Vancouver, British Columbia (My Sportsbook) -
Vancouver Canucks winger Trevor Linden decided to hang up the skates on Wednesday.
Vancouver selected Linden second overall in the 1988 NHL draft and he spent 16 of his 19 seasons in the NHL with the Canucks. He also appeared with Montreal, Washington and the New York Islanders.
"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."
In 1,382 NHL games, the Medicine Hat, Alberta native scored 375 goals and added 492 assists. In addition, he also had 34 goals and 65 assists in 124 playoff games.
His 415 assists while with the Vancouver organization is a team record while his 318 goals are second only to captain Markus Naslund.
"Trevor has been a tremendous player, leader and ambassador for our club and our city for two decades," Canucks CEO Chris Zimmerman said. "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."
In his rookie season during the 1988-89 campaign, he became the first Canuck rookie to score 30 goals and finished second to the Rangers' Brian Leetch for the Calder Trophy.
He was awarded the King Clancy memorial trophy in 1997 and this season was the co-recipient, along with Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier, of the 10th annual NHL Foundation Player Award in recognition of their commitment and service to charities in their communities.
However, he was criticized by both the public and the players as he was president of the NHLPA during the 2004-05 lockout season.
