Gary Lupul
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Winger |
| Nickname(s) | Pride of Powell River |
| Height Weight |
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg/12 st 7 lb) |
| NHL Team | Vancouver Canucks |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | April 20, 1959, Powell River, BC, CAN |
| Died | July 18, 2007, Burnaby, BC, CAN |
| NHL Draft | undrafted |
| Pro career | 1979 – 1986 |
Gary Lupul (April 20, 1959 – July 18, 2007) was an ice hockey player for the National Hockey League (NHL) team the Vancouver Canucks.[1]
Born and raised in Powell River, British Columbia, Lupul played his junior hockey career with the Nanaimo Clippers and the Victoria Cougars of the Western Hockey League.
He signed a free agent contract with the Canucks a day prior to the team opening their training camp in Powell River. Lupul, at 5-foot-9 in height and 175 pounds, immediately demonstrated his fiestiness by fighting Gerry Minor in his first day at training camp.
Lupul, known as the Pride of Powell River, played seven seasons as a forward with the Canucks, from 1979 to 1986. In 1982, he scored five points in 10 playoff games as Vancouver made it to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time.
Lupul had his best years in 1983 and 1984 playing on a line with Lars Molin and Dave "Tiger" Williams.[2]
In 1984, Lupul was the first NHL player to fight Mario Lemieux and did so in Mario's home debut in his rookie season. Horribly overmatched by the much larger Lemieux, Lupul had to be rescued by goaltender John Garrett, who was then given a game misconduct for being the third player in the fight.[3]
Following retirement from professional hockey, Lupul was a junior and college scout for the Vancouver Canucks in Ontario, Canada. [4] The Canucks first hired him to help Lupul address a substance abuse problem.[1]
Lupul, who was known to have cardiovascular concerns, was found dead in his nephew's Burnaby condo.[4][1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Powell River's pride, NHL scrapper Gary Lupul dead at 48, By Linda Nguyen and Greg Douglas, Vancouver Sun, July 20, 2007
- ^ Former Canuck Gary Lupul dead at 48, Staff Reporter, The Province, July 19, 2007
- ^ Biography of Mario Lemieux, Legends of Hockey
- ^ a b Nguyen, Linda (2007). Former Canuck Lupul found dead. CanWest News Service. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
