TREVOR LINDEN WILL PLAY FOR THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS THIS SEASON…
TODAY THE TEAM MADE IT OFFICIAL WHEN IT ANNOUNCED LINDEN HAD SIGNED A ONE YEAR CONTRACT…
WHATEVER ISSUES REGUARDING HIS ROLE ON THE TEAM AND THE AMOUNT HE WILL BE PAID HAVE ALL BEEN RESOLVED…
AT 37 YEARS OF AGE…AND HEADING INTO HIS 19TH NHL SEASON…THIS COULD VERY WELL BE HIS LAST SEASON…
IF HE PERFORMS LIKE HE DID THE PLAYOFFS…THEN THE ANSWER IS NO…
LAST SPRING LINDEN PROVED THERE’S STILL SOMETHING LEFT IN THE TANK…37 IS NOT A DEATH SENTENCE…
MIKE MODANO…TEEMU SELANE…AND ROD BRIND’AMOUR WERE ALL TAKEN IN THE SAME DRAFT AS LINDEN…
AND THERE ARE A FEW PLAYERS THAT ARE EVEN OLDER…SUCH AS…
JOE SAKIC…BRENDAN SHANNAHAN…AND CHRIS CHELIOS…
BUT CLEARLY THESE PLAYERS ARE THE EXCEPTION AND NOT THE RULE…
WHEN LINDEN HEADS OFF TO TRAINING CAMP NEXT MONTH…HE CERTAINLY WILL FIND A MOMENT TO WONDER WHERE ALL THE TIME WENT…
IN 1988 HE JUST 18 WHEN HE ARRIVED AT HIS FIRST TRAINING CAMP…FRESH OFF BACK TO BACK MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS…
LINDEN SCORED 30 GOALS IN HIS ROOKIE YEAR AND MADE THE ALL ROOKIE TEAM…
IN THOSE DAYS EVERYTHING SEEMED POSSIBLE…AND IN 1994 HE LED THE CANUCKS TO THE 7TH GAME OF THE STANLEY CUP FINAL…
THEN SUDDENLY IT ALL FELL APART…
JOHN MCCAW BOUGHT THE TEAM AND SIGNED MARK MESSIER…
THE CANUCKS DID THE UNTHINKABLE AND STRIPPED LINDEN OF THE “C”…BY FEBRUARY MIKE KEENAN HAD TRADED HIM TO THE ISLANDERS…
THEN IT WAS MONTREAL…AND THEN WASHINGTON…
IN 2001 THE CANUCKS GAVE UP A FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK TO BRING HIM HOME…
AS OF TODAY TREVOR LINDEN KNOWS HE WILL GET AT LEAST ONE SEASON IN THE NHL…
BUT MORE IMPORTANLY HE’LL GET ONE MORE SHOT AT WINNING THE STANLEY CUP…
WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN…
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