Canucks defenceman Luc Bourdon had a great sense of humour and was a caring young man well on the way to reaping some of the rewards of his hard work, his friends and colleagues said yesterday.
Bourdon’s agent, Kent Hughes, said he was a competitive team player who never quit. Hughes first met Bourdon when he starred for Team New Brunswick as a 15-year-old at the 2003 Canada Winter Games in Bathurst, N.B.
“He was great. He was a year younger than everybody.”
Hughes learned from another client, Kristopher Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins, that Bourdon had just purchased the motorcycle a few days ago.
Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo told Global TV that Bourdon was “really coming into his own as a person and a hockey player.”
Fans got a glimpse of Bourdon’s fun-loving nature at the Canucks Skills Competition in 2005 when Bourdon was hit in the face with a pie by a teammate as part of his initiation. He reacted good naturedly and seemed to enjoy camaraderie.
Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said the entire organization is deeply saddened.
“Luc was an extremely talented player with a bright future. He brought great passion to the game and was a valued team member on and off the ice. He will be greatly missed.”
Shippagan RCMP have announced a press conference for this morning to answer questions about the crash.
