http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Rypie ... story.htmlRypien sees light after dark times
By Ed Willes, The ProvinceMay 6, 2009
“He has his battles,” says his good friend Kevin Bieksa. “Injuries are tough to deal with. It’s a mental challenge as much as a physical one. You’re out for that long. You’re isolated from the team. It wears on you.
“To have back-to-back years where you’ve had major injuries, it’s tough on a guy. You can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can’t really express it any more than that. But he’s worked hard to get back and we’re a lot better team when he’s in the lineup.”
Two months ago, Rypien stepped in to the Canucks lineup after a lengthy leave of absence for “non-hockey reasons” and has since become a regular contributor as a fourth-line energy guy, sometime penalty-killer and, in Bieksa’s estimation, the best fighter, pound-for-pound, in the NHL.
Rypien, in fact, fits in perfectly with the faster, tougher team identity the Canucks have built this season and the organization has always believed he could play that role.
The problem was, prior to these last two months, he could never stay healthy long enough to secure his place on the roster and last fall, after he suffered a sports hernia, he simply walked away from the game.
It was also his sixth major injury in the four full seasons since he turned pro.
“It was definitely a tough time but I think I’m better because of it and I definitely learned a lot,” Rypien says.
“People are faced with certain things and I was faced with injuries. Maybe it was too much of it but I feel like I’ve overcome it.”
“It was definitely frustrating but it’s all in the past,” he says. “
That’s a road I went down a long time ago. I’m just looking ahead now. What’s done is done. I can’t change anything right now.”
As frustrating as the injuries were for Rypien, they were equally exasperating for the Canucks who believed the buzzsaw forward could make the same impact on the NHL team that Manitoba grads Bieksa and Burrows were making.
Rypien was brought to Manitoba by Moose GM Craig Heisinger shortly after his overage year with the Regina Pats.
He was installed in the lineup at the end of the 2004-05 lockout season, and immediately turned heads when he lumped out hulking defenceman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen.
Burrows, Bieksa and Ryan Kesler were all members of that Moose team. All are huge fans of Rypien.
“I remember when he first came up he weighed maybe a buck-sixty,” says Bieksa.
“He was just a little guy and I didn’t know if he was there to play or he was there to watch.”
“I think when you first look at him he’s not the scariest guy,” continues Bieksa. “But when you take a closer look you see the battle scars on his face. He’s been through the wars. I don’t think he surprises anyone anymore. I know in the St. Louis series there was no one going near him in the scrum. Teams are starting to realize who he is.”
Nice article by Ed Willes on Rick Rypien.
He's fast, a terrific hitter on the forecheck, and able to contribute somewhat on offense.
It's interesting how a "little guy" can be such a ferocious fighter that very few opponents are willing to tangle with him.
It certainly sounds like he had a hard time dealing with his injuries. Hopefully he has learned from the process of healing, and can have an extended stay with the Canucks. It sounds like he means a lot to his teammates.
The Manitoba Moose have graduated some key guys to the Canucks, players like Kesler, Bieksa, Burrows and Rypien. These guys provide great character and leadership, despite their youth.
