Rick Rypien has passed away on August 15th at the young age of 27 at his home in Crowsnest Pass, AB. Rypien signed with the Winnipeg Jets in July on a one-year contract.
Rick was to run his annual hockey school earlier in the day, but never arrived. It was widely known that Rypien battled depression, and he took a leave of absence from the Vancouver Canucks last November (the 2nd taken with the team).
Rypien began his pro career in Winnipeg with the Manitoba Moose, and he was excited to be returning to the city.
“Everyone that knows me, knows that everything that was happening didn’t reflect me as a person and it’s not like I was doing anything wrong,” Rypien told the Winnipeg Free Press at the time. “I went through a couple of things I had to deal with, I got over it – it took longer than I wanted.
“But just the interest people had in me and the belief people had in me … it means a lot to me. It makes me believe even more in myself. They see something in me as a person that maybe sometimes you don’t see yourself. They point that out and then you believe in yourself more and then hope you reach the potential they see and you see in yourself.”
True North Sports & Entertainment and the Winnipeg Jets issued the following statement in regards to the passing of Rick Rypien:
“We are deeply saddened to confirm Rick’s passing. As many people are aware, he had strong ties to True North Sports & Entertainment, the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club, the former Manitoba Moose Hockey Club and the Vancouver Canucks. We would like to express our sincere sympathies to the Rypien family as well as Rick’s friends. We also appreciate all of the support that has come pouring in from Rick’s fans. Rick was a talented player with an extremely bright future. His hunger for the game made him a valued team member both on and off the ice. This loss has impacted us as more than just a hockey team.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment