Heart is heart of the matter

If it were just about numbers, team could have retired any shirt

By Ed WillesDecember 18, 2008


Trevor Linden saw GM Place's Gate 5 changed to Gate 16 earlier in the day.

Trevor Linden saw GM Place's Gate 5 changed to Gate 16 earlier in the day.
Photograph by : Arlen Redekop

If you just looked at the back of his hockey card, and didn't know what Trevor Linden meant to this city and province, you would have looked at Wednesday's pomp and ceremony and wondered what all the fuss was about.

Linden, after all, never scored more than 33 goals in a season for the team which was retiring his jersey, never accumulated more than 80 points, and never won a championship of any description. He was a very good player until he was 27; then, when he should have been entering his peak years, he became a very average player and finished his 20-year career as a fourth-liner.

I mean, if you were just going by the numbers, he seemed no more worthy of this honour than Tony Tanti or Thomas Gradin. But there he was Wednesday night, being feted in a manner usually reserved for visiting royalty, and there wasn't a person in GM Place — or this province for that matter — who thought all that adoration was misplaced or undeserved.

Why?

It's an interesting question but, for anyone who's spent more than five minutes in Vancouver over the last two decades, the answer isn't very complex. That's because the relationship between the kid from Medicine Hat and hockey fans in British Columbia has never been about anything as trivial as goals and assists.

It's been about values, it's been about service, it's been about selflessness. In short, it's been about the best things in our community and if that sounds trite, there's no way you can tell this story without laying it on a little thick.

On Wednesday, for example, Linden's father Lane was telling a story about his son and Captain's Corner, a box for kids Trevor started in the early 1990s. That could get expensive, his father told him. Doesn't matter, said the Canucks' young captain because, "If it changes one kid's life for the better, that's the best money I've ever spent."

"That was his idea," said Lane. "If he could show just one of those kids what can be accomplished if you focus and put your mind on things, he'd be happy."

And that's Trevor. Maybe if it was another person you'd wonder if it was sincere.

But over the years, we came to know that everything he did, on the ice and off it, came from the heart and he really was the guy he appeared to be.

We have a tricky relationship with our heroes. Sometimes we expect too much out of them. Sometimes we hold them to an impossible standard. But Linden, who is no more than one degree removed from every person in Vancouver, has never disappointed, never been anything other than what he said he was.

That created a trust and that trust created a bond and that bond will never be broken.

As much as anything, that's what was celebrated last night. Was it over the top? Of course. Was it sentimental? What did you expect. It was also longer than Ben Hur and had just as big a cast.

But this is also true: The emotion in the building, the affection for Linden, the tears, the love were all as real as a day is long. At six o'clock, on a crazy, stormy night, every seat in GM Place was filled. When Linden walked out, he was greeted with a two-minute standing ovation. When he rose to the dais, there was another prolonged ovation.

And then he spoke. He talked of Harold Snepsts and his '65 Mustang; of Empire Stadium and Pacific Coliseum; of '94 and the trade that brought him back; of the mountains and the ocean.

It was his story but it was also our story and of everything which has been shared by this player and these people, it was the most powerful thing of all.

Earlier in the day, he was asked to recount the highlights of his career. This is what he said:

"Becoming a Vancouverite."

When they raised his jersey to the rafters Wednesday night, he looked up and his city looked up with him. Together. As it's always been and always will be.

Try putting that on the back of a hockey card.

In case someone wanted to take a break from the Sundin talk lol

sundin sundin sundin!

now we all forget about linden

Oh wow, the Wings wasted the Sharks 5-0.

Sedin passes off to the Sundin twins!

If in fact Sundin remains a model of consistency, I'll tolerate him being here. Anything less than a point per game, and he can go fuck himself. All this drama, waiting, and back and forth BS has just made me loathe the guy. Keeping a bunch of hockey teams on edge, stringing them along just shows the ego this big dumb Swede has. It's nice to know that the Canucks signed a good player (albeit for too much money), but it sucks knowing that Vancouver was Plan B, no matter what Sundin or J.P. Barry say.

bob cole and harry neale should do our broadcasts now -- maybe theywon't fuckup as much as they used to!

The sportscaster on CTV made a big joke about calling the Sedin, Sedin, Sundin line. Don't the announcers call the game using first names Henrik to Daniel not Sedin to Sedin?

Cool jah that will be dope

Are you kidding me??

There is -no- player that could have made us instantly better then sundin and by having his pro rated contract giving us more then enough money to sign another big name freeagent at the deadline

Regardless of his point progress tell me a better scenario which could have occurred??

I could have elaborated more but I'm on my iPhone

IMO.

I was never a huge fan of Mats Sundin, however having him on our team at this point in Canuck land has to be a good thing. I mean, how could it be bad? We are tied for top spot in the NW, and now we are adding an all-star addition. Sure Mats is old, but judging by his stats, he still puts up incredible numbers. Besides his points, his age will come as a benefit to the Canucks dressing room. He has worn the C in TO for many years, and will definitely help the young guys in the room. In the end I think he is a great addition and I hope gels nicely with our team.

^exactly. We are not doing too bad right now especially with all the injuries we've had. Gillis even said that even before the season started, everyone already said this year will be a disaster. Now we are on top of the division and we add sundin. Do you guys still want to fire Gillis?

I'm excited to see how the rest of the season will pan out...luongo being healthy, our D core being healthy and now having sundin on the first line taking the pressure of the sedins..

With the rumors flying around that hossa and gaborik coming here, remember sundin only signed for 1 year so we have enough money to sign one of those guys or have both pending trades next year.

i use to watch leaf games on saturday cuz of sundin

I heard on the radio that Pyatt be dropped from the roster........

So will Brown give up his jersey number to Sundin?

Sedin - Sedin - Sundin (Bob Cole's worst nightmare)

Hope he doesn't become Mark Messier the second........

There will be no Sedin-Sedin-Sundin issue. The commentators do call the Sedins by the first name. Otherwise, they would have already had Sedin-Sedin issues like 8 years ago.


Now that's something to be celebrated about. We should almost have a ceremony for that.


I hope so too. I never really followed Sundin, but judging from everyone's response, we must assume he's a guy with more character than Messier, and is simply a better player because but was stuck with crappy players throughout his career but still managed to be a point/game player. Messier was also on a steady pace in points (more than a point/game) on a good team and was doing well until signing with Canucks. Then his stats went downhill even after returning to NYR. lol

MATS SUNDIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://jthockey.files.wordpress.com/...ats-sundin.jpg

it will be a merry Christmas indeed

with sundin coming, he just transformed the canucks from pretenders to contenders. i can't wait till luongo comes back. its gonna be killer!

you should wear a canucks sundin jersey as well. adds to the sting:D

It indeed would be a nice xmas present, lol. If you think about it tho, Pyatt is the weakest line on the Canucks roster right now. Like they were talking about on the radio, the Canucks used him for his size but that role will be gone once Sundin joins the team. A couple other names they mentioned were Hansen and Bernier but both have been playing good and fit prefectly with their line mates so it's unlikely they'll be dropped.


LOL, I'll be buying a Sundin jersey so I might wear it.

I love you Mats

http://www.vancouversun.com/Sports/S...991/story.html

Sundin took LESS money so that Gillis would have enough money to pick up a ~$6 mill player at the trade deadline :bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

Now we acquire Marian Gaborik, win the cup, parade down Robson and allow people to die happy.

I hope we get a couple of the stars from DET before trade deadline cuz they gonna suck next year