shawn79 | 02-07-2011 01:05 PM | FUCK MESSIER!
It was an emotional and high-profile move, with Messier returning to Canada after six years with the Rangers, but the honeymoon did not last. Before the season started, popular captain Trevor Linden relinquished the "C" to Messier, a move that did not go well with Canuck supporters as Linden was a fan favorite. According to some accounts, Linden willingly handed over the "C" out of respect to Messier but later regretted it and described Messier's invasion of the dressing room as hostile.[13] Shortly after Messier's acquisition, Linden was traded by Mike Keenan to the New York Islanders, where he became their captain, replacing Bryan McCabe, whom Linden was traded for along with Todd Bertuzzi. Messier's demand to receive the number #11, which he had worn throughout his career with the Oilers and Rangers, but which the Canucks had unofficially retired after Wayne Maki's unexpected death in 1974, hurt his image as well.[14]
In Messier's first game back on Broadway, MSG provided a video for him which was displayed on the big screen at the Garden. It was very emotional as some fans as well as Messier himself shedding tears. He went on to score a goal in that game against his former team where he received applause after doing so even though he wore a different uniform. One fan even displayed a sign which read "You will always be our captain Mess".
Sixty points in 1997–98 was his worst mark in a full year since his first NHL season; his next two seasons were shortened by injury and finished with 158 points over three years, considered below expectations compared to other star centermen earning around $6 million US a season, like Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic. Keenan was fired from his post as Canucks' manager and coach midway in the 1998–99 season, as the club missed the playoffs during Messier's three years. The team made no attempt to re-sign Messier, whom Canucks fans never warmed to, and he became a free agent after the 1999–2000 season http://www.bestweekever.tv/bwe/image...08/messier.jpg |