Welcome to the Vancouver Lexicon. Its purpose is to pin down the patois of the City of Vancouver by recording its toponyms, nicknames, slang terms, personalities, places, and other Van-centric things. Full A-Z here.

Gino | person | Affectionately known as “Gino”, Wayne Gino Odjick (September 7th, 1970 – January 15th, 2023) was an enforcer who made an indelible mark on Vancouver. Hailing from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, the “Algonquin Assassin” was a fierce defender of his teammates, most notably the gifted Pavel Bure, of whom he shared a unique friendship with.

Chants of “Gino! Gino!” would fill the arena as he amassed a franchise record of 2,127 penalty minutes – many of them high-profile tilts. In the 1993/94 season, he even found a scoring touch, potting 16 goals and 13 assists in a year that saw the Canucks reach the Stanley Cup Finals. His jersey number was a reference to his father’s residential school identification number and he was a role model for indigenous youth long after his career ended. He was the subject of local legends and song, and after his terminal diagnosis (amyloidosis) was revealed, on June 29th, 2014 hundreds of fans showed up to chant his name outside of Vancouver General Hospital.

Usage: “I was there when Gino scored a penalty shot goal against Calgary. The way the crowd erupted you’d think we had just won the Stanley Cup!”