Trevor Linden

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Contents 1 Trevor Linden 1.1 The Early Years 1.2 Hockey Legend 1.3 Homecoming

Trevor Linden

The Early Years

Trevor Linden, OBC, was born on April 11, 1970 in Medicine Hat, Alberta a mere 9 months after his immaculate conception . Showing his true character while just a small boy, young Trevor saved 13 adorable orphans from a rampaging polar bear using only a hockey stick, a small rabbit and a roll of hockey tape. Thus began a lifelong passion for the sport of hockey.

Hockey Legend

Linden led his hometown WHL team, the Medicine Hat Tigers to two consecutive Memorial Cups in 1987 and 1988. Because of this, he was selected second overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. Trevor joined the Canucks for the 1988-1989 season, but had the Calder Trophy stolen from him by some no-name flash-in-the pan named Brian Leetch.

Trevor Linden shared the Captain's position with veterans Dan Quinn and Doug Lidster in the 1989-1990 season, and became sole captain in the following year. Linden progressed as both a player and a leader in the following years and will always be remembered for his contributions to the Canucks' playoff run in the 1993-1994 season.

Linden, the heart and soul of the city of Vancouver was stripped of his captain's position, abused, insulted and traded by Mike Keenan. The trade stripped all the remaining talent from a slumping Vancouver team and returned only Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan McCabe, and a pick that was used to select Jarkko Ruutu. With his heart broken, Trevor was left to wander the NHL aimlessly. He visited the New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals before the Canucks saw the error of their ways and traded a first and third round pick for Trevor Linden and a second round pick.

Homecoming

Trevor returned to the Canucks in November of 2001. He sparked the Canucks into a streak that pushed them into the playoffs for the first time since the 1995-1996 season. As a Canuck, Linden holds most of the individual forward records including Most Games Played, Most Points as a Canuck and Most Consecutive Games Played(Iron Man).

Linden was also the first player to reach 300 goals as a Canuck. Linden's goal record was recently broken by team-mate Markus Naslund. As punishment for this, Naslund has apparantly been cursed to go goalless for the remainder of his career.

Trevor Linden was granted the Order of British Columbia in 2003 and until recently served as the President of the National Hockey League Players' Association, a position which he held for eight years.

Trevor Linden's number 16 was retired by the Canucks following Linden's retirement in 2008.