Canucks & Beyond
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Honoring Bourdon
by Alanah McGinley on 05/30/08 at 01:27 PM ET
Comments (6)
Understandably, there is a great deal of talk today dissecting Luc Bourdon’s decision to ride a motorcycle and his inexperience. Certainly, motorcycles and youth are a dangerous combination, but is that really the most important lesson to be learned from this tragedy?
Like them or not, motorbikes are legal and plenty of people ride them safely for years. Inexperience is likely to have played a part in young Bourdon’s death, but accidents can happen to anybody and under many circumstances.
As I believe TSN’s Bob McKenzie commented yesterday at some point, when your number is up, it’s up. No matter how carefully Bourdon might have chosen to live, life itself just isn’t terribly fair about these things.
I don’t mean to belittle the importance of motorcycle safety and the many people who feel this loss personally because they, too, have lost loved ones on motorbikes. But I’m also not prepared to pull a Scott Morrison and argue about how Bourdon made a “bad decision” and his death was “avoidable.”
Well, of course it was avoidable… in the same way that nearly every death is avoidable if we could anticipate the future. As for deciding Bourdon made a “bad decision,” I’d love to know how Morrison came to that conclusion. Or perhaps the HNIC commentator simply thinks he knows what’s best for everyone?
How nice that must be for him.
From the AP today:
Bourdon’s uncle, Robert Boucher, said his nephew was so dedicated to hockey that he took no time off in the last five years as he pursued his dream of playing in the NHL. He said Bourdon came home to Shippagan this week for a month vacation to play golf and be with friends. Many of them rode motorcycles.
“He loved to have fun,” Boucher said in French during a news conference in this community of 3,000 about 150 miles north of Fredericton. “Like anyone who is 21, he loved motorcycles. He wanted to buy a bike. That was his choice.”
Indeed it was.
As for adding clauses to player’s contracts prohibiting such activities, I suppose that’s up to individual teams and players to decide. But I ask you this: how many clauses are you prepared to accept as a 21 year old man just living your life? Ultimately, there has to be some balance because life has risks nearly everywhere you turn.
My own learning curve riding a motorcycle was on dirt bikes, and I was a lot younger than Bourdon and took plenty of risks which resulted in many wipe-outs. I wouldn’t suggest anyone be as reckless as I was—I got very lucky. Not everyone does.
But perhaps the lesson in all this isn’t necessarily that we should never take risks—who out there can say they live their life in a bubble?—it’s that we should just never take anything for granted. Even living as safely as we can, we still have to live.
On that note, there will be a moment of silence prior to Game #4 in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Hopefully it will be a moment where everyone takes the time to remember the hockey player and the man Bourdon was… not the tragic twist of fate that ended his life.
Final Note:
Waiting for Stanley highlighted an idea mentioned elsewhere that it might be a lovely gesture to donate something to Canucks Place, the very worthy primary charity of the Vancouver Canucks, in honor of Luc.
That same idea has been echoed around the web and by several readers who took the trouble to email me last night and this morning.
I think it’s a fine idea.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: canucks+place, luc+bourdon,
Comments
I just recently started riding motorbikes and it’s just one of those things, the risk and the reward are fairly equivalent. Many times any injuries caused are by some ignorant driver on his/her cellphone not paying attention more than the driver. Anyone who drives a car should remember that they have a lot of hands in their lives when they turn that key, and keep a special eye out for two-wheelers.
Posted by Hippy Dave from San Francisco by way of Detroit on 05/30/08 at 03:07 PM ET
As a rider, I have to say, that more often than not, most near misses I have had are due to a cager (driver) on a cellphone, putting on makeup, eating, texting, reading, shaving (yes, shaving) or simply not paying attention. Also, you have no idea how SERIOUSLY badly people tailgate until you’re on a motorcycle. It’s one thing to tailgate another car, it’s another thing to do it to a bike. The most damage you can do to a car is a fender bender, but you can kill a rider. I’m sure Luc probably was inexperienced, but to blame his death solely on riding is simply an excuse to find a scapegoat. My heart goes out to his family and I grieve for his loss. It’s always heartbreaking when a soul so young is taken from us. We never know when our number is up. All we can do is live our lives in the best way we know how and treat others with love and compassion. And never let a loved one leave the house without saying I love you.
Posted by Jennemy of the Skate from putting the b*tches in the box on 05/30/08 at 06:54 PM ET
I’m with you Alanah. Call it the tragedy that it is. Forget the hyperbole about foolish decisions and limiting players via their contracts. Ernie Els was injured while vacationing on a sailboat. Baseball players Steve Olin and Tim Crews were killed when their bass boat struck a pier. Where do you draw the limit?
Posted by Terry from WestVan on 05/30/08 at 08:34 PM ET
Inexperienced drivers have accidents, too. So do inexperienced hunters. Or hikers. Or farmers. Or recreational fishermen. Or employees at a laboratory or hospital or factory. Young people are inexperienced in a lot of things, and thus have a lot of accidents. Especially young men. It’s always been that way.
Also, you have no idea how SERIOUSLY badly people tailgate until you’re on a motorcycle. It’s one thing to tailgate another car, it’s another thing to do it to a bike.
That’s why I always leave a ton of space - especially since tailgaters make me think about having a car-to-car missle launcher mounted in my back trunk to eliminate the people who can’t stay off my a**.
I don’t ride a bike myself (although it would completely blow the minds of all my friends if I did!), but my dad used to and I have three uncles who have. It makes me more conscious of leaving them space behind them and not passing too closely on the adjoining lane.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 05/31/08 at 04:47 PM ET
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About Canucks & Beyond
Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003, sharing opinions, rants and not-so-deep thoughts with anyone who will listen. In addition to writing Canucks & Beyond and helping manage Kukla’s Korner, Alanah is one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast, as featured at Canucks.com.
She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.
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Other Canucks Blogs
I wish I hadn’t followed the link to Scott Morrison’s story. That was easily one of the more ignorant bits of refuse I’ve read in a long time. Think I’ll go back to your previous blog and read it again just to balance things out.
Posted by Devin from Victoria on 05/30/08 at 02:09 PM ET