A surgical instrument adapted for applying a plurality of surgical fasteners to body tissue, the surgical instrument comprising:a frame having a proximal end and a distal end, with a handle positioned at the proximal end and an end effector positioned at the distal endthe end effector being shaped and dimensioned for supporting a cartridge housing and an anvil, the cartridge housing and anvil being relatively movable between a first spaced apart position and a second position in close approximation with one another, and the cartridge housing includes a knife structure adapted for cutting tissue by moving between the cartridge housing and the anvila firing mechanism is associated with the end effector and the cartridge housing for selective actuationthe knife structure includes a knife and a knife holder, and the knife holder is located on a proximal end of the knife opposite to a cutting edge of the knife, and the firing mechanism includes a knife retraction hook, the end of the knife retraction hook including a hook that faces upward to receive the knife holder as the cartridge housing is loaded into the end effector of the linear surgical stapler.
