After months of build-up and ceremony speculation, Markus Naslund's No. 19 was sent to the rafters of Vancouver's Rogers Arena. It was a night full of emotion, touching video tributes and speeches that pulled on the heart strings. The Vancouver Canucks organization deserves a lot of credit for putting on this incredible ceremony.
Mike Gillis, current general manager and the former agent of Markus Naslund, spoke about Markus' incredible desire to better his game and become a true National Hockey League player. The talent was apparent from his early days in Vancouver. Although Markus threatened to return to Sweden in the beginning, Mike knew that there was too much potential within the dangling left winger.
In Markus' first season in Vancouver, many fans could see that he was going to be a great Canuck for years to come. He tallied 21 goals in 78 games during the '95-'96 season and it looked like the sky was the limit.
Over the next few seasons, Naslund's stats continued to rise and his play continued to get better. In 2003, Markus led the Canucks with a massive 104-point season. While the playof ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Michael Stuart
Fitting Tribute for Markus Naslund: Once a Canuck, Always a Canuck
December 12th, 2010 by Michael Stuart Leave a reply »
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