The first thing he did in the rest of his life was donate money to charity. Old habits.

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Trevor Linden

Photograph by : Ward Perrin, Vancouver Sun

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Some things about Trevor Linden will never change, even as his job does.

For the first time in his life, the 38-year-old is out of hockey. He announced Wednesday he is retiring from the Vancouver Canucks, two decades after his draft selection changed the franchise and launched Linden towards a godly status not likely to be seen again by an athlete in our city.

Immediately after his packed, televised press conference at General Motors Place, Linden handed over to the Canucks' charity the $25,000 he received last month from the National Hockey League as part of a humanitarian award.

It won't be Linden's last act of community service even if he never skates another shift in the NHL.

"No, I don't think that will stop," Linden's wife, Cristina, said.

"During my time at Nike ... I got to spend time with Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods," Canuck president Chris Zimmerman said. "They are extraordinary people. But I have never met another athlete with a bigger heart than Trevor Linden."

That heart, which pumped life into the Canucks and hope into countless lives through Linden's devotion to helping sick children, was remarkably composed on Wednesday. There were no tears from Linden, no emotional pauses as he spoke about retiring and not knowing what he will do with the rest of his life.

He read initially from a text but his preparation for this day, for this end, was more obvious in his manner. This was a man comfortable with his decision, ready to accept it after months of knowing it was coming.

In truth, he expected last summer when contract negotiations were delayed for weeks that his 19th NHL season -- all but 31/2 with the Canucks -- would be his last.

Linden was scratched from the Canucks lineup 23 times last winter, but the only clue to any possible bitterness Wednesday was Linden's omission of coach Alain Vigneault from a list of three dozen people he thanked.

New general manager Mike Gillis attended the press conference despite differences with Linden that have stood since the 2004-05 lockout, and owner Francesco Aquilini was there, too. Aquilini was among those thanked by Linden, but it's difficult to imagine the now-ex-player taking on a meaningful role in the Canucks' front office.

Linden abhors the idea of a ceremonial posting, and with his successful real-estate development last year in Vancouver and a new one in Victoria, it's likely the most beloved figure in Canuck history won't be part of the organization any time soon.

"It's not every day you get to go from an old hockey player to a young man, so that's a good thing," Linden smiled. "There are two tracks you can go. You can stay in the game, a game that you love and feel you have a good knowledge base about... all I've ever known. But there's also a part of me that says maybe there's something else out there that I have a passion for and that I would enjoy doing. It's going to take some time to figure out.