Canuck defenseman and touted prospect Luc Bourdon killed @ 21 today

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http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=20dc25c4-cc2f-45af-bfed-70ba438bfd6f

Canucks defenceman Luc Bourdon killed in motorcycle accident

Vancouver Canucks defenceman Luc Bourdon is dead.

Bourdon, 21, was killed in a motorcycle accident near Shipagan, N.B., Montreal's CKAC Radio reported.

The Canucks have not yet issued a statement.

Bourdon was the Canucks' first-round draft choice in 2005, and played 27 games the following season.

Breaking news

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RIP

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Bourdon played major junior in the QMJHL for the Val-d'Or Foreurs, the Moncton Wildcats, and the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. He was ranked 6th among North American skaters according to the NHL's Central Scouting Service,[1] and was drafted in the 1st round, 10th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

In his first training camp with Vancouver, Bourdon almost made the team as an 18-year-old[2], but instead played 2005-06 in the QMJHL. Beginning the season with Val-d'Or, Bourdon was traded mid-season to Moncton. Playing with the 2006 Memorial Cup hosts, Bourdon helped the Wildcats to the CHL final, but was defeated by the Quebec Remparts 6-2.

In 2006-07, Bourdon saw his first stint with the Vancouver Canucks. He played his first NHL game on October 10, 2006, against the Minnesota Wild, however, after playing in 9 games, he was returned to the QMJHL for development. Midway through 2006-07, Bourdon was traded for the second consecutive season, this time to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. As a Screaming Eagle, Bourdon would make a run for another Memorial Cup appearance, but would lose the QMJHL semi-final to his former team, Val-d'Or. Upon Cape Breton's elimination, the Canucks then sent Bourdon to play 5 games for the Manitoba Moose, who were also in the middle of a playoff run in the AHL. Taking Bourdon's participation in the 2007 World Junior Championships into account as well, Bourdon claimed the unique distinction of playing for 5 different teams in one season.

Initially failing to make the Canucks starting roster out of training camp, Bourdon began the 2007-08 season with the Manitoba Moose. However, due to a series of injuries on the Canucks' blueline throughout the season, Bourdon was called up on several occasions, during which, Bourdon scored his first NHL goal. The goal occurred on November 16, 2007, in a 6-2 win over the Minnesota Wild against goaltender Niklas Backstrom.[3] Bourdon finished the season with 2 goals and a plus-7 rating in 27 games.

[-Jrabbit]

Tragic news. RIP.

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He just bought the bike 2 days ago.

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080529.wsptbourdon29/GSStory/GlobeSportsHockey/home

HIPPAGAN, N.B. — Luc Bourdon, a promising defenceman with the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, was killed Thursday afternoon in a motorcycle crash in his native northern New Brunswick.

Bourdon's sister, Eve Bourdon, confirmed the death but declined further comment when reached at the family's home in Shippagan.

"Luc was a winner, he was a competitor," said Bourdon's agent, Boston-based Kent Hughes. "There was no quit in him. He persevered through a lot. He was a great guy and a great teammate."

Police would not confirm the identity of the victim, but did say that a motorcyclist had been killed in a crash shortly after noon Thursday in the Shippagan area of northeastern New Brunswick.

"A motorcycle collided with a transport truck, a head-on collision," said Sergeant Derek Strong, RCMP spokesman for NB.

He said that it was too early in the investigation to say which vehicle had been out of its proper lane

Bourdon, 21, was the first-round pick of the Canucks, 10th overall, in the 2005 NHL draft.

He split time this season with the Canucks and the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. In 27 games with the Canucks, he scored twice but had no assists.

Bourdon was a member of the Canadian team that won gold at the 2006 world junior hockey championship in Vancouver and was named to the tournament all-star team.

He helped Canada win another gold at the 2007 tournament in Sweden.

Hughes, said he was unaware his client rode motorcycles until hearing the tragic news on Thursday.

Hughes said he was told Bourdon began riding with friends in New Brunswick this spring and that he used his father's bike until buying his own just two days ago.

"This is the first time I've learned that he ever rode motorcycles," the agent said.

Two years ago, Hughes organized a conference for his clients in Toronto where they were warned about the baggage that accompanies professional athletes and the importance of avoiding risks.

"I don't specifically recall mentioning motorcycles," Hughes said. "All I know is my four-year-old son just said to my wife 'Why didn't Daddy tell him it's too dangerous to ride motorcycles.'"

Hughes said he will remember Bourdon as an intense competitor with a terrific sense of humour.

He recalled an off-season conditioning program several years in Montreal where Bourdon was being taught how to properly lift weights. The exercise was a power clean, which involves jerking a long dumbbell from a position below the waist to the shoulders, similar to what Olympic weightlifters do.

"The first time he did it, he fell and everybody laughed," Hughes said. "In the next hour, he must have done 300 cleans trying to perfect it."

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http://www.darrenbarefoot.com/archives/2008/05/canucks-prospect-luc-bourdon-killed-in-motorcycle-crash.html

According to a commenter on this blog -- whose IP checks out as valid -- the girlfriend saw it all.

Hi, i’m from Shippagan and i’ve known Luc since i was in kintergarden. Luc was just passing his girlfriend and it was really windy and his coat got stock or something and he lost control of his bike and got hitted by a tractor-trailer. His girlfriend has seen everything. We are all with the family and with Charlyne, his girlfriend.
xxxxx R.I.P Bourdon