Canucks to retire Naslunds #19

[miller76 463]

Is 19 the best number ever for a hockey player?

The source is the Canucks twitter page.

Thought I would share. I always liked Nassy

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

19 along with 9 and 4 are great numbers for hockey players. Nice gesture by the Canucks.

[Echolalia 2,961]

19 really is a legendary number in hockey.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Yzerman, Sakic, Naslund, Trottier, Robinson, and Gare are just a few that come to mind that have worn 19.

[SweWings 45]

Happy for Näslund - he really deserves it.

[heals_3000 0]

What a joke. Definitely trying to play it up for the milestone (40th season) next year. This all but says that either one or both of the Sedins are getting their numbers retired as well.

[zettie85 106]

Stamkos should switch to 19 in Tampa. Stevey should encourage it.

[Tr!PoD#19 524]

3 mediocre players now hang from the GM place(Roger's place) rafters. Lol.

[dropkickshanahans 463]

Stamkos should switch to 19 in Tampa. Stevey should encourage it.

I just looked up their roster because 91 does seem like a weird number to have, and apparently Stephane Veilleux has #19. Stevie should trade Stephane

[zettie85 106]

I just looked up their roster because 91 does seem like a weird number to have, and apparently Stephane Veilleux has #19. Stevie should trade Stephane

He wore 91 while in Sarnia too. He is destined for great things so Veilleux can give it up.lol

[mjlegend 155]

3 mediocre players now hang from the GM place(Roger's place) rafters. Lol.

And none of them are/will be hall of famers.

[Zohan Franzen 18]

3 mediocre players now hang from the GM place(Roger's place) rafters. Lol.

Who are the other two ? Linden ?

[Tr!PoD#19 524]

Who are the other two ? Linden ?

Linden & Smyl.

[Z Winged Dangler 2,082]

And none of them are/will be hall of famers.

nope. sure won't. linden was a 2nd/3rd line grinder his whole career. naslund only had a few really good seasons and neither were over 1000 pts or ppg over their career. should not merit hanging from the rafters. s***, shanny and federov aren't even hanging at the joe....nuff said. if bure didn't leave while holding out, his jersey would be the only one hanging from their rafters. not sure what the deal is on smyl?

[Chairman Maouth 97]

nope. sure won't. linden was a 2nd/3rd line grinder his whole career. naslund only had a few really good seasons and neither were over 1000 pts or ppg over their career. should not merit hanging from the rafters. s***, shanny and federov aren't even hanging at the joe....nuff said. if bure didn't leave while holding out, his jersey would be the only one hanging from their rafters. not sure what the deal is on smyl?

Linden was more than a second or third line grinder. Second or third line grinders don't get chosen for the Canadian Olympic team. He was also made the captain of the Canucks at 21 years of age.

But there's more to Linden than simply hockey and two awards he received reflect that. He's received the King Clancy Award for contributions on and off the ice and the NHL Foundation award which has to do with enriching the lives of people in the Vancouver community. His jersey hangs from the rafters at Rogers Arena for more than just hockey, and rightfully so. Some NHL teams have a player who stands above all others in the respect and love he receives from the community for the love and respect he has shown that same community, and in Vancouver, that player is Trevor Linden. His overall NHL numbers may not be Hall of Fame worthy, but his character certainly is.

[HenryMalredo 2]

Linden was more than a second or third line grinder. Second or third line grinders don't get chosen for the Canadian Olympic team. He was also made the captain of the Canucks at 21 years of age.

But there's more to Linden than simply hockey and two awards he received reflect that. He's received the King Clancy Award for contributions on and off the ice and the NHL Foundation award which has to do with enriching the lives of people in the Vancouver community. His jersey hangs from the rafters at Rogers Arena for more than just hockey, and rightfully so. Some NHL teams have a player who stands above all others in the respect and love he receives from the community for the love and respect he has shown that same community, and in Vancouver, that player is Trevor Linden. His overall NHL numbers may not be Hall of Fame worthy, but his character certainly is.

Agreed.

Having your jersey retired is a completely seperate honor from being inducted into the HHOF, it's more about the importance of the player to the franchise, the their stats. Some teams with long histories such as the Wings and Canadians have can afford to be picky, but for many teams, players like Trevor Linden, Ken Daneyko and Glen Wesley meant as much to their respective teams as the Wings HHOFers have meant to Detroit.

[puckbags 863]

Second or third line grinders don't get chosen for the Canadian Olympic team.

They don't? 1998 - Rob Zamuner, Shayne Corson 2002 - Mike Peca 2006 - Kris Draper

[Chairman Maouth 97]

They don't? 1998 - Rob Zamuner, Shayne Corson 2002 - Mike Peca 2006 - Kris Draper

Leaving out a single word on an internet post can be a *****.

You've proven that I perhaps should have said grinders "rarely" or "generally don't get chosen for the Canadian Olympic team." Aside from the fact that I said Linden was "more than a grinder", you got me there champ.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

I hope they retire Bure and Odjick's number as well.

[RusDRW 155]

I hope they retire Bure and Odjick's number as well.

Bure? No way! He is one of the worst player who ever played this game. I said players bot scorers, not teammates, just players. He was a synonim for "not winning the Cup"... and Iäm Russian...

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Bure? No way! He is one of the worst player who ever played this game. I said players bot scorers, not teammates, just players. He was a synonim for "not winning the Cup"... and Iäm Russian...

Bullcrap.

He carried them to the Finals in 1994, and came just a goal short of becoming the first European player to win the Conn Smythe trophy.

Not his fault they never surrounded him with great teammates, so they could contend in the future.

Edited July 11, 2010 by GMRwings1983

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

In him prime,Pavel Bure was virtually unstoppable.Blazing speed,soft hands,eyes in the back of his head.But like GMR said,he never really had anyone around him to help carry the load.Who did he have with him when he put up huge numbers in New York?nobody worth mentioning.

[eva unit zero 271]

To the people questioning this:

Stan Smyl retired as the Canucks' all-time leader in goals (262), assists (411), and points (673). His number was retired.

Trevor Linden retired as the Canucks' all-time leader in goals (318), assists (415), and points (733). His number was retired.

Markus Naslund retired as the Canucks' all-time leader in goals (346), third in assists (410), and leader in points (756). His number is being retired.

Henrik Sedin has since passed those three players on the assists list, and Daniel is not far behind. The Sedins can be expected to be 1-2 in all three categories within a few seasons. They will probably have their numbers retired.

Pavel Bure is an interesting situation. He's easily the most talented played to ever play for Vancouver. He averaged 49 goals, 43 assists, and 92 points per 82 games as a Canuck. The problem is the number of games played; he didn't play long enough.

Cliff Ronning, Alexander Mogilny and Patrik Sundstrom also fall into that category. They were great players for the Nucks, but only played a few seasons for them.

[Guest EZBAKETHAGANGSTA]

Yzerman, Sakic, Naslund, Trottier, Robinson, and Gare are just a few that come to mind that have worn 19.

And in a couple years you may be able to add soon to be legends like Toews, EZbake, and arguably Thornton to that list.

Edited July 15, 2010 by EZBAKETHAGANGSTA

[Guest Shoreline]

The reason some are against this is likely because Naslund wasn't ever really that flashy nor outgoing, besides one or two commercials. He quietly was amongst league leaders around the time the Wings won their 2002 cup.

The league hall of fame and a team retiring a number are two separate entities. I don't think Naslund has even a half shot at making the HHOF but given his accomplishments in Vancouver and how much they are compared to previous players there, it merits his number being retired for them.