Rick Rypien pauses for a moment during a Canucks practice on Oct. 25, 2010. AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward

Rick Rypien Dead at 27

A second tragic story this summer, Rick Rypien has been found dead. He was 27. James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail reported:

Local RCMP told The Globe and Mail on Monday night that the death was not suspicious.

Undrafted after three years with the Regina Pats, Rypien became a popular member of the Canucks’ fourth line beginning in 2005, racking up 226 penalty minutes in 119 games played over six seasons.

Off the ice, however, he battled depression, and his leave of absence last November was the second he took as a member of the team in the past three seasons.

Hat tip to Greg Wyshynski for the pointer to this article from March where Rypien talks about his time off:

"(The issues) are behind me and one thing I want to 100% clarify is that there's no substance abuse at all — it's the farthest thing from it," said Rypien. "This is a personal matter. It's kind of a rare issue and even though it's taken me away from the game I love, doing the work I've done the last couple of months I've made a lot of gains as a person and as an individual.

"I got to really understand and have a relationship with myself, which I've never had the opportunity to do before. With how far I've come and progressed these last few months, I really believe deep down that it's going to benefit my on-ice performance."

Rypien had signed a one-year deal with the Winnipeg Jets for the upcoming season.