Messages of support and condolence continue to pour in at a makeshift shrine outside Rogers Arena to honour and remember former Canuck Pavol Demitra, who died in a plane crash in Russia that claimed the lives of 43 people early Wednesday.
Vivian Dinh and Annie Zhang stopped by Thursday afternoon to write their messages for the 36-year-old winger near a similar memorial created for ex-Canuck Rick Rypien, who died last month.
“He was always willing to play,” Dinh said. “He’s always been really good in the shootouts, and that’s what I remember most: him always owning that.”
Fans hung a Slovakian flag and arranged candles in the shape of the Slovakian coat of arms as a tribute to Demitra’s home country.
It’s been a dark summer for the Canucks, with the Stanley Cup loss and Demitra’s death coming on the heels of Rypien’s passing.
But Dinh said these events shouldn’t stop the Canucks from performing their best in the upcoming National Hockey League season.
“They’ll have more fire in their bellies because they’ll do it for Rick and Pavol,” she added.
Demitra finished as the top point scorer and landed in the all-star selections during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics while he played for Slovakia. He led the men’s hockey tournament with 10 points and tied for the lead in assists with seven.
Demitra’s sudden death will serve as a reality check, fan Josh Clark added.
“It just makes you realize that your life can change from one day to the next.”
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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