Vancouver, B.C. – The Vancouver Canucks are proud to announce that Canucks.com will celebrate 16 Days of Trevor Linden, beginning on Monday, December 1st, 2008. The special 16-day initiative will take an in-depth look at Trevor Linden’s career, concluding on December 16th, 2008 just one day prior to Trevor Linden’s sweater retirement ceremony.

The 16 Days of Trevor Linden will feature video and print content as well as a series of photo galleries highlighting Linden’s hockey career spanning more than two decades. The 16 days of coverage encompasses draft day in 1988 through to his last game on April 5, 2008 and will include stories and accounts from on and off the ice courtesy of former teammates, coaches, fans and countless others impacted by Trevor.

Exclusive commentary from former teammates and coaches will highlight a collection of excerpts to be included in the 16 Days of Trevor Linden. Video content will depict the terrific ’94 run to the Stanley Cup, a collection of Linden’s most memorable goals from his 19-year NHL career and a number of other significant moments in Linden’s career. A compilation of photos will comprise a series of photo galleries including one gallery highlighting some of his many involvements with those in the community.

To access the 16 Days of Trevor Linden, please go to Canucks.com starting December 1st through December 16th, 2008.

It’s not exactly a rags to riches story, but Cory Schneider is having fun with it.

“From packing groceries to being up with the Canucks, it’s a great story,” said Schneider, with a smirk.

No, this isn’t an update version of NFL quarterback Kurt Warner’s true rags to riches tale that had him rise from the night shift at a grocery store to Super Bowl MVP, not even close.

Schneider was in Warner’s shoes last Saturday though as the 22-year-old goaltender was bagging groceries at a Sobey’s supermarket in Winnipeg, MB as part of the Manitoba Moose’s Holiday Food Drive in support of their local Christmas Cheer Board.

Lane three was his district for a two-hour shift; heaviest items went to the bottom, similar products were grouped together, careful not to squish the bread or crack the eggs.

Schneider, Vancouver’s first round pick in 2004, mastered the art of grocery packing to perfection at the same time that Roberto Luongo injured his groin against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Word travels fast and the grapevine was trembling on this one, Schneider assumed he’d be called up to the Canucks and not long after his grocery shift ended he was gathering some clothes and preparing for liftoff.

It’s not quite as dramatic as Warner’s tale, but it still counts.

“The guys and I were joking about it, it’s definitely rags to riches,” laughed Schneider.
It’s now been five days since Schneider shifted his priorities from produce to pucks and into a role with the Canucks. He factors in as backup to Curtis Sanford, who will remain Vancouver’s starter until Luongo is able to return from his groin strain.

“You never want to see anybody get hurt, especially Louie because he’s so vital to the team, but it’s an exciting opportunity for me and hopefully we can weather the storm while he’s out,” said Schneider.

Sanford is expected to carry the bulk of the game load until Louie returns, which means that as backup Schneider could simply ride the pine and not get a chance to start his first career NHL game anytime soon.

Having said that, it also wouldn’t be out of the question for the rookie to draw into the equation immediately.

If anything is to be read into his 10-1-0 start with the Manitoba Moose, which features a goals against average and save percentage as miniscule as Michael Phelps’ speedo, it’s that Schneider is ready to face a higher level of competition.

“I think I gained a lot of confidence after last season and just had a better mindset going into it that I was going to go down there and show what I can do and it’s worked out so far.”

Vancouver’s coaching staff may be planning to start him soon, real soon, or maybe not at all. That’s the excitingly aggravating reality Schneider is faced with right now.

“They haven’t said anything to me yet, I’m sure they’re taking it on a day-by-day basis. Obviously [on Monday] Curtis played great again so I’m sure they don’t see a reason to take him out just yet.”
Sandman has backstopped the Canucks to their last three wins – all against teams who won their respected divisions last season – and there haven’t been any cracks in his amour just yet.

When and if one breaks through, Schneider said it would mean the world to him to get his first NHL start.

“It’s going to be really exciting. It’s been a lot of hard work and dreaming and dedication so obviously first and foremost you want to help the team win, but at the same it’s an exciting personal accomplishment because this is what you strive for your whole life.”

Adjusting to the game at the professional level could be Schneider’s toughest task if he does get to play during this stint with the Canucks, as was the case when he jumped from the NCAA to the AHL.

After a stellar three-year career at Boston College, Schneider was with the Moose for the 2007-08 season and it took him a few games to find hi

There’s nothing quite like opening night in the National Hockey League -- the energy and excitement, the start of another season full of promise, another year of heart-pounding action and the return of the hopes and dreams, not only of the teams that play the games, but the many fans who follow their every move.

Unfortunately, in and around all the hype and hoopla, opening night at General Motors Place will also include a gut-wrenching, tear-jerking moment of silence as the Canucks pay tribute to Luc Bourdon.

Talk about mixed emotions.

Imagine being a teammate and having to crank up your intensity level for a key divisional game against heated rival Calgary – the team Bourdon faced in his final NHL game on April 5th -- moments after watching a pre-game video tribute and celebration of a young life that was cut tragically short in a fatal motorcycle accident on a New Brunswick highway on May 29th.
“It’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure,” says new Canuck captain Roberto Luongo.

“We’ve lost a friend and a teammate and that’s always something that’s hard to deal with. At the same time, we have to rally around that and really dedicate the game to Luc and try to win it for him. I’ve been thinking a lot about Luc this preseason. It’s always devastating when you lose somebody like that and it has crossed my mind more often than not especially since I got back (to town).”

While many of Bourdon’s teammates, coaches and members of the Canucks management group attended the funeral, this will be the first time the entire organization along with Canuck fans have had the chance to grieve together.

And while the team has dealt with the tragedy and moved forward with the business of preparing for the new season without Bourdon, the events prior to Thursday’s face-off are bound to have an affect on Canuck players and will most certainly produce an atmosphere never before seen in this city prior to the first game of a new season.
“I thought so much about him all summer,” says Alex Burrows, one of Bourdon’s closest friends on the Canucks.
“I think about him every day and I know [Thursday] is going to be a tough day. He was a special player and a special friend of mine. We’ll see how it goes, but hopefully we’ll all get through it.”
“You can’t really prepare for stuff like that, so I’ll just try to hang in there,” adds Burrows of the pregame tribute.

“It’ll be special night for a special person so it should be all good.” While the organization is keeping all of its plans for the tribute to Bourdon under wraps until moments before face-off on Thursday, the Canucks have announced that the players will have a memorial sticker on their helmets and all fans in attendance at the game will be given a commemorative pin to wear.

On Tuesday, the hockey club also announced that the funds raised by the Canucks For Kids Fund 50/50 draw on opening night will be donated in Luc Bourdon’s name to a B.C. charity serving children.

Everything about Thursday will be trying to make the best of a terrible tragedy and an event some of the teammates Bourdon left behind are still having a tough time coming to grips with.
“Two of the last three years when we came to camp, Luc was my roommate. So, for me, it was definitely tough that way,” says Rick Rypien who spent time with Bourdon both in Vancouver and with the Manitoba Moose.

“I had a pretty good relationship with him – as most of the guys did -- so you definitely think about him. It [honouring him] is the right thing to do and I just think it shows how important Luc was to everyone not only on the ice, but off the ice too.”
Although Bourdon’s time with the Canucks was short and he hadn’t yet realized his vast potential as a hockey player and a human being, he clearly left an impression in the locker room.

His teammates know that if Bourdon was still with them he’d be ready to play when the puck drops