Linden still leading as Canucks enter playoffs

Originally published in Attractions Magazine in 2007

By Lucas Aykroyd

In the NHL, longevity and Stanley Cup glory don’t always go hand in hand. Even though Vancouver Canucks forward Trevor Linden has played over 1,300 regular season games, plus 112 more in the playoffs, the beloved veteran, who celebrates his 37th birthday on April 11, hasn’t sipped champagne yet from hockey’s greatest prize.

Among the nearly 40 NHLers whose careers have surpassed Linden’s in length, there are 11 respected names who also don’t own a Stanley Cup ring: Phil Housley, Mike Gartner, Scott Mellanby, Harry Howell, Norm Ullman, Dale Hunter, Doug Mohns, Dean Prentice, Marcel Dionne, Luke Richardson, and Adam Oates.

But Canuck fans are hoping that 2007 will be the year when Linden’s luck changes. Although Vancouver started slowly this year, the Canucks have been among the league’s best since Christmas, riding Roberto Luongo’s goaltending. And while Linden himself wasn’t particularly effective early on, the 6-4, 220-pound Alberta product has performed reliably on the third and fourth lines during the stretch drive.

“I played well in the middle part of the season, and I feel my game is pretty good right now,” Linden told Attractions. “Getting a chance on the power play with the Sedins earlier this year was big. Playing with Mo [Brendan Morrison] and Cookie [Matt Cooke] was good for me as well. There are always ebbs and flows during the season.”

“Trevor’s been a great leader and true professional for our group this year,” said head coach Alain Vigneault. “I expect him to keep doing the same thing, whether he plays six minutes or 14 minutes a night.”

Admittedly, Linden’s contributions are more limited today than when he first broke in with Vancouver in 1988-89. He scored 30 or more goals in six out of his first eight NHL seasons, and became the league’s youngest team captain at age 21 in 1991-92. He’ll always be remembered for leading the Canucks to the 1994 Stanley Cup finals against the New York Rangers.

Still, nearly 13 years later, Linden isn’t on the roster simply due to his presence in the dressing room or community icon status. He’s an effective penalty-killer who can also chip in offensively, tallying six goals between December 16 and January 26. Later on, he added crucial shootout goals against Chicago and Minnesota. A new forte?

“I don’t know if two goals makes a shootout specialist,” Linden said with a laugh. “I’m not sure I’d say I enjoy the shootout, but it makes things interesting, for sure.”

Linden liked the moves GM Dave Nonis made at the February 28 NHL trade deadline, which included acquiring savvy centre Bryan Smolinski from Chicago and bringing back longtime Canuck defenseman Brent Sopel from Los Angeles. Neither trade required surrendering a roster player.

“I was very happy,” said Linden. “Bryan is a great fit for us. He’s a good two-way player, and he’s a good guy. He fits in really well, and it’s the same with Brent, who’s a steady veteran defenseman.”

The deal that caused a commotion on deadline day was Edmonton’s exiling of Ryan Smyth, often dubbed the “face of the Oilers franchise,” to the New York Islanders after a contract dispute. “I was surprised, very surprised,” Linden said. “I think it’s unfortunate for both sides.”

But Linden wouldn’t compare Smyth’s situation to what happened to him personally in February 1998, when then-GM Mike Keenan shipped the longtime Canuck captain off to Long Island for Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan McCabe, and a draft pick. “I certainly wasn’t that emotional,” said Linden, alluding to Smyth’s parting tears. “I didn’t have an option to stay in Vancouver, either. I had to leave, and it was the right thing for me at the time.”

Although Linden didn’t match his Canuck prowess with the Islanders (or his two subsequent Eastern Conference teams, Montreal and Washington), he had a memorable international hockey experience right after being traded. Of course, most Canadians would prefer to forget the Nagano Olympics, where Canada lost 2-1 to the Czechs in a semi-final shootout. But Linden was almost the hero in that game, beating Dominik Hasek for the tying goal with 1:07 left in regulation.

Talk surfaced in early March about holding another eight-game Summit Series between Canada and Russia, modeled on the classic 1972 clash where Paul Henderson’s late goal gave Canada the victory. Linden, though, isn’t sure that concept would fly.

“I’m not sure you can replicate something that was so great. It was great in the Cold War era. Back then, there was a sense of drama. With the familiarity between the two sides now, it’s not the same. I’m not sure that I’d be crazy about the idea.”

Closer to home, Linden enthuses about his visits to Victoria, going right back to his first time with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. “I remember being on the ferry,” said Linden. “It was kind of weird, being a kid from Alberta! I’d never seen that much water before. You know, you think of Victoria as being on an island, but when you get there–it’s a pretty big island!”

Linden even has kind words for the old Memorial Arena, where the Canucks held training camp in the early 1990’s: “The rink was old, but it was great. Lots of room for us. We had some great talent during those years too. We’ll probably be back training in Victoria sometime.”

While Linden cites the Royal Colwood Golf Club as one of his favourite Victoria courses, naturally he hopes he won’t get to use his nine-iron until late June. What will make the difference for the Canucks in this year’s post-season compared to past years where the focus was on Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi?

“We have more of a team-oriented focus now, and we’re built differently. Roberto is so dominant, and our defense has really stepped up and played well. Overall, we’re playing fundamentally sound hockey, which will hopefully translate into playoff success.”