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Those were Trevor Linden’s words at his retirement press conference today.

On the 20th anniversary of the 1988 draft that brought him to our city, he announced that he was leaving the game… and all over the city, even the tough guys got a bit misty trying to imagine the Canucks without Captain Vancouver.

He’s the face of our team, a natural leader, and the classiest ambassador of the sport we’ll ever have.

(I’ve even dropped his name around here a few times.)

One of my favourite things about him is that he isn’t the classic “celebrity athlete” with the bling and loud mouth and ragtag entourage. He seemed genuinely thankful for his career and his involvement in the sport, and humbled by any attention he got.

Which is why he seemed surprised and even a bit embarrassed by all the emotion at his last game in the NHL… a game I was actually at, which was fantastic.

Here were my thoughts at the time, on the radio with Buzz Bishop (who actually gave me the tickets — thanks, my friend!):

Here’s how we looked that night (yes, we were being silly… it was actually really fun to be there):

Here’s how he looked that night — every time his face came on the jumbo screen, the crowd went nuts:

We also went nuts when they showed his parents on the jumbo screen — you raised a good one, Mr. and Mrs. Linden:

Here’s Trevor with Fin, the Canucks’ mascot:

And here’s the entire Flames team lining up to say goodbye to Trev, although his retirement was still just a rumour:

It definitely felt like the end of an era, though we didn’t know for sure.

And what an era it was.

I can’t think of another player in the NHL who has engendered such a LOVE from a city like our Trevor. For many of us who enjoy hockey around here, Trevor IS our team… the heart, the soul, the class, the work ethic, the dream.

No one else shows that kind of dedication on the ice. No one else commits so much time to charity work in the city. No one else has maintained such an ironclad reputation for grace and fairness.

As my friend Jay (the biggest hockey fan I know) said via email yesterday:

“Trevor is the heart and soul of the Canucks and a man I will always look up to. He was a player that wore his heart on his sleeve and always played his best when it mattered. He is the best example of a guy that played for the crest on the front of his jersey, not the name on the back. He always put the team, fans, and everyone else before himself, he was a class act in everything he did and said, and that is why he was able to put a team on his shoulders and carry them as they followed the best leader in Canuck history… Perhaps even hockey history. There is a reason I proudly wear my Trevor Linden jersey and look forward to seeing it hang from the rafters of GM Place forever. No question, my favourite player and I find it hard to believe he will ever be replaced. He is the man.

If he was a girl, I’d leave my wife for him.”

(He’s kidding… I think.)

And from my friend Jaegen (another huge hockey fan, and my fellow mocker of Jay in our hockey pool):

“I would say that, of all of the disappointments over the last few years, the biggest one for me is that Trevor will never hoist the cup. That was the first thing I thought of while watching the Red Wings do that the other day. You know Markus would have just brought it straight to him, like Sakic did for Borque. That would have been nice.”

Amen.

Here’s me with Buzz again, yesterday, after Trevor’s announcement…

And the goofy little haiku I just said there… (because it’s not nerdy enough just to say it, I have to publish it…)

our best canuck man
cool on the ice, and hot off
legend, hero, stone cold fox

(Yes, I laughed the entire time I was writing it, but he IS cute.)

Here’s to you, Captain Vancouver.

You were the “C” even when you weren’t the “C”… and will continue to be in our hearts for a good long time.