28

Brian Noonan. Wade Brookbank. Joey Kocur. Dave Capuano.

These players and others all wore the number 28 on their jerseys as Vancouver Canucks, but I doubt any of them wore it more proudly than the one who wore it most recently: the late Luc Bourdon.

I didn't own any team jerseys when I was a kid. But when playing hockey in the street out in front of my house or in the schoolyard, I often imagined myself running around with the number of a favourite player on my back. Sometimes it was Thomas Gradin's #23, sometimes Don Lever's #9, and of course Ab DeMarco's #4. I even imagined the little metal men on my table hockey set having proper team jerseys, with their names and numbers in the right places.

It's kind of weird; in real life, nobody wants to be "just a number". On the other hand, in sports, there's such a strong association between a number and the player who wears it. One of the ultimate honours for a player is to have his number retired; along with his name, his number is given a special place in team history.

With that in mind, I'd like to make a suggestion for a simple way to honour Luc Bourdon's memory. If you're reading this blog, you're probably a contributor to one of the many online forums that revolve around sports, hockey, and specifically the Canucks. My suggestion is that you and I end each of our forum posts with the number "28", up until the end of the first month of the season.

I realize that those who were close to Luc Bourdon will probably never read this blog, nor the forums that I'm talking about. I also realize that there are many other vastly more significant ways that we could remember Luc's life: making a contribution to a charity, being an advocate for motorcycle safety, or even just living life with a greater appreciation for how fleeting it can be. However, this is a simple act we can all perform, and if we do it together it will be a way that we can collectively express our respect for Luc and our sympathies for his loved ones.

A trivial action? Maybe. But it's something, and each time you type that number, perhaps you will take a moment to remember a life that ended far too soon.

28.

Mike Gillis -- for Best Director?

Whatever the month of the year, it's always hockey season in Vancouver. Even in the midst of a 30-plus degree heat wave, there's no lack of discussion about the Canucks -- what the line-up will be in the fall, which UFAs are still available, which teams might have the missing pieces we can get in a trade... it's all on the table. On the other hand, summertime is also traditionally blockbuster movie season, and so that got me thinking:

Which movie characters should Canuck GM Mike Gillis have thought about signing this off-season?

Here are some suggestions for some players I think would look great on the Canuck roster.

1. Batman from the Christopher Nolan pair of movies, enforcer. The guy knows all sorts of martial arts, and even trained on ice in the first movie. He can take a ton of punishment and get up unhurt every time. If any of us like a little fight in our players, then, well, we're gonna love him. I considered the Joker from The Dark Knight as well, but I think he'd be uncoachable and take too many undisciplined penalties.

2. Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, sniper. Here's someone who in his youth could bulls-eye womp rats in his T-16 back home. He's always shown uncanny accuracy with his shooting. His main downside would be that he's a bit of a whiner -- hopefully coach Vigneault won't interfere with Luke's trips to pick up power converters. Yoda would be good, too. His wisdom and experience could replace what we've lost in Linden's and Naslund's departures. He's pretty quick and agile for an older veteran.

3. Neo from the Matrix trilogy, PK specialist. He's amazing in outnumbered situations -- just ask Agent Smith(s). Neo also has great speed; the game seems to slow right down for him.

4. Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, agitator. With all due respect to Alex Burrows, Gollum would be the ultimate pest. Send him into the corner after the puck ("my preciousssss..."), and he will show you just what is meant by tenacious forechecking. He knows how to talk smack ("stupid fat hobbit" could be appropriate for any number of players in the NHL), and is willing to back it up with his fists if necessary. He'd have to tone down the biting thing, but on the other hand it could be helpful to have that nasty reputation. Legolas Greenleaf might be worth pursuing for an offensive upgrade, too. The man, er, elf has a deadly accurate shot and is very reliable defensively.

5. Superman from -- wait a minute, we already have Luongo locked up for the next two years.

I think Gillis would do well to pull the Sundin offer off the table and get these guys instead. Since none have played in the NHL before, he could get away with just giving them the max on entry-level contracts. He might face trouble when it becomes time to re-up, but I think the Canucks would be legitimate Cup contenders in the meantime.

That's not too much of a fantasy, is it?