Hockey Loses a Real Hero as Trevor Linden Announces His Retirement

Trevor Linden, one of the classiest and more generous professional athletes of all-time, has formally announced his retirement from the NHL after a career which saw him compile 867 points in 1,382 games.

While Linden's announcement is no surprise, it still feels like a rusty dagger through the heart. Hockey in Vancouver without Trevor Linden just doesn't feel 'right'.

"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."

To those outside of Vancouver, I can understand why you might think the hubbub and fandom over Trevor was so overblown. For the second half of his career, Linden was paid generous salaries, but was truly nothing more than a solid 2nd-3rd line player. While most of Vancouver worshiped the guy, most fans outside of Vancouver rarely ever thought about the guy unless his name popped up in NHLPA matters.

Let me fill you in on why Trevor is so beloved by fans and peers, alike, and why he's one of the few sports figures that I would ever call a 'hero'.

This video of Linden's final regular season game illustrates how other players feel about the guy. Check out the Calgary Flames coming over to congratulate Linden on a fine career. Most retiring players never get that level of love.

Despite Linden's involvement with the Ted Saskin scandal, Trevor was a hard-working, reputable, and diligent executive within the NHLPA, and his fellow players can thank him for the benefits they continue to reap. As President for eight years, Linden had a direct role in negotiations with the owners, and did a lot of the dirty work that most of his fellow players simply weren't interested in doing.

Linden was also a true warrior, and this image of Linden consoling Kirk MacLean after the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals is one of the most iconic in NHL history. While other skilled players wilted under the playoff pressure, Linden could always be counted on to bring his 'A' game when it mattered most.

During the 06-07 playoffs, at the age of 37, Linden outperformed the likes of Markus Naslund, Daniel Sedin, and Henrik Sedin with seven points in 12 games. Linden was one of the few players to average more points-per-game in the playoffs than during the regular season for his career.

Linden was also a pillar in the community, and his involvement with charitable efforts has been matched by very few professional athletes. Linden's numerous and unexpected visits to local hospitals are well known, and he never made much of a fuss or drew attention to himself for what he did.

Linden was recognized for his charity efforts by the NHL on two occasions: The King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1997, and the NHL Foundation Player Award in 2008.

On a personal level, I was once the recipient of Linden's charitable nature.

During his first tenure with the Canucks, back when GM Place opened in the mid-90s, Linden bought a luxury box dubbed "The Captain's Crew". Underprivileged kids, such as me, were given the opportunity to attend a hockey game in the most luxurious of conditions. We were given all the free food and drink we wanted, we had awesome seats (of course), and limo transportation to/from the game. Linden even visited us after the game and signed autographs. Markus Naslund and Matt Cooke (for Vancouver's junior team) later picked up on that trend which Trevor established, as did NHL players in other cities.