Vancouver Canucks’ defenceman Luc Bourdon is dead after a motorcycle crash in northern New Brunswick yesterday.
The 21-year-old was travelling on a road between his hometown of Shippagan and Lemeque, N.B., when he collided head-on with a transport truck.
Bourdon’s sister, Eve, confirmed the fatality but declined to comment further at the time. His stepmother, Maryse Godin Bourdon, said that Bourdon purchased the motorcycle — his first — approximately three weeks ago.
“He had a very tragic accident with his bike,” she told Metro Vancouver from her home in New Brunswick, adding that Bourdon was pronounced dead at the scene.
“I was there … and it was very bad. We can say nothing.”
Canucks’ GM Mike Gillis said he’s shocked.
“It’s a challenging time for everybody,” Gillis said when asked for his immediate reaction. He was in Toronto for today’s NHL combine. “Luc was an extremely talented player with a bright future. He will be greatly missed.”
“He had so much passion and emotion as both a player and a person,” said Canucks’ assistant GM, Steve Tambellini, who was also reached via conference call from Toronto. “He cared a great deal about his teammates.”
Bourdon was selected by Vancouver with the 10th pick overall in the 2005 NHL draft, and nearly cracked the Canucks’ lineup as an 18-year-old. Instead, Bourdon returned to junior hockey where his all-star performance helped Canada win gold at the World Junior Championships in Vancouver before joining a Moncton Wildcats team that finished runner-up in the 2006 Memorial Cup.
Last season, Bourdon split time between Manitoba and Vancouver, scoring two goals in 27 games in a Canucks’ uniform.
WITH FILES FROM ANDREW KING
