OT: Remembering the Trevor Linden - Todd Bertuzzi trade (February 6th, 1998)

[Zombotron]

Trade-Happy Canucks Send Linden to Islanders


The Vancouver Canucks continued a week of copious trading Friday, dealing former captain Trevor Linden to the New York Islanders for defenseman Bryan McCabe, center Todd Bertuzzi and a third-round draft pick.

Linden, who arrived in Vancouver 10 years ago when he was selected second overall in the 1988 draft, has been considered the heart and soul of the Canucks but has been hobbled recently by knee injuries.

Vancouver Coach Mike Keenan said he never really had a chance to assess Linden's talent because of injuries, and described the trade as a decision to "move the program forward and in a different direction."

HOCKEY; Isles Get Linden for 2 Young Players

''It's a big trade,'' Coach Rick Bowness said. ''It's a tough trade, too. You're losing a couple of young guys in Bryan and Todd. But if you want a player like Trevor Linden, you have to give up something.''

Since mid-December, Milbury has been trying to trade for a player of Linden's caliber. But the players being asked for in return were regarded by Milbury as untouchable. Until today.

''It's not a gamble,'' Milbury said. ''Because Trevor's a guy who is also not so old. It only seems like he's been around forever. But I am heartsick at times at losing McCabe.''

Bertuzzi would score a goal and an assist in his Canucks debut:

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[Melvin]

If only he'd stayed there.

 

[PG Canuck]

Wonder if we can trade him back.

 

[Dissonance Jr]

A bunch of teams were trading away star players for lesser pieces or prospects in the late '90s/early '00s, and those trades usually went poorly: Winnipeg trading Selanne, Chicago trading Roenick, Edmonton trading Doug Weight, the Islanders trading Palffy, St. Louis trading Pronger....

All things considered, Keenan and Burke did pretty well dealing away Linden, Bure, and Mogilny: getting Bertuzzi/McCabe/Morrison/Jovonovski was about as good a haul as you could possibly hope for, especially in comparison with what other teams were getting for their stars. (Obviously the Linden trade was the clearest win of the bunch, but even in the aggregate that's not too shabby.)

 

[Shareefruck]

If only he'd stayed there.

Wonder if we can trade him back.

I thought Linden's return as an older veteran had a very positive impact on this organization (particularly the Sedins). But yeah, it's disheartening to see how he appears to have completely negated that by turning into a transparently gutless and patronizing yes man for some of the worst people.

 

[yvrtojfk]

I remember reading the threads on HF when this happened. M2B wouldn't stop crying. Everyone hated the trade. HFB was down for like 4 years after that. Ah... Good times.

 

[Shareefruck]

I remember reading the threads on HF when this happened. M2B wouldn't stop crying. Everyone hated the trade. HFB was down for like 4 years after that. Ah... Good times.

M2B was around when the Linden-Bertuzzi trade happened?

 

[Duckhugs]

M2B was around when the Linden-Bertuzzi trade happened?

Wasn't that in 98?

 

[Shareefruck]

Wasn't that in 98?

Yeah, but isn't M2B supposed to be really young? A guy in his mid-thirties/mid-forties acting the way he does, even as a troll-ish joke, would be umm... yeah.

I'm not young and the Linden-Bertuzzi trade happened when I was 10.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

One of the best trades, if not the best, in Canucks history.

 

[yvrtojfk]

M2B was around when the Linden-Bertuzzi trade happened?

Didn't think I needed to add this lol.

Also, I think HFB started in 2002?

 

[Shareefruck]

Didn't think I needed to add this lol.

Also, I think HFB started in 2002?

Ahh. You scared me there for a second. Just the idea that he's been doing it for twenty years.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Didn't think I needed to add this lol.

Also, I think HFB started in 2002?

Hence the moratorium from '98 to '02.

 

[yvrtojfk]

Ahh. You scared me there for a second. Just the idea that he's been doing it for twenty years.

It feels like that already tbh.

 

[krutovsdonut]

One of the best trades, if not the best, in Canucks history.

it was a great trade, but the ronning/courtnall/momesso/dirk trade is easily the best trade in canucks history, and the brown/hedican/lafayette trade is easily the second best.

one turned us into a respectable team, and the second got us to a game 7 scf.

the next best trade is the naslund trade.

bertuzzi/mccabe/ruutu is probably #4 .

 

[Tim Calhoun]

it was a great trade, but the ronning/courtnall/momesso/dirk trade is easily the best trade in canucks history, and the brown/hedican/lafayette trade is easily the second best.

one turned us into a respectable team, and the second got us to a game 7 scf.

the next best trade is the naslund trade.

bertuzzi/mccabe/ruutu is probably #4 .

The Naslund trade is the best in franchise history. Trading a goon for a guy would go on to be a top-5 player in the world? No other trade comes close.

 

[2011 still hurts]

Ahh. You scared me there for a second. Just the idea that he's been doing it for twenty years.

M2B is/was eternal

 

[2011 still hurts]

it was a great trade, but the ronning/courtnall/momesso/dirk trade is easily the best trade in canucks history, and the brown/hedican/lafayette trade is easily the second best.

one turned us into a respectable team, and the second got us to a game 7 scf.

the next best trade is the naslund trade.

bertuzzi/mccabe/ruutu is probably #4 .

in terms of pure lopsidedness it has to be Naslund without question, but if you're trying to gauge which one brought us more team success then maybe those come close

 

[Duckhugs]

Yeah, but isn't M2B supposed to be really young? A guy in his mid-thirties/mid-forties acting the way he does, even as a troll-ish joke, would be umm... yeah.

I'm not young and the Linden-Bertuzzi trade happened when I was 10.

Yeah theirs no way. Neither me or M2B were born at the time

 

[VC]

Didn't think I needed to add this lol.

Also, I think HFB started in 2002?

The 2002 date was a format change. It was around prior to that.

 

[Tim Calhoun]

in terms of pure lopsidedness it has to be Naslund without question, but if you're trying to gauge which one brought us more team success then maybe those come close

If team success is the criteria, then the Luongo trade towers over the rest.

 

[krutovsdonut]

in terms of pure lopsidedness it has to be Naslund without question, but if you're trying to gauge which one brought us more team success then maybe those come close

i would agree the naslund trade on its own is the best value trade we ever made. but if i had to choose one of those three trades to never happen, it would be the naslund trade.

 

[Zombotron]

By the end of his first month in a Canucks uniform, Bertuzzi would score at least one highlight-reel goal for his new team, which was featured in the intro to NHL 99:



This was the same game in which Pavel Bure scored on a called penalty shot:

 

[2011 still hurts]

something about bertuzzi looks pretty fitting in that early 2000's white jersey

that game must've been wild

 

[2011 still hurts]

also it's pretty crazy that in the 02-03 season the WCE line almost produced two 50 goal scorers

Naslund finished that season with 48 goals and Bertuzzi had 46. That's f***ing dominant, goddamn. Morrison also hit his career high with 25 that year.

almost 120 goals scored by a single line in 82 games

what the f***

in contrast, the entirety of our team last year finished with 180 goals in 82 games