 20 years. Most recently Linden was named the recipient of the NHL Foundation Player Award which is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player "who applies the core values of hockey – commitment, perseverance and teamwork – to enrich the lives of people in his community".
In 1997, Linden was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy which is given annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution in his community. Linden’s work with Canuck Place, BC Children’s Hospital, Camp Goodtimes, Ronald McDonald House of B.C., Canadian Cancer Society, B.C. Cancer Foundation, Kids Help Phone, the Michael Cuccione Foundation, and many other charities in BC has helped raise millions of dollars for those in need.
Throughout his career, Linden was very involved with the NHL Players Association beginning as a player representative in 1990 and acting as the President of the NHLPA for eight years from 1998-2006.