The Vancouver Canucks announced Wednesday that Trevor Linden is no longer with the team.
Linden has served as the team’s president of hockey operations for four years.
“I love this city and this province, and I will always have a special relationship with this team and Canucks fans,” Linden said in a letter posted on the team’s website. “I am going to step back from the spotlight for a while and enjoy the summer with my young family.”
In a statement, the team described Linden’s departure as “amicable.”
Globalnews.ca coverage of Trevor Linden
“I would like to thank Trevor for the opportunity he gave me and my family,” Canucks general manager Jim Benning said in a release.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working and learning from Trevor over the past four years. We still have lots of work to do, but I am proud of what we have built together so far in Vancouver.”
Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini said via Twitter that Benning will “now head up hockey operations and report directly to the ownership group.”
In another tweet, Aquilini said “a rebuild is a long, slow, gradual process. Everybody needs to be united behind the same vision and pulling in the same direction.”
Linden joined the team’s front office after a storied career with the Canucks.
He was originally drafted by Vancouver second overall in 1988 and spent 16 seasons with the Canucks split between two stints.
WATCH: Vancouver Canucks part ways with Trevor Linden
He is the team’s third all-time leading scorer with 733 points in 1,140 games.
He remains the team’s all-time playoff scoring leader, with 95 points in 118 postseason games.
— With files from The Canadian Press