In rather morbid sports news of the day, Twitter was a-twitter late last night with the news that New York Rangers hockey forward Derek Boogaard, 28, was found dead in his apartment yesterday. No cause of death or reason has been provided at this time.
Boogaard, while a notoriously scrappy fighter on the ice, was ironically known as one of the nicest guys off the ice. In a 2007 poll, he was voted the second most intimidating player in the NHL by his fellow hockey players, but on all accounts appears to have been a wonderful and kind individual involved with many charities, including Defending the Blue Line, the Police Athletic League, and Second Harvest. While with the Rangers, he created “Boogaard’s Booguardians,” which invited members of the military and their families to all the New York Ranger home games. Boogaard was in the NHL for six years, playing with the Minnesota Wild from 2005 to 2010 until joining the New York Rangers this past July. The New York Rangers have issued a statement on the untimely passing of Booogaard, saying:
“Derek was an extremely kind and caring individual. He was a very thoughtful person, who will be dearly missed by all those who knew him. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and teammates during this difficult time.”
New York Rangers captain Chris Drury also added:
“On behalf of all Derek’s teammates, I would like to say that he was a great friend and a great teammate and that we are all going miss him dearly. This is a tragic loss for the hockey community. All of our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”
