Tribute Gino Odjick has passed away (Sister's Facebook)

[sting101]

I had the good fortune to see his NHL debut where he wore #66 and fought both Dave Manson and Stu Grimson (not at the same time... he wouldn't take on whole teams until later). We had been pushed around for the better part of a decade by the Semenkos, McSorleys and Proberts of the league and with Gino we finally had our deterrent... which was an important aspect of the game at the time.
With the arrival of Linden in '88, Odjick in '90 and Bure in '91, the fortunes of our sad sack franchise finally took a turn for the better.
RIP Gino

i was at that game also and to piggy back off the story.....

the late Bob McCammon was the coach and they called him up to combat the toughness of Chicago and others but this was his big night and he wore 66 if i remember correctly. From the first shift you could see this was one big ass mother and he was literally skating right through the opposition hitting everything that moved and causing havoc. It was pretty funny to see this wrecking ball wearing the same number as Mario Lemieux who played the game with grace and like Gretzky with 99 you rarely saw others wear these numbers

As things went on Dave Manson took exception and they had a go. Gino with what would become signature piston rights was too much for Manson who was one tough hombre. So as the game wore on Stu Grimson who arguably was amongst the top3 heavyweights of that time decided to set this rookie straight who continued to skate around like the Hansen brothers when they finally got to play in Slapshot and they had a go. Gino threw hay makers again and didnt give an inch arguably getting the best of Grimson who certainly held his own.

With Gino getting the boot this time with a game misconduct he had to go through the Canuck bench at the old coliseum to the dressing room and when he did he turned to Coach McCammon and said "hey coach dont lose it without me" and the legend was born. Coach McCammon would later recant the story and say he barely knew who this kid was and after wreaking havoc and terrorizing the Hawks he says this to me. We (the coaches) were just looking at each other and laughing shaking our heads. Not a chance he was going back to the minors

Didn't take long for the rafters to be chanting Geeeeenno Geeeeenno and like a gladiator Gino Odjick would hop over the boards and set teams right if they were running our best players.

RIP Gino Odjick the Maniwaki Warrior, Forever Remembered

 

[MS]

Really sad news... we had all braced ourselves for this some years ago, and then the next thing you know he makes a recovery with his famed fighting spirit and hangs on for a number of years...

Gino's rookie year is also the same year I started actively following the Canucks... his first game would have been one of the earliest ones I listened to on the radio. Even though I dislike fighting in hockey, it was impossible not to have as soft spot for Gino. Like @Uhmkay, I was in attendance at the famous penalty shot game, and the crowd went wild for him.

I remember the Vancouver Sun doing a feature on him early in his career, talking about what a hero he'd become on his reserve back in the Maniwaki region. The article (which also explored hockey/Indigenous relations generally) mentioned all the kids on the reserve being decked out in Odjick Canuck jerseys, despite being in western Quebec, and I thought that was the coolest, particularly in Hab territory. (Although Maniwaki is closer to Ottawa than Montreal, and unfortunately in these parts you also sometimes see missing children posters displaying kids named Odjick).

His contrasting friendship with Pavel Bure was always one of those adorable stories around the team that was always special. I even remember Sports Illustrated commenting on it, and an amusing excerpt that I remembered even before realizing this article was now online:

When asked by a reporter if he was drawn to Bure because he empathized with the Russian's plight as a stranger striving for acceptance in a strange land, Odjick thinks for a moment and then says, "What?"​

One other moment worth remembering – one of Gino's last with the Canucks, I'm quite sure after he had already played his last game. In the throes of the Keenan reign, Gino was called into Keenan's office and stood up to him, basically speaking for us all at that point. (I had heard the story as him saying "Don't you dare pick up that phone" when it rang, although I see iMac has reported it as him actually hanging it up when Keenan began speaking badly of Pat Quinn). Whatever it was, that was a "yeah!" moment when it first got reported.

Also the only player ever to call out Mark Messier for what he really was.

 

[drax0s]

Odjick. Man. I remember being a 19-ish year old kid with problems with authority in the mid 90s doing birthday parties at a dead end job where the Canucks were featured for some reason. I was going to walk into a party room when Odjick came walking out the same time and I swear he f***ing FILLED the door frame. Scared the shit out of me despite the big friendly smile on his face. Always stuck with me how imposing he was. He just commanded respect.

Rip warrior.

 

[brock hughes007]

God bless a true warrior,condolences to Gino's family,,

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

idk if anyone’s posted the video of the bear interview yet but

 

[lawrence]

Damn, this sucks. I didn’t even know he was sick. Always liked him when I was a kid. RIP

He had diagnosed with a heart condition back in 2015 where his heart would have eventually turned hard. He was suppose to die 8 months later instead he lived for another 8 years. He fought as hard as he did as a nhl fighter.

Rip.

 

[Petey But Really Jim]

I am still really feeling this. He’s one of the greatest Canucks.

 

[LordBacon]

A canucks legend, a tough mofo.
RIP

 

[ChuckNorris4Cup]

RIP Gino.

Gino, Gino, Gino, Gino, Gino, Gino, Gino.

 

[dredeye]

Gino was a beauty. Rip. Loved watching him

 

[canucksfan]

I’ve never seen this one

 

[Hansen]

Gino and my aunty were very close, they dated on and off during his time with the Canucks and I've heard so many wild and awesome stories about him. He was a real gem. Really embraced by the local Indigenous community, especially in Musqueam. Heart going out to all his family and friends.

One of my favourite stories about him:

 

[VanJack]

A beloved Canuck who give it every ounce he had on the ice and was a rock for his teammates. And after retirement was a pillar of giving in the community; and an inspiration to indigenous hockey players from coast to coast.

Damn this has been a tough year to be a Canucks fan.

 

[Petey But Really Jim]

Gino and my aunty were very close, they dated on and off during his time with the Canucks and I've heard so many wild and awesome stories about him. He was a real gem. Really embraced by the local Indigenous community, especially in Musqueam. Heart going out to all his family and friends.

One of my favourite stories about him:

Hey man. I’m really sorry for your aunty’s loss especially. This one is really stinging me. He is one of the greatest ever Canucks. I wanted to ask that anything you think your aunty wouldn’t mind you sharing, please do.

 

[PG Canuck]

Really sad. This one hurts. Legends never die.

RIP Gino.

 

[Canuckle1970]

Such sad news. I know he lived several years beyond the heart health issues of a few years ago, but 52 is way too young to die.

Always loved the enduring friendship between him and Bure. RIP Gino.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

Ah f***...

Sad news.


My first "encounter" with Gino was following his stats from overseas while he was playing with Bure, and I thought he was like a skilled power forward because he scored something like 30 points 16 goals that season...

One of my favourite Canucks from my favourite era of the Canucks.

RIP big man

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

From the archives: I blame Messier: Gino Odjick hits his Mark

One thing I admired about Gino other than his fists was his attitude. He was never afraid to speak his mind and call bullshit wherever he saw it. That to me speaks to his leadership, accountability, and general "give a shit" mentality. He cared so much about his team and his teammates. He's one of the guys like Ryp who I think had the heart of a Canuck. RIP Gino, a true fighter to the end who had the heart to care.

 

[Hollywood Burrows]

Was Gino the first Canuck to have a song written about him? Probably not but it's the first one I remember.

Roy MacGregor's book The Home Team has a lot of details about his early life and journey to the NHL. RIP

 

[iceburg]

RIP Gino. You were as good as they come.

 

[Hit the post]

Gino and my aunty were very close, they dated on and off during his time with the Canucks and I've heard so many wild and awesome stories about him. He was a real gem. Really embraced by the local Indigenous community, especially in Musqueam. Heart going out to all his family and friends.

One of my favourite stories about him:

I remember this old story where Odjick saved a woman's life. I don't remember the circumstances behind that event (hey, it was a LONG time ago lol) but the 'perp' had a knife and tried to stab Odjick. Odjick's belt buckle took the brunt of the weapon & he was able to subdue the guy. That's just one example of the type of person he was. The world is alot worse without him.

"He was a credit to his race.....the human race" - Jimmy Cannon (he was referring to Joe Louis but I think it's applicable to Odjick).

 

[MS]

RIP Gino.

Gino, Gino, Gino, Gino, Gino, Gino, Gino.

I’d never seen that Landsberg interview bit before and it’s great.

All the Gino interviews in the last decade have been since he’s been very ill, talking slower, moving slower, looking a lot older than his age.

Great to see him there in his prime giving a series of off-the-cuff funny, witty, interesting answers.

Best bit is Landsberg expecting that he’d want to fight Laraque for the typical selfish ‘to prove I was the best’ reasons and getting caught off guard when the answer is ‘to spark my team’. Ultimate team guy.

 

[Snatcher Demko]

He was the kind of player and person a fan could look up to and be proud of. So long, rest in peace, and thank you for the life memories.

 

[Vector]

It's quite heartwarming, and really speaks to his character, how much Gino meant to his teammates.

Can't stop staring at McLean. He's one year younger than Momesso, 5 years younger than Babych. Even in the PR spot they had with him during the game yesterday, he looked great. The man is aging remarkably well.

 

[tradervik]

Fantastic piece of commemorative art: