Hundreds pay tribute to Rick Rypien
Posted August 17, 2011 7:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – He was a fighter and a fan favourite, and hundreds of Canucks faithful gathered outside Rogers Arena today to pay tribute to former player Rick Rypien, who died Monday.
Many people are signing a book of condolences that will be sent to Rypien’s family in Alberta.
“There’s a lot of posters, a lot of signatures, a lot of flowers and it serves the memory of a fan favourite,” said News1130’s Ryan Sullivan, who attended the unofficial memorial.
“He was full of heart and I met him a few times in the locker room and he was just a really generous guy, really kind and always made time for me, and I think people here in the city really respect a player that goes out and stands up for his teammates and stands up for the city.”
Those who knew Rypien say the 27-year-old fought depression and twice took a leave of absence from the Canucks for personal reasons.