Former Canuck Pavol Demitra remembered

VANCOUVER – Hockey fans have gathered outside Rogers Arena today for a memorial honouring former Vancouver Canuck Pavol Demitra.

Demitra and 42 others from his Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team were killed in a plane crash earlier this week.

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The makeshift shrine with candles and a jersey keeps growing outside Rogers Arena, with people scribbling messages of condolence on large white posters.

It’s in the same place where fans gathered to mourn former Canuck Rick Rypien who died of an apparent suicide in August.

The memorial is taking place on the same day as funerals for members of the team in Russia.

Shanyaa Assu who was one of the people who started the memorial outside Rogers Arena told Global News it lets the fans grieve, mourn and celebrate Demitra’s life.

“It is for the family and for the fans. Just to help get all those sad emotions out from the plane crash.”