This news comes as a bit of a surprise. Trevor and Cristina have been married since 1995—Roman is their first child.
The announcement is certainly low key—nothing yet on the Canucks' social channels, and not even a photo. It'll be interesting to see how Linden changes as he becomes a first-time father at age 47.
One of the newest Canucks looks like he's set to welcome his second child in the not-too-distant future.
Sam Gagner and his wife Rachel got married in 2014 and have been on a bit of a wedding tour so far this summer. Two weeks ago, it was Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cody Goloubef in Toronto—looks like he and Gagner are childhood friends from the Metro Toronto area.
Though the Gagners have been focused on building their family since getting married, Rachel isn't your typical hockey wife—she's Dr. Rachel Linke. Now a med school grad, the Edmonton native met Sam through mutual friends as he was finishing up his rookie season with the Oilers back in 2008. This article from Lora Grady at Chatelaine also talks about how the doc felt when Gagner suffered that awful broken jaw thanks to Zack Kassian's errant high stick during the 2013-14 preseason and the twist their lives took when Gagner was traded away from the Oilers in June of 2014, just two weeks before their wedding.
Gagner looks like he's dead set on wearing his usual No. 89 when he suits up for Vancouver this fall. The Canucks have only had one other 89 in their history—Alex Mogilny, who wore the jersey during his four-plus seasons in Vancouver between 1995 and 2000.
Though Mogilny was with the Canucks during the late 90s decline that came after the 1994 run to the Stanley Cup, I still consider him to be one of the most talented players ever to suit up in Vancouver.
In his first season in Vancouver in 1995-96, he finished third in the league behind Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr with 55 goals—and became the only 50-goal scorer other than Pavel Bure in Canucks franchise history. His 107 points that year ties him with Bure's 1993-94 season for third all-time on the Canucks—behind only Henrik Sedin (2009-10, 112 points) and Bure in 1992-93 (110 points).
But Mogilny has never gotten a lot of love in the hockey community. Despite finishing tied with Sergei Fedorov for ninth in the scoring race in 1995-96, he finished in a tie for 18th in Hart Trophy voting with one fourth-place vote and one fifth-place vote (Fedorov was fifth). And that's the only year in his entire career that he got any Hart votes at all!
Mogilny would have shared the Rocket Richard Trophy with Teemu Selanne when the pair both scored 76 goals during the 1992-93 season—but the trophy wasn't introduced until six years later. His dangerous cloak-and-dagger defection to the U.S. after the 1989 World Championship was a groundbreaking moment in the introduction of Russian players into the NHL, but Mogilny also has yet to receive a call to join the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2016.
Though his relatively short tenure leaves him 22nd on the Canucks all-time scoring list, sandwiched between defensemen Dennis Kearns and Doug Lidster, Mogilny put up 308 points in 312 games with the Canucks—which ranks him second in all-time points-per-game (0.99) behind Bure (1.12).
I don't think it's enough to justify officially retiring his number, but I'd feel better if Gagner chose another option—88's open!
Also worth noting—Gagner wore No. 9 during his year in Arizona with the Coyotes in 2014-15, because Mikkel Boedker was wearing 89. Since Jack Skille's not coming back, 9's open too.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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