As we wrap up lore week at the NHL Fansided division, we've talked about how Pavel Bure became "The Russian Rocket" and how the Vancouver Canucks came to be in 1970. We will close out the week with another Canucks legend, Trevor Linden.
During his 16 seasons in Vancouver, Linden became more than just a hockey player, but a leader on and off the ice. A player who embraced the city and what it meant to be a Canuck. Even after being traded away and then back, he was and still is loved in the city that shaped him into what he is, "Captain Canuck".
Becoming Captain Canuck
If we turn back the clock to the 1988-89 season, there was a sense that Linden was going to be a superstar for the Canucks. In his rookie season at 18, he tied for the team lead in goals (30), becoming the first Canucks rookie to do so. Linden also finished second on the team with 59 points. He ended up making the NHL All-Rookie team and finished second in Calder voting, losing out to New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch.
During his third season with the Canucks in 1990-91, he shared the captaincy with Doug Lidster and Dan Quinn. He went on to tally 33 goals and 70 points and was named to the NHL All-Star Game. Following that season, he became the lone captain in 1991-92 at the age of 21. Linden became the youngest captain in franchise history.
In his first season as the lone captain, he went on to lead the team in scoring again, tallying 31 goals and 75 points. He also helped lead the Canucks to their first division title since the 1974–75 season. What makes things interesting is that he did all of this as a winger before learning to play center in the fall of 1992.
During the 1992-93 season, he helped the Canucks win the Smythe Division again, while having his third 30-goal, 70-point season, finishing with 33 goals and 72 points. While those first few seasons were great for Linden, it was 1993-94 where he cemented himself as a folk hero in Vancouver.
In the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he was second in scoring, with 12 goals and 25 points. Linden helped the seventh-seeded Canucks reach the Stanley Cup Final against Leech and the Rangers. While he did score two goals in Game 7, the Canucks fell just short, losing 3-2. It was learned after that he played through broken ribs and a torn rib cartilage. That performance alone showed how much he put himself through to try to help the Canucks win a Stanley Cup.
Off the ice, Linden was someone who gave his time to the community of Vancouver. Linden was known to make frequent visits to the local BC Children's Hospital and Canuck Place, a hospice for terminally ill children. He even started the Trevor Linden Foundation to help raise money for local charities and even held a yearly golf event to fundraise for the BC Children's Hospital.
In 1997, Linden went on to win the King Clancy Award, which is awarded to players for their significant contributions to their communities. All of these acts led to an emotional return for Linden to the Canucks in 2001. He even told people he was too excited to sleep the night before.
Over his tenure with the Canucks, Linden holds the third-most games played in franchise history at 1,140. He only follows Henrik (1,330) and Daniel Sedin (1,306). Furthermore, in his 16 seasons with the franchise, he tallied 318 goals, 415 assists, and 733 points. Even with him playing 19 years in the NHL, he will always be remembered as a Vancouver Canucks legend.
In Jeff Rud's book "Canucks Legends: Vancouver's Hockey Heroes", Linden, when asked about imagining his career, stated, "If somebody asked me to come up with a mental image of my hockey career, there is absolutely no doubt I would be wearing the uniform of the Vancouver Canucks in it."
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