Many come together to celebrate life of Rick Rypien
On 15 August 2011, the hockey community was saddened by the news that Vancouver Canucks centre Rick Rypien had died at his home in Alberta, Canada.
It was later discovered that Rypien had committed suicide following a battle with depression, which lasted more than ten years. The 27-year-old Canadian only played nine games for Vancouver in the 2010-11 campaign, but when he put pen to paper and signed a one year deal with the Winnipeg Jets, NHL fans thought the battle was over for Rypien and he was a different man, but sadly this wasn’t to be the case.
Rypien’s memorial service took place in the Alberta Stella Arena in Baltimore where Rick played his minor league hockey. A picture of Rypien playing the game he loved was set as the backdrop, and was viewed by the large number of people who made their way to Alberta to commemorate the life of Rick Rypien. Among the hundreds of attendees, several former Canuck team mates of Rypien turned out including Mason Raymond, Manny Malhotra and Alexandre Burrows. In addition to his Canuck team mates, the Vancouver GM Mike Gillis and Rypien’s cousin Mark, who won two Super Bowl rings in the NFL, also attended to pay their respects.
At the funeral, Rick’s uncle Allan spoke about his nephew, asking why he took his own life; “Why? He had a good family, good friends. He fought this disease with everything he had. It was much like a hockey game – sometimes you win, sometimes our opposition wins. The disease won the battle. We have to be thankful for the time we had him in our lives.” Rick was known for his physical play on the ice, getting into lots of fights but winning many, but this battle with depression is one that he couldn’t win.
Depression is an illness that is hard to understand unless you have suffered from it. People suffering from depression will look more than happy on the outside at times, but it is a totally different story on the inside. Depression has affected many sportsmen across the world in a variety of different sports and I think it is down to the tough schedule and the constant pressure to win on the athletes. Earlier this year in May, New York Ranger Derek Boogaard died at the tender age of 28 due to a dangerous mix of alcohol and painkillers. Although Boogaard wasn’t suffering from depression, the way he died suggests he wanted to get away from the tough schedule and demands of playing in the NHL..
Losing two players in the NHL at such a young age is very sad indeed. Rick Rypien’s father wants other people to learn from his son’s story, and to speak up if they are struggling with problems such as depression. I’m sure you will join me in sharing a thought for the two player’s friends and families at this tough time.
