Fallen sons set to be honoured by WHL
Posted September 22, 2011 3:23 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Having been the breeding ground of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, Wade Belak and Brad McCrimmon, the WHL has issued a league-wide mandate to honour the lives of the four former players who lost their lives this summer.
WHL commissioner Ron Robinson announced Thursday that all players and officials will display a decal on their helmet in their memory.
A league-wide moment of silence will also be recognized at each teams’ home openers to remember the impact these players had on the WHL and hockey world.
Boogaard spent four seasons in the WHL, suiting up for Regina, Prince George and Medicine Hat. He finished with three goals, 21 points and 653 PIM in 174 games.
Rypien was a fan favourite and captain during his time with the Regina Pats. He finished his three-year junior career with 47 goals, 114 points and 493 PIM in 178 games.
Belak started and finished his junior career with his hometown Saskatoon Blades. A former first-round pick of the Quebec Nordiques, 12th overall in 1994, Belak racked up 746 PIM with 11 goals and 53 points in 211 games with the Blades.
McCrimmon’s influence in the WHL was felt as both a player and a coach. In his three seasons as a defenceman for the Brandon Wheat Kings, McCrimmon dominated physically and on the scoresheet. He finished with an astounding 279 points and 480 points in 203 games.