The Student Life Education Company

Canucks' Luc Bourdon dies in motorcycle crash

CBC News

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luc Bourdon, who helped Canada win gold medals at the 2006 and 2007 world junior hockey championships, died in a motorcycle accident on Thursday. He was 21.

Police in New Brunswick said Bourdon was driving his motorcycle that collided with a transport truck on a road between Lemeque and Shippagan, his hometown.

Bourdon, a solid two-way blue-liner, was the Canucks' first-round pick (10th overall) at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He split time this season between the Canucks and their American Hockey League affiliate in Manitoba, scoring six goals and 14 points in 41 games with the Moose.

Bourdon finished the 2007-08 NHL season with two goals and a plus-7 rating in 27 games for the Canucks, who missed the playoffs. The six-foot-two, 210-pounder scored his first NHL goal last Nov. 16, a power-play marker with two minutes left in regulation of a 6-2 win over the Minnesota Wild in Vancouver.

Bourdon finished the season with two goals and a plus-7 rating in 27 games for the Canucks, who missed the playoffs.

An excellent skater with good offensive instincts, Bourdon was instrumental in Canada's gold-medal win at the 2007 world juniors in Leksand, Sweden, posting four points in six games. He collected six points in as many games at the 2006 tournament in Vancouver, which Canada won over Russia.

Bourdon starred in junior with the Val d'Or Foreurs, Moncton Wildcats and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He shone in his second junior season with Val d'Or in 2004-05 (32 points in 70 games) and nearly cracked the Canucks' roster out of training camp in September 2005.

Bourdon returned to the Foreurs and amassed 20 points in 20 games before being traded midseason to Moncton.

The physical rearguard signed a three-year contract with the Canucks on May 4, 2006, and began the 2006-07 campaign in Vancouver before he returned to the Wildcats after a nine-game stint.

Bourdon later joined the Canadian national junior team and shortly after his return was dealt to Cape Breton, where he notched six points in 23 games before adding 13 points in 16 playoff outings. He earned a promotion to the AHL upon Cape Breton's elimination from the playoffs and never looked back.

------------------------------------

On behalf of the Student Life Education Company, I am sorry to hear Luc Bourdon, a young hockey player, died in a motorcycle crash.

I’m a huge fan of hockey and follow the NHL very closely. The Stanley Cup playoffs are taking place and I’m pretty sure everyone is psyched about the dynamic match up between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburg Penguins. However this story of Luc Bourdon draws some attention away from the cup final, with the hockey world taking notice.

When I first read this news story it caught my attention because it involved a sports athlete. Another reason why this story caught my attention was because the individual involved in the motorcycle was a youth my age. It feels a lot different to me when I read stories of young people my age who have died from vehicle crashes because these are my peers.

Another thing that opened my eyes is the fact that regardless of whether you’re a celebrity or a normal young adult, impaired and distracted driving can and does affect you. I realize that impaired and distracted driving is a real issue in our youth today. Now with the death of Luc Bourdon, I am certain my peers and I will reflect upon this news story.