PITTSBURGH (AP) – Vancouver Canucks rookie defenseman Luc Bourdon owned a motorcycle only several days before dying when the bike veered into the path of a truck on a winding, two-lane road, close friend Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins said Friday.
Letang, badly shaken by the news, said a “pretty excited” Bourdon called him earlier this week to tell him about buying the motorcycle.
“We knew it was dangerous, but he had fun with it,” Letang said. “I knew he didn’t, like, speed with it, he just had, like, a bad move or something. Those things, you know, you have, like, no second chance.”
Investigators said Friday the 21-year-old Bourdon’s inexperience on a motorcycle may have played a role in his death Thursday. Bourdon received his motorcycle license only two weeks before.
“The impact took place in the opposite lane,” police inspector Roch Fortin said during a news conference at the Shippagan, New Brunswick, town hall, where flags were at half-staff. “The truck driver tried everything in his power to avoid the accident.”
Letang, who may have been Bourdon’s closest friend in hockey, said Bourdon was a big fan of anything that was fast and moved, including sports cars and watercraft.
“We were talking about his motorcycle, and I never thought it would happen,” Letang said. “I can’t still believe it, because when you lose somebody close like that, you can’t do much. It’s so tough to me. Like, right now, he was my best friend.”
A moment of silence in honor of Bourdon will be observed prior to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals between the Detroit Red Wings and Penguins on Saturday night.
The ceremony, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement, “will honor a young life ended long before its promise could be fulfilled.”
“The National Hockey League family grieves with the family, friends and teammates of Luc Bourdon,” Bettman said.
Penguins star Sidney Crosby said the tragedy caused everyone in the sport to give pause.
“It’s tough,” Crosby said. “The hockey world is a small community. And I think a lot of guys probably crossed paths with him at some point. … It’s sad to see someone that young have something like that happen. It certainly makes you realize how valuable life is and how lucky we are. It’s an unfortunate incident, for sure.”
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was also saddened by the news. Like some other NHL players, he also owned a motorcycle a few years ago, but realizing the safety implications later thought better of it.
Police said weather might have been a factor in Bourdon’s crash. Fortin said the wind was gusting strongly at the time on the road between Shippagan and Lameque. He said Bourdon’s bike crossed the center line and collided head-on with the truck.
Bourdon’s uncle, Robert Boucher, said his nephew was so dedicated to hockey that he took no time off during the last five years as he pursued his goal of playing in the NHL. Bourdon returned to Shippagan earlier this week for a one-month vacation so he could play golf and hang out with his friends, many of whom own motorcycles, Boucher said.
Letang and Bourdon, former teammates at Val D’Or in junior hockey and with Canada’s world junior team, also planned to vacation together this summer and train in Montreal with some other NHL players.
Bourdon was the 10th overall pick in the 2005 NHL draft. He split this season between Vancouver and Manitoba of the American Hockey League, scoring two goals and drawing 20 penalty minutes in 27 games with the Canucks. He filled a key role on Canada’s gold-winning teams at the 2006 and 2007 world junior championships.
Bourdon was “someone I can always talk to about my tough times and someone that always liked to have fun,” Letang said. “He was a guy who would always stick up for you.”
The tragic news came during an already difficult week for Letang, who was one of the Penguins’ top defensemen during the first three rounds of the playoffs only to be benched for Game 3 against Detroit on Wednesday. Letang also won’t play Saturday.
Letang admittedly found it difficult to concentrate in practice Friday.
“I don’t know why but, this morning, I had no energy,” he said. “Even if I wanted to skate, I couldn’t approach it – it’s like I lost so much energy when it happened.”
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