"He is accountable and he doesn't ever deny the facts that his line is not stepping up. He has heart and wears the frustration of the team on his face."
One of the moments that most sticks out to Markus Naslund of his time here was when he broke his leg earlier and came out to receive the Molson Cup Award.
“I remember biting my lip to stop myself from crying.” - Markus Naslund
In the above video he talks about how the fans made it hard for him not to break down and cry.
"People were angry and Markus was the one bright light we had," said Crawford. "At the end of that year, it was starting to change and getting respectability back to the franchise is a big part of his legacy. People identified with him because he was kind of a passionate guy — especially for a Swede."
"He wears his heart on his sleeve...that's a tough thing in professional sports and you respect that because it's as honest and true as you get." -Trevor Linden
Maybe the Swedish nature in him is not to come across as being a fiery person,” Naslund’s long-time linemate and friend, Brendan Morrison, said from Calgary. “I don’t know if some people read into that as Markus not caring, but that couldn’t have been farther from the truth.”
“He cared incredibly about the team performance and his own performance,” iconic ex-captain Trevor Linden, banished by Keenan in 1998 and repatriated by Burke in 2001, said of playing for Naslund. “His performance meant everything to him, and the team’s performance. He cared to the point that it probably took some of the fun out of things. Whether it be in the dressing room or with his family or in the community, he really cared.”
That was Quinn’s impression, too.
“He cared about his teammates,” Quinn said. “That’s what a great captain is.”
"He's just always a little rat," joked Naslund at the time. "He's whining. But he played well and he looks like he's taken another step. He looks more confident with the puck."
Burrows chuckled earlier this week when reminded of that incident.
"It's kind of funny," he said. "I forgot about that. I knew I was down and he gave me a little extra shove but it was like that every night. He wanted his team to be successful."
He could have afforded to have an ego and be distant, but he was a regular guy who formed close bonds with his teammates.
"He never showed it like he was a huge celebrity — he's just a great guy and real easy going," said [Sami Salo.] "He always had time for everybody. He helped my family get into a new city and school and well connected in the community. There was never a doubt that his number shouldn't be up there."
"We choked," said Canucks captain Markus Naslund following the team's 2-0 loss to the Kings. "But we're going to change that. We're going to play a lot better in the playoffs. I can promise you that."- Naslund's brutally honest and emotional response
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