VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Vancouver Canucks forward Trevor Linden retired from the NHL on Wednesday, 20 years to the day after the team drafted him into the league.

Trevor Linden celebrates!

Chosen second overall behind only Dallas' Mike Modano in the 1988 draft, Linden spent 16 of his 19 seasons in Vancouver, where he was the face of the franchise for most of the past two decades.

"It's just the right time," Linden said. "When you get to a point where mentally you are there, where mentally you feel you've got everything out that you could, it's time to look to other things, and I'm looking forward to that."

The 38-year-old Linden played 1,140 of his 1,382 games, and recorded 733 of his 867 career points, with the Canucks. He finishes with a franchise-record 415 assists, second to only Markus Naslund with 318 goals, and as the team's career playoff leader with 118 games, 34 goals and 95 points.

Linden made the team in 1988, scoring 30 goals and finishing second in voting for NHL Rookie of the Year behind New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch. By the age of 21, he was named the youngest captain in the NHL. And in 1994, his sixth season, Linden led the Canucks to the Stanley Cup final, scoring both goals in a 3-2 Game 7 loss to the Rangers.

Traded to the New York Islanders in 1998 just before playing for Canada at the Olympics, Linden also played in Montreal and Washington before being brought back to Vancouver from the Capitals in a trade in November 2001.

Long a fan favorite in Vancouver, Linden twice had to answer serious questions during Wednesday's retirement news conference about possibly running for mayor.

"I've met some of the kids named Linden and some of them are getting a little old, so that's maybe a hint to move on," Linden said of his popularity. "I came here as an 18-year-old right out of high school and kind of grew up here. People saw me come here as a young boy and mature and I think they got to know me, so that maybe explains a little bit of the connection."

A two-time All-Star, Linden finishes with 375 goals and 867 points. For all his accomplishments on the ice, Linden was perhaps as well known for his work off it, including his work as president of the NHL Players' Association for eight years.

Canucks center Brendan Morrison praised Linden for his ability to weather the tough times.

"Everybody was looking to him for answers," Morrison said. "I think he handled it well. At the bottom of his heart he was trying to do the right thing at all times.

"I don't know if many other guys could have handled it as well as he did."

Jun 6, 2008, 11:53 AM EDT

The American Diabetes Association and the Denver Father’s Day Council hosted the 2008 Father of the Year Awards on Thursday, June 5, 2008 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Denver. This year’s honorees included Ken Ellgen, XCel Energy, Executive Director (Retired), Mark Hellerstein, Chairman of the Board/Director, St. Mary Land & Exploration Company, Ian Laperriere, Alternate Captain, Colorado Avalanche, and Mike Shaw, Founder and Owner Mike Shaw Automotive, four outstanding fathers in the Colorado community.

“We are proud to honor these four exceptional fathers who have demonstrated the ability to balance their personal lives, while achieving a high-level of success in their careers.” said Perri Dombroski, Associate Director at the American Diabetes Association. “All of these fathers are very deserving of this award”.

All proceeds of the Father of the Year awards dinner support the American Diabetes Association and its mission to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. At the dinner, there was a special opportunity to donate funds for scholarships that support children who are in need of financial assistance to attend Camp Colorado. Camp Colorado is run by the American Diabetes Association and provides a safe and fun camp experience for 250 children with diabetes annually.

Diabetes is a serious, life-threatening and incurable disease that can lead to loss of life or complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations, if untreated. It is the fifth leading cause of death by disease. Nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes, and millions more have pre-diabetes. More than one-third of those with diabetes are undiagnosed.

About the Denver Father’s Day Council
The Denver chapter of the National Father’s Day Council is a volunteer organization that annually honors individuals who exemplify outstanding commitment to children, family and community. The National Father’s Day Council was established in 1931. It holds Father of the Year events in 18 cities across the nation. Its national honorees have included John F. Kennedy, Colin Powell, Jack Lemmon, George Foreman, Ronald Reagan and Wolf Blitzer.

About the American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization concerned with diabetes and its complications. Founded in 1940, the Association provides services in communities nationwide. The mission of the American Diabetes Association is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information, contact the American Diabetes Association in Denver at 720.855.1102 or visit www.diabetes.org.

Some of you Sugar friends are aware that I will soon be breaking ground on a second getaway home down in Santa Fe. You may have seen pictures that I've posted of the land. At this stage of the game, it feels abstract and distant because the building has not yet begun. However, I am waiting to receive the first round of architectural plans this week and can hardly wait.

While at the dentist today, I was thumbing through "Sunset" magazine and saw a feature on an eco-friendly, modern home. Wow, the kitchen is so inspirational and I love the island and cabinetry. This is very much how I imagine my space, which will be both modern and eco-friendly with passive solar, recycling water, etc.

This will be the first time that I will experience building a home from scratch and it will be quite different from my home-base in historic northwest Denver, which is a fully restored Victorian built in 1890. It is scary and exciting at the same time and I'm certain it will be a learning process.

And I love what has been done in this kitchen using digital imagery to connote the feeling of exotic wood. What a great idea!!!

A truly green kitchen!!!!

First off, NHL fans, I am sorry I have been so lax about posts this season, but with my hectic work and travel schedule, I have found myself with little time for hanging out on Sugar lately. That said, I have to say that I am starting to get playoff fever as the last 11 games of the season become more important with each game.

Additionally, with the return of my favorite player, Peter Forsberg, the games have become that much better. 'Tho Peter has sat the last two games with a groin injury along with other injury-plagued AVS members. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my team can get healthy and start finessing their on-ice chemistry.

The Northwest Division is extremely tight and the Western Conference leaders are separated by mere points with the exception of the Detroit Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks.

The race for a playoff spot can change on any given night, so it will be interesting to see where our respective and beloved teams end up in the final standings and who will "be in" and who will "be out," to quote fashionista Heidi Klum!!!! See that's hockey commentary with a little bit of "Sugar" narrative to boot!!!

I am hoping that the AVS can beat the Edmonton Oilers tonight at home and I can't wait for Saturday's home contest against the New Jersey Devils as I will be there to cheer my team on (after French class!).

Best of luck to your teams too and please, voice your thoughts!!!Burnaby Joe snakes down the ice!

I recently learned that not only are overseas contributions a major factor in campaign contributions, but that the top candidates thus far benefiting from large donations outside the United States include 1) Rudy Giuliani (Rep) who was in London raising $$$$, 2) Barack Obama (Dem) who will host two fundraisers in London, and 3) Hillary Clinton (Dem) who is also set to host a London fete to raise beau-coup campaign dollars.

Candidates have discovered that due to the diversification of the economy, that many Americans hold high-powered jobs outside this country and are sought after for their large campaign contributions. Certainly this makes sense, as those U.S. citizens living out of the country vote as absentee and make up a percentage of the voting population. It will be interesting to see the final contribution figures that candidates raise via overseas fundraising events.