There was a time when both Linden and Sundin were undecided

It's strange and also ironic that both were standing side-by-side for the interview as well!

Canucks beat Oilers 4-2 on Linden night

What a terrific tribute to Linden pregame. Linden shed no tears before his speech up to the point of his banner being raised. Much like his father, he braved the tears of joy and pulled off the most classiest act I've seen in a jersey retirement ceremony, deflecting almost all of the attention and praise from himself and directing it to his former teammates, family, etc.

"This is an incredible day," said Linden. "To the fans of Vancouver and the province of B.C., it's hard to express my gratitude to you tonight. Thank you for letting me into your lives. Thanks for being incredible, passionate hockey fans."

Linden speech Part 1



Linden speech Part 2: I can see our friends Roger and Krista in the stands at the 5:50 mark. Lucky bastards! Listen to what he says about people seeing his jersey in the rafters...class personified:



Here is a clip of his jersey being raised:


Then the Canucks come out and beat the Oilers in mostly sound fashion to let Linden go home even more proud.
I'm not sure about the injuries to O'Brien and Salo, but it looks like Salo could be out a lot longer than #55. It's hard to replace glass when you break it.
The Hansen-Sedin line clicked with 5 points: 3 for Dank, 2 for Hansen and 1 for Hank. A great game by them.
You can also see that Kesler and Burrows are beginning to claw their way back to becoming offensive threats.
What I really don't get was AV's lineup change of Wellwood centering Hordichuk and Brown on the 4th line to start the game. Strange.
The Canucks kept the Oilers to the outside for most of the game. I thought that Sanford was steady in goal with every shot minus the Gagner goal. He deserves another look in the next game.

BOXSCORE

T Tags: Trevor+Linden+retirement+night retired+jersey Canucks+beat+Oilers December+17+2008
Trevor+Linden+retirement+night+video speech

Linden night - Canucks-Oilers preview

This is a big day in Canucks' history. Canucks legend Trevor Linden will have his #16 retired and there will be all sorts of festivities surrounding the Canucks-Oilers game.
At 6:00 pm the celebration ceremonies begin on Rogers Sportsnet Pacific, or you can watch it at Canucks.com. It's going to be a tear-jerking and suiting tribute to Mr. Canuck.
At 8:00 pm there will be a roundtable hosted by Barry MacDonald with special guests Dean Linden, Kirk McLean and Norm Jewison.

Linden's jersey is going to look great next to Stan Smyl's #12.

The Canucks will most likely feel the emotion of this tribute and hopefully play an ultra-inspired game against an Oilers squad that had their butts handed to them 9-2 by the Blackhawks on Tuesday night. Once again, you can expect fireworks in this game with all the emotions and the rivalry alone. Keep in mind that the Vancouver lost 3-0 to the Oilers last Saturday in an un-inspired effort. I don't see them sleeping in this one.
I'll update this post all day with any player interviews or lineup changes.

11:53 AM
Sami Salo is doubtful for tonight. Where once he had a groin issue, he is now apparently suffering from the flu...again. Sometimes I really thing we need to either trade this guy or waive him. Then he scores an OT goal against Detroit and I like him all over again.

Thanks to Canucks.com for this tidbit:

On Sunday against the Panthers, the Canucks set a new team record for the three fastest consecutive special teams goals in a single period when Pavol Demitra and Kyle Wellwood tallied power play markers followed by Ryan Kesler’s shorthanded goal in a span of 2:08 during the second period.

That was pretty impressive wasn't it? Adiose Panthers!

From Sanford today:

"It’s up to one of us to take the ball. We can’t be winning one, losing one. One of us has to get on a roll. Until the coaching staff sees that, it might be back and forth."

No kidding! One of you guys get on a roll already! Yeesh!

Linden said that he was "hocked and overwhelmed" by the honor that he is about to receive. I think sometimes you just have to know when you're good, Trevor! Don't be so bashful!

In case you have lived under a rock for the past 16 days, Canucks.com has had a special on their site called "16 days of Trevor Linden. The complete archive of that can be found here. Lots of great Linden history there.

CDC has a video clip up on Wellwood too. The players love him. No, he's not the fastest skater, nor does he have a huge physical game, but he's in the right place at the right time frequently. I don't think many people thought he'd be a sniper, because he's known for his playmaking abilities. But this year he's changed that. Worth a look.

3:00 PM

A new Gate 16 at GM Place has been intrduced in honor of Linden. The big 16 unveiled in the snowy weather today. I wonder how many city slickers won't make the game because of reckless snowy driving. Everyone take the Sky Train!
Said Linden today:

“I’m hoping to keep it together, that should be a challenge,” Linden told reporters this morning at GM Place. “I’m hoping to have fun and obviously speaking to 18,000 people is not my forte. But I think it is going to be a fun night. I know how hard (the Canuck staff) have worked on putting this night together, so I think it is going to be a great night.”

T Tags: Trevor+Linden+jersey+retirement December+17+2008 Canucks Oilers Game+preview

Gillis: Sundin decision on Thursday **UPDATE** Rangers offering half of what Canucks have on table?**UPDATE** Barry says not necessarily Thursday

From the Vancouver Sun:

“He is going to make a decision on Thursday about the final destination,” Gillis said following the Canucks’ practice at GM Place. “We reiterated our position and formalized our offer moving forward. We feel good about our team and where we sit and what we have to offer. We’ll see how it plays out.”

Then Gillis said something that I have been wondering about:

Sundin’s decision may have come earlier than Thursday if not for Wednesday night’s ceremony honouring former Canuck Trevor Linden.

“He is aware that we have a very important evening coming up tomorrow night and being the type of person he is — he has been a captain of a Canadian team for a long time — he is cognizant of the attention that an evening like tomorrow night gets and I think it has played into it a little bit,” Gillis said.

OK, so my problem with this is: If he is signing in Vancouver, then I can see why he'd wait until after the Linden ceremony. If he was already decided about signing in New York, then why wouldn't he have just come out and said it? So that management and players wouldn't be "bummed out" during the ceremony? His lack of verbage before the ceremony is what's (in many cases) deterring some Canucks fans' attention span, including mine.
Anyways, mercifully this saga is almost over.

Gillis on Team 1040 at 3:50 PM:
-Our team is well positioned.
-No blemishes or areas of concern with the team.
-Wants nothing to interefere with Linden night. Sundin camp understood.
-Don Taylor said he's optimistic. Optimistic? Gillis says "you guys can twist anything into something positive or negative."
-Gillis has sent Sundin DVD's of Canucks games showing Canucks' character and style of play.

UPDATE - 10:30 PM

Sportsnet has learned that New York's offer is less than half the deal the Canucks have tabled, which would leave Sundin well below fair market value. The Rangers are trying to avoid dismantling the team to make room for Sundin. That way, the Rangers would not be forced to trade some of their high-priced talent like Michal Rozsival, Wade Redden, Scott Gomez or Chris Drury. Otherwise, New York would have to free up US$2.8 million, as some reports suggest, to sign Sundin for the second half of the season.

Well doesn't that throw a twist in things... If this report is true, then we will know Sundin's true intentions when it comes to it being about the money or not. That will push his "morals" to the limit won't it? You know what his agent will say about this offer.
But if Sundin accepts THAT much fewer dollars to play in Manhattan.... it just adds to the damned problem this city has attracting superstar caliber players.

UPDATE: 11:58 PM

Oh jeezuz. Here we go again. From the Vancouver Sun (tip to Temujin):

“I did tell Mike that Thursday would be the earliest,” Barry told The Vancouver Sun in a telephone interview from Alberta later in the day. “I am not going to hold Mats to any kind of deadline. He has never been held to one before and he’s not going to be held to one now. He says he is going to try and make a decision by the end of this week.

“It may not be Thursday if he struggles with the decision. He is going to make up his mind this week, is what he has told us. But we are not going to put any deadline on him.”

I don't own a gun. Can someone please come to my place and shoot me dead right now please? Fuck it. I'll drink myself to death. Let me know in hell what Sundin decides.

I think this cat's reaction about matches mine right now:



T Tags: Mats+Sundin+decision+by+Thursday Mike+Gillis Trevor+Linden+ceremony

My thoughts on Trevor Linden

I am going to be as honest as possible with this.
As many of you know, I was a huge Leafs fan from 1977 until about 2 years ago. I still don't mind the Buds, but my loyalties now lie with the Canucks. Sure, I watched all the Canucks games that I could back in the day on CTV, using rabbit ears on a lousy old TV. Yes I cried when the Islanders swept them in 1982.
But my loyalties in the 1994 playoffs were pushed to the limit. I was loving Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark and Felix Potvin in Toronto. Pat Burns had them playing so well defensively. I really thought the Leafs would beat the Canucks in the semi-finals. All of my friends back then, being Canucks fans, were mocking me during the whole series. I stood by my team. But Trevor Linden and co. demolished Toronto in 5 games. I was shocked and angered...seeing Gus Adams bag that OT winner at the Pacific Colisseum and watching poor Potvin slump into his net.
I actually hated the Canucks for knocking off the Leafs. In fact, and I hate to admit this, I was actually cheering for the Rangers early on in the Finals because I was so mad at Vancouver.
I think it took me a fair bit into overtime in Game 1 to get over my stupidity and rally for the home team. OK, I got that off my chest. Why was that significant? Because that hardly-arguably was the best Finals in NHL history. And when the gritty Canucks pushed the Rangers to 7 games, it was a scar-faced Trevor Linden that grabbed his team by the throat in that Final game and nearly propelled them to a Cup win.





I don't want to put too much spotlight solely on Trevor Linden for that playoff run, because the team he played with was such a tight-knit unit and Kirk McLean saved their butts over and over again. But Linden's Game 7 performance against the Rangers will forever be etched in my mind. What a duel of the captains. Messier vs Linden. And both had the game of their lives.

Who could forget this little tip in goal in Game 7 versus the Stars. He was projected as too old to still play (I was one of those people saying that-shame on me).

I travelled to Montreal and saw Linden play for the Canadiens in late October 1999. They beat Gilmour, Hasek and the Sabres 5-4 that night. Linden was named NHL Player of The Week, scoring 8 points in 3 games while I was over there. That was the first time he ever received that honor. I remember reading the Montreal papers and seeing him receive that honor and being somewhat stunned, because this guy had played for the Canucks for so many years. And now here he was lighting it up in Montreal.

I was also very fortunate to be able to attend the Canucks 6-2 win over Calgary late last season with my wife, where Linden scored 2 goals and was the game's first star. The fans roared as he skated onto the ice, and we drowned out the post game interview with Linden, putting a smile on his face. Those were the last 2 goals he scored as a Canuck, as the team would lose the last 3 games of the season and only score 4 goals. Linden would get 1 more assist in those last games.

Those are my best Trevor Linden memories. I was never as devout a fan of him as most Canucks fans are, but I can respect what he did on and off the ice. Wednesday night will sure be an emotional one. I can't wait to see him honored and to hear the fans roar once again for him.

Oh and speaking of devout Linden fans, check out Alanah's article at Fan Zone. It's got a lot more depth to it and is a must-read.

T Tags: Trevor+Linden+night retired+jersey my+Linden+memories Stanley+Cup+1994 Rangers Canucks

December 17 is Trevor Linden Night

From Canucks.com:

The Vancouver Canucks announced today that they will host ‘Trevor Linden Night’ at General Motors Place on December 17th when they play the Edmonton Oilers. The night dedicated to the longtime Captain of the Canucks will be highlighted by a pre-game ceremony where Linden’s number 16 will be retired. Linden’s sweater will join Stan Smyl’s number 12 in the rafters at General Motors Place.

“Retiring a player’s sweater is one of the highest honours a club can pay to its most elite players and ambassadors,” said Chris Zimmerman, President and CEO, Canucks Sports & Entertainment. “Trevor embodies the qualities we strive for as an organization; character, hard working, commitment, generous and loyal. We are proud that his sweater will hang beside Stan Smyl’s at General Motors Place.”

“This is a tremendous honour and I am very grateful to the club,” said Linden. “To be drafted by the Canucks organization 20 years ago as an 18 year old and to now have my sweater retired is very humbling and rewarding.”

I can't really say anything more except that this is very deserved and fitting to a great person who was so loyal to this organization. It's too bad Trevor wasn't 20 years younger and starting all over again. Perhaps we'll have this kind of dedication from top draft pick Cody Hodgson. But the kind of spirit and dedication that Linden showed is hard to come by.

T Tags: Trevor+Linden+night ceremony GM+Place December+17+2008 retired+jersey