He'd play on crutches!

June 11th, 2008, twenty years to the date he was drafted, Trevor Linden announces his retirement. It takes a very special someone to be praised the way he has, despite having never won a cup.

Coincidentally it was June 11th, 1994 that game 6 of the '94 Stanley Cup playoffs was played in Vancouver. The game where the Canucks won 4-1 and the game where Messier cheap shotted Linden as he was crawling to the bench after an initial hit by Graves. Listening to the play by play by Jim Robson gives you a rush of adrenaline, it makes you want to get out there and play your heart out:

"There is going to be that seventh game. We'll hope they can patch Linden up and get him in that one. He will play, you know he'll play! He'd play on crutches! He will play, and he'll play at Madison Square Gardens on Tuesday night! The game is over!"

This quote by Jim Robson summarizes everything that Linden embodies: passion, perseverance, leader. No matter who else comes along, no matter how many goals he scores, how many points he gets, how many cups he wins in a Canucks uniform he won't be able to provide the memories that Linden's provided.

Young Trevor Linden took over as Captain at 21. What a stud. That jersey is the most beautiful jersey in NHL history, anyone who saw the Canucks play in those sweaters would not disagree with me.



I still remember this, Trevor Linden hoisting the Clarence Campbell over his head like it was the Stanley Cup, then having the lid fall off. Unlike all the other Captains now that are too scared to even touch it. Trevor Linden doesn't believe in superstition, superstition believes in Linden.


Trevor Linden leaning over Kirk McLean after winning game 6 at the Pacific Coliseum. You want evidence of the cheap shot by Messier, look at the blood on Linden's Jersey.

Here's a video of the famous call by Jim Robson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UktYaexJ7g&feature=related

There's so much more I can say about Trevor Linden, about his charity work, about being Mr. Clutch, about his statistics, about retiring his number, but everyone else has already said it. I'll end this post by saying: Thank you for the memories Trevor Linden, there will never be another Captain Canuck.