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VANCOUVER — Going in, it was believed to be Trevor Linden's last game ever, and Markus Naslund's last game as a Vancouver Canuck.
But after the fawning tributes to Linden, the former captain and face of the franchise who made no definitive announcement but was celebrated as though this was the end, the current captain dropped a bombshell.
Naslund, who can become a free agent this summer, said he was unsure he would play anywhere next season and hinted that he, too, might retire.
"I don't know," Naslund responded when asked if he felt he would continue his career. "That's a big part. We'll see. I want to take some time and then, we'll see. I'm not going to comment on that now."
Trevor Linden acknowledges the fans after his last game in a Canuck jersey at the conclusion of their game against the Calgary Flames in Vancouver. (Lyle Stafford/Reuters)
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Even minus that juicy piece of information, a 7-1 loss to the Calgary Flames was still loaded with significance for the Canucks.
For starters, as opposed to the Oilers, who beat Vancouver 2-1 on Thursday when they had nothing to play for, the Canucks could not match Edmonton's professionalism and were humiliated before 18,630 on home ice. Vancouver's postseason dreams died with that loss to the Oilers, making this the first game without consequence.
"We talked about going into this game and still playing a strong game, but we didn't and it was almost embarrassing," Naslund said.
But in some ways, the mail-it-in effort mattered not.
The main actor on Saturday was Linden, and the fans came to glory him regardless of what the scoreboard read. An emotional farewell began before the start of the third period, and continued throughout the frame and into a post-game ceremony.
Rather than surrounded their goaltender after the final buzzer, the Canucks encircled Linden, each player getting a personal moment and some whispers into his ear. Then, in a classy move, Flames captain Jarome Iginla pulled his teammates from the locker room and had them line up and shake hands with Linden.
Several times, Linden gestured towards his heart and then to the crowd during a parade lap around GM Place. They applauded him, and he applauded right back. The game's first star, and not for anything he did on Saturday in a season-high 18 minutes and 11 seconds.
"It was quite overwhelming," Linden said. "I've been treated incredibly by the city of Vancouver for a long time, and by the team. For someone who doesn't like attention, it was a little difficult. It was unfortunate the way the game went, but at the same time, it was a special night for me."
Linden, who has played 16 of his 19 seasons in Vancouver, said he wanted to take some time before making any announcements and that he didn't feel right saying anything after an emotional week that saw the Canucks bumped from the post-season after a wretched collapse.
Linden and Naslund started the game on a line with Ryan Kesler, which is not a regular combination from head coach Alain Vigneault. Linden also played with the Sedin twins, another unorthodox triumvirate, as it became clear Vigneault would maximize his ice time.
It also became clear that his teammates were trying to get Linden a goal.
Before the third began, Linden got his due if not a tally. His face appeared on the video scoreboard and a trickle of applause turned into an impromptu standing ovation.
Class defined Linden's career and it defined this moment as well. The referee skated away not wanting to rush the drop of the puck, and players on both benches stood up and banged their sticks against the boards. Linden smiled, looked a tad embarrassed, and acknowledged the applause by raising his stick.
Calgary was also trying to get a specific player a goal. Iginla entered the contest with 49 and was seeking his second 50-goal season. Two assists got Iginla to 97 points on the season, a career best, and with 7:25 remaining, he fired a puck past Canucks goalie Curtis Sanford at close range for his 50th of the season.
Iginla, David Moss, Kristian Huselius, Dustin Boyd and Alex Tanguay scored singles for the Flames, and Eric Nystrom had two goals, giving him three for the season, in a four-point game. The visitors led 3-1 after the first period and by three goals after two periods. Byron Ritchie scored for Vancouver.
Roberto Luongo started in goal for the Canucks but was removed after one period and replaced by Sanford. Backup Curtis Joseph played goal for the Flames.
With the win, the Flames temporarily avoided a first-round playoff encounter with the powerhouse San Jose Sharks. The Flames currently hold the sixth seed in the NHL's Western Conference and would face the Northwest Division champion Minnesota Wild in the first round.
With a loss, Calgary would have finished seventh in the West and drawn the Sharks in the opening round. That could still happen should the Colorado Avalanche defeat the Wild on Sunday on the final day of the NHL regular season.
The Canucks, meanwhile, saw their season end in a spate of losses, seven in the final eight games.
