Last week the National Hockey League and the hockey world have had some high points as well as one major low point.

The highs of course are coming from the very exciting and well played Stanley Cup Finals that see the older Detroit Red Wings clash with the much younger and upstart Pittsburgh Penguins.

The lowest of points came out of New Brunswick with the tragic news of the motorcycle accident that claimed the life of 21-year old, Vancouver Canucks prospect, Luc Bourdon. All I can say is why and how could this happen to such a promising young man who had so much going for him? How is it that a person who had what many would call a dream life is taken from this planet and his family so soon? Life at times just doesn’t seem fair! Just twenty one years young, and his precious life is over!

Although his career ended way to soon, the memories of his brief playing career both in the junior ranks as well the NHL will last forever. Bourdon carved out a four year major junior career in the Canadian Hockey League with the Val-d'Or Foreurs, Moncton Wildcats and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Luc was not known as a real tough and mean spirited player at his defense position, but more for his calmness and knack of making the smart play more often than not.

As a two time gold medal winner on the World Junior stage with Team Canada, Luc was certain to eventually capture one of the coveted top four defenseman positions on the Vancouver Canucks blueline one day. The Canucks had high hopes for the player from Shippagan New Brunswick, whom they drafted 10th overall in the 2005 National Hockey League entry draft. That same draft the Pittsburgh Penguins selected super star Sidney Crosby.

Sadly Bourdon only appeared in 28 National Hockey League games with the Canucks, registering 2 goals in 28 games.  The rearguard played his one and only professional season with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey league last season, playing in 41 games and collecting 14 points.

Although I'm not a huge fan of teams retiring jersey numbers, I think it would be a nice gesture by the Canucks to do something in this case. Possibly a placement of a small patch with the #28 in memory of Bourdons sweater #28 on this year’s Canucks jerseys might be a nice thought. RIP Luc, you will be missed.
 
Sadly, Bourdon is not the first junior hockey player to have his NHL career cut short by a motor vehicle accident.

Michel Briere of the Pittsburgh Penguins was in his hometown of Malartic, Quebec preparing for a wedding when he was involved in a car accident on May 15, 1970. During the accident, Briere was thrown from the car and suffered massive brain injuries, inducing a coma. During his time in intensive care, Briere would be in a coma for almost seven weeks. After the coma, he would fade in and out of consciousness for almost one year. After this and four major operations to help recover from his injuries, Briere died in the hospital on April 13, 1971, at the age 21.

Briere would have his number 21 retired by the Penguins. The number 21 was the only number the Penguins had retired until Mario Lemieux retired in 1997. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League also renamed its MVP award the Michel Briere Memorial Trophy in 1972. The Pittsburgh Penguins also present the Michel Briere Rookie of the Year annually to the seasons' best rookie player.

As Briere's junior hockey statistics would indicate, he was certain to have a very promising career in the NHL ahead of him. He was selected in the third round (26th overall) in the 1969 entry draft by the Penguins.
During his junior career with the Shawingan Bruins, Briere was a dominant force, scoring 129 goals, 191 assists, and 320 points in just 100 games.
During his first and only NHL season, Briere would be a key component to the Penguins as they went to the 2nd round of the playoffs in the 1969–70 season. He would score 12 goals and 44 points, good for third in team scoring. At this time, many scouts were predicting that the slightly-built but fast Briere would be a top NHL star for years to come.