Luc Bourdon’s family is in shock, devastated by the tragic motorcycle crash Thursday that killed the Manitoba Moose defenceman.
Bourdon died instantly when the motorcycle he was driving hit a tractor-trailer head-on on Highway 113 in Lameque, N.B., in the early afternoon. The small town in northern New Brunswick is not far from Bourdon’s hometown of Shippagan, N.B.
“The entire area is in shock,” a close family member said. “Oh my God, we can’t believe this happened. It’s an unreal tragedy. His father is crushed.”
The weather was clear at the time of the accident. RCMP collision analysts were on scene trying to determine the cause of the accident.
“Everyone knew Luc in this town,” the family member said. “He had such a love for life and that made him such a favourite here.”
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Bourdon was the Vancouver Canucks’ first-round draft choice, 10th overall, in 2005. Bourdon, who played for the Val-d’Or Foreurs, Moncton Wildcats and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, returned to junior ranks in 2005 after a promising Canucks training camp – nearly making the team as an 18-year-old – but injuries limited his playing time.
Bourdon played his first nine NHL games the following season with the Canucks, then returned to the Canucks for 27 games in 2007-08, scoring a pair of goals and showing the poise that had been promised since his heralded draft three years earlier.
“We are deeply saddened by today’s news and on behalf of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization, I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to Luc’s family,” said Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said in a statement.
“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.”
Because he was slow to reach the NHL level, Bourdon faced a lot of criticism. But in late February, he addressed the naysayers.
“Back home, they think I’m washed (up) already,” Bourdon said. “It’s true. They don’t understand why I’m not playing in the NHL (full time) because I’ve been around for four years now.
“The first year I was pretty close and they thought I was supposed to be in the NHL the next year. It didn’t work out, so they pretty much thought I was done.”
Canucks assistant coach Rick Bowness, a Moncton, N.B., native, responded: “You’ve got to mature off the ice before you can mature on the ice. The way he’s handling himself, he’s far more comfortable. He’s growing up.
“I know his background and I know how we grow up in the Maritimes. We don’t care how much money you have or what you do for a living. It’s irrelevant. We care more about what type of person you are.
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