A B.C. woman has started a campaign to have the Vancouver Canucks add Gino Odjick to the team’s Ring of Honour.
Marcia McNaughton said Odjick’s recent health problems prompted her to urge the NHL franchise to pay tribute to the beloved enforcer who spent eight seasons with the Canucks in the 1990s.
“It’s no news to everybody he’s sick again,” McNaughton said. “So I just kind of thought it was a good time to push to try to get him up there. He belongs there.”
Last month, Odjick, the Canucks all-time leader in penalty minutes, revealed he is once again battling AL amyloidosis, a condition that nearly claimed his life in 2014.
Odjick never scored more than 16 goals in a season while in Vancouver, but his toughness and work ethic have endeared him to Canucks fans for decades.
McNaughton, who knows Odjick personally, launched a social media campaign with his blessing.
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“He’s loving it,” she said. “I don’t know if he thought it would go this far.”
McNaughton points out that Odjick, who was born on the small Algonquin reserve of Kitigan Zibi, Que., has served as an inspiration to Indigenous youth.
She also notes that 30 years after he first put on a Canucks sweater, Odjick’s name recognition is as strong as ever.
“You can say the word ‘Gino,’ and you never have to say a last name and everybody in B.C. knows who that is.”
The Canucks launched a Ring of Honour during the 2010-11 season to acknowledge those who have made a lasting impact on the franchise. Inductees include Orland Kurtenbach, Kirk McLean, Thomas Gradin, Harold Snepsts, Pat Quinn, Mattias Ohlund and Alex Burrows.
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