GNT: Canucks vs Rangers: Rick Rypien Night

[dash]

not sure why Torts coaches in this League. HE just wont work with the media at least not from what I have seen his whole career. maybe he should coach in no market area instead.

We need Torts in New York just for the Larry Brooks insults/laughs alone...

 

[naslundfan19]

Will watch this one later tonight. Have something going on before. Hope the first game ends in time so TSN will show the tribute. Just test driving the Jets logo. GO CANUCKS GO!!!

 

[Darkstone42]

VANCOUVER — Kevin Bieksa had two brothers when he was growing up. Then he met Rick Rypien and had three.

The last time Bieksa spoke with Rypien, a month after Rick had left the Vancouver Canucks to sign with the Winnipeg Jets, they discussed how strange it would be to play against each other in March and joked about fighting at centre ice at Rogers Arena.

Later, we learned that Rypien had been fighting clinical depression for years. A week after his phone call with Bieksa, Rypien was found dead at home in Crowsnest Pass, Alta. He was 27.

There was never going to be another game for Rick Rypien. Never another talk with his mom, Shelley Crawford, never another moment with dad, Wes, or a joke with his brother, Wes Jr. Never another laugh with teammates. Never another anything.

But Tuesday night, the Rypiens will make it to centre ice after all when the Canucks honour Rick before their National Hockey League game against the New York Rangers. Rypien’s legacy will be a website, funded by a $50,000 donation from the Canucks, to help young people deal with depression and other mental-health issues.

Bieksa will remember Rypien for much more than that.

“He had a huge heart and he really didn’t like for people to worry about him,” Bieksa, 30, explained Monday in a quiet moment after the Canucks’ practice. “He didn’t want people worrying about him. He didn’t want people to have to take care of him. He wanted to be the one taking care of people. That’s the way he was. He was kind of the leader of his family, the one everyone leaned on.

“When he wasn’t playing, I’d talk to him and he’d say: ‘How’s the team doing? How was last night’s game?’ I remember thinking: ‘Who cares? There are bigger issues here.’ ”

Bieksa and Rypien met near the end of the 2004-05 lockout season when Bieksa was with the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose and Rypien was a quiet, scrawny kid fresh out of junior hockey in Regina.

“I thought he was just a fan or a young kid,” Bieksa said. “I had no clue he was going to be playing for us. Then when he practised with us it was like: ‘Oh, that’s kind of nice. They’re letting the young kid skate with the team.’

“There was no easy road for him to make it to the NHL. He came from a small town in the middle of nowhere. To get noticed, he had to do whatever it took. People respected that.”

Bieksa and Rypien became friends.

While driving together to a workout before the Canucks’ 2008 training camp, Rypien confided in Bieksa about his mental issues, his anxiety and worry.

A few months later, when Rypien disappeared during his first leave of absence from the team, Bieksa and Moose general manager Craig Heisinger, who was like a second father-figure to Rick, met in Edmonton after a Canuck game and drove to Rypien’s home in southwestern Alberta.

“We went there looking for him,” Bieksa said. “Didn’t know what we’d find. We went to his house for four or five hours, just the two of us, hoping he’d come home and he finally did. That wasn’t the best day for him. But we got him back and we got him help.”

Bieksa never betrayed Rypien’s trust, even to caring teammates who inquired about Rypien’s well-being. The Canucks organization knew about Rypien’s depression since that 2008 camp and coordinated the player’s treatment.

Bieksa and his wife, Katie, helped as much as anyone.

While sitting out the rest of the 2008-09 regular season, Rypien stayed with the Bieksas.

“My wife stayed up to five in the morning talking to him every night,” Kevin said. “We did what we could. . . just tried to get him through this. He loved hockey, loved coming to the rink. I remember him saying he just missed sitting in the dressing room and listening to guys chirping Hordy (ex-Canuck Darcy Hordichuk). Things like that. Those were the things he enjoyed, the camaraderie. He didn’t like to be alone.”

Bieksa said Rypien was with him when Kevin asked Wes Jr. to be his best man, and even knew before Kevin did that he was going to be a new dad again because the Canucks were on the road when Rick finally asked Katie why she kept throwing up.

“He knew before I did,” Kevin smiled. Cole Bieksa is nearly four, and his little sister Reese is two.

When Rypien moved back into his own apartment, Kevin would stop by after games to talk and sometimes walked Reese down the block just to check up on Rick and see if his lights were on.

Bieksa is emphatic that Rypien loved his role in hockey and fighting had nothing to do with his mental challenges. He said Rypien’s illness was too complicated to be explained by one event or circumstance, such as the car-accident death nearly a decade ago of Rypien’s girlfriend or the constant stream of injuries that slowed his NHL career.

“There were a lot of things going on,” Bieksa said. “I felt he was as much my responsibility as anybody’s. Looking back now, I wished I’d talked to him a little more in the summer. I thought he was getting better. I knew the severity of it (but) I don’t think anyone really thought this would happen.”

Bieksa’s emotional wounds will be torn open again Tuesday night, although he is thankful the Canucks are ensuring that at least some good comes from Rypien’s death.

TSN is televising the game and the Canucks will livestream Rypien’s ceremony on its website.

“He wouldn’t like it,” Bieksa said. “He wouldn’t want to burden anybody. He would want more than anything for us to win. I’m trying not to think about it a whole lot. It will be hard. We lived together, shared a lot of experiences and it feels like I lost a brother.”



Read more: Rick Rypien: the one everyone leaned on

I read that and started crying in my office.

 

[mattola]

Canucks in third jersey tonight (I assume original) well see soon

Off to the arena have fun y'all









Cept you stinking bruins fans. You have had enough fun

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Will watch this one later tonight. Have something going on before. Hope the first game ends in time so TSN will show the tribute. Just test driving the Jets logo. GO CANUCKS GO!!!

not sure if you can find it but TSN2 will be showing the ceremony live should the first game go long

 

[naslundfan19]

not sure if you can find it but TSN2 will be showing the ceremony live should the first game go long

Won't be able to watch live, so I'm DVRing it. TSN2 wouldn't be an option for me anyways. If worse comes to worse, I'm sure it will be on YouTube soon after tonight.

 

[SportsGuy305]

PP Nucks.

 

[SportsGuy305]

Canucks going right back on the PP.

 

[Automattic]

Torts isn't really all that bright, but I think he is actually smarter than Brooksie. At Hockey anyway, not at riling up people...

 

[puckhead]

video is here: http://video.canucks.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=987&id=128850

Kesler seems to have his wheels back. timing may be a little off.
CoHo sure seems to be looking for #17 tonight.

 

[puckhead]

jehus, this powerplay is just a shooting gallery.
wold be awfully nice to bury one.

 

[Automattic]

Put 'em away, Canuckleheads!!

 

[puckhead]

Lundqvist is just being ridiculous now.
shutout through 38 shots, 10 min left.

Nucks have put 74 shots towards the net



fuck. now rags have 2 goals on 14 shots.
not weak goals, but good luck beating Lunqvist twice now.

 

[dash]

Bobby Lou gets the Bronx cheer from the crowd...I guess it makes sense with the Rags in town.

 

[puckhead]

#3 cleans out #17 on #37 night.

 

[dash]

That 4th Rags goal won't help CoHo with AV...

 

[dash]

Shots on goal:

Canucks - 40
Rangers - 19

 

[puckhead]

summary:

Nucks owned Rags through 40 minutes, except for Lundqvist.
came out in the 3rd as if they had done enough to win.
powerplay was 0 for 7 or whatever. that will kill you pretty much every time.

Good on the Rags for not folding.
that loss hurt, but what a beauty of performance to see from King Henrik.

terrific rush by Edler somewhere down the line, but no finish.

 

[puckhead]

way to class up that tracksuit Henrik FederLund

Get ready for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Stinky Goalie Equipment"

 

[mattola]

summary:

Nucks owned Rags through 40 minutes, except for Lundqvist.
came out in the 3rd as if they had done enough to win.
powerplay was 0 for 7 or whatever. that will kill you pretty much every time.

Good on the Rags for not folding.
that loss hurt, but what a beauty of performance to see from King Henrik.

terrific rush by Edler somewhere down the line, but no finish.

sums up the whole game. seconds before they scored on that rebound I said we better score soon as if the rangers get...... booom....

all over after that. Henrik was spectacular