Rick Rypien

Rick Rypien
Rypien in 2009
Born (1984-05-16)May 16, 1984
Blairmore, Alberta, Canada
Died August 15, 2011(2011-08-15) (aged 27)
Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for Vancouver Canucks
Manitoba Moose
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2005–2011

Rick Joseph Rypien (May 16, 1984 – August 15, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He played for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He was a very tough player and used to play for the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL), who were the Canucks partner in the AHL. Rypien played four seasons with the Regina Pats, a junior team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) before going to the Moose in 2005. The following season he started playing for the Canucks. He has been injured a lot in the NHL and has missed many games because of that.

He signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Winnipeg Jets but he died before training camp. His body was found in his home on August 15, 2011 by police. His death was later confirmed to be a suicide[1] Rypien had struggled with clinical depression throughout his career.[2] After his death, an autopsy revealed that Rypien had been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).[3]

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2001–02 Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves AJHL 57 12 10 22 143 — — — — —
2001–02 Regina Pats WHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2002–03 Regina Pats WHL 50 6 12 18 159 5 1 1 2 21
2003–04 Regina Pats WHL 65 19 26 45 186 4 0 1 1 18
2004–05 Regina Pats WHL 63 22 29 51 148 — — — — —
2004–05 Manitoba Moose AHL 8 1 1 2 5 14 0 0 0 35
2005–06 Manitoba Moose AHL 49 9 6 15 122 13 1 1 2 22
2005–06 Vancouver Canucks NHL 5 1 0 1 4 — — — — —
2006–07 Manitoba Moose AHL 14 3 3 6 35 — — — — —
2006–07 Vancouver Canucks NHL 2 0 0 0 5 — — — — —
2007–08 Manitoba Moose AHL 34 3 11 14 81 6 0 0 0 10
2007–08 Vancouver Canucks NHL 22 1 2 3 41 — — — — —
2008–09 Vancouver Canucks NHL 12 3 0 3 19 10 0 2 2 40
2008–09 Vancouver Canucks NHL 69 4 4 8 126 7 0 1 1 7
2010–11 Vancouver Canucks NHL 9 0 1 1 31 - - - - -
2010–11 Manitoba Moose AHL 11 0 2 2 9 7 1 0 1 10
NHL totals 119 9 7 16 226 17 0 3 3 47
AHL totals 116 16 23 39 252 40 2 1 3 77

References

  1. ↑ "Hundreds attend funeral for NHLer Rick Rypien". The Globe and Mail. 2011-08-20. Archived from the original on 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  2. ↑ "Canucks honor deceased enforcer Rick Rypien". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  3. ↑ "Power Played: A Critical Criminology of Sport". University of British Columbia Press. Retrieved September 21, 2024.

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