Canucks owner speaks out after Trevor Linden steps down
Calling himself a “diehard Canucks fan as well as an owner,” Francesco Aquilini took to Twitter on Wednesday to update fans on the team’s outlook moments after Trevor Linden stepped down as President of Hockey Operations.
One of the most popular players in franchise history, Linden was hired to steer the ship coming out of the Mike Gillis regime four years ago. After making the playoffs in his first season, it was downhill after that, as the Canucks have had the worst combined record in the NHL in the past three seasons.
In a series of 12 consecutive tweets, Aquilini thanked Linden and expressed his desire to bring a winner to Vancouver. He also referenced growing up near the Pacific Coliseum, and how he remembers crushing Stanley Cup Final losses in 1982, 1994, and 2011.
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He said he has only one unfulfilled dream: bringing the Stanley Cup to Vancouver.
1/12. This afternoon Trevor Linden stepped down as president of the @Canucks. He’s looking forward to pursuing other opportunities and spending time with his family.
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
2/12. I deeply value everything Trevor has done for this city and this franchise. He is tremendously popular in Vancouver, and for good reason. I thank him for helping us get to this point, and I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavours.
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
3/12. Jim Benning will now head up hockey operations and report directly to the ownership group.
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
4/12. Jim came to the Canucks organization with the skills, knowledge, and experience to fully oversee player personnel and hockey operations.
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
5/12. Jim and Travis Green will continue rebuilding the team as per the plan we have in place. A new president will be named in due course.
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
6/12. I’m a diehard Canucks fan as well as an owner. I love this city and this team. An interviewer at a business magazine recently asked me if I had any unfulfilled dreams and I said, “Just one. I want to bring the Stanley Cup to Vancouver.”
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
7/12. I grew up not far from Pacific Coliseum, back when the Canucks played there. I used to park cars in our driveway on game nights. When I was a kid, Lars Lindgren gave me a hockey stick. It was a treasured possession.
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
8/12. I still remember the awful feeling when the Canucks lost to the Islanders in 1982. Again in 1994, losing to the Rangers. I remember the crushing Game 7 loss to the Bruins in 2011 like it was yesterday.
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
9/12. A rebuild is a long, slow, gradual process. Everybody needs to be united behind the same vision and pulling in the same direction.
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
10/12. Our fans are incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and faithful. My goal is to reward their loyalty and passion by giving them the joy of watching their team raise the Stanley Cup.
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
11/12. Following the June draft, we now have the best group of young players and prospects we’ve had since we acquired the Canucks. The post-Sedin future is starting to take shape.
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
12/12. The ownership group has done, and will continue to do, whatever it takes to return the Canucks to the elite of the NHL. I’m confident we are progressing along that road.
— Francesco Aquilini (@fr_aquilini) July 25, 2018
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