A final farewell for Trevor Linden

Vancouver Canucks forward Trevor Linden officially announced his retirement today, 20 years to the day, after the Canucks selected him with the 2nd overall pick in the 1988 National Hockey League Entry Draft at the Montreal Forum. Linden spent 16 of his 19 NHL seasons in a Canucks uniform.

“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.”

He hinted at retirement last month, telling the crowd at a fund raiser for cancer that the recipient of one of his sweaters was "taking over the No. 16 now."

Linden spent 16 of his 19 NHL seasons with the Canucks, who drafted him second overall in 1988.

He is the franchise leader in assists (415) and games played (1,140) and ranks second behind Markus Naslund in goals (318) and points (733).

Linden totalled 375 goals and 492 assists for 867 points in 1,382 NHL games with the Canucks, Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders.

Although he was an offensive threat in his first stint with the Canucks, the Medicine Hat, Alta., native accepted a reduced and defensive role in the second.

Linden was healthy scratch 23 times last season, finishing with seven goals and 12 points in 59 games.

Linden played for Team Canada several times, winning the gold medal at the 1988 world junior championship.

He later represented Canada in two men's world championships (1991, 1998), the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games.