So young he was...

The hockey world and the small province of New Brunswick were stunned today when Canucks defenceman Luc Bourdon was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was driving his motorcycle and lost control, hitting a transport truck head-on.

He was only 21 years old and showed great promise as a hockey player. Drafted 10th overall in 2005, he played for Canada at the WJC twice. His first tournament was in 2006, where he had 6 points in 6 games and won gold for Brent Sutter's team. He came back to the Maritimes and found himself moving from Val d'Or to Moncton. While with Ted Nolan's Wildcats team, he made it all the way to the Memorial Cup finals, where the team lost to the Quebec Remparts.

This year, Bourdon split the season between the Canucks and their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. He was a plus-7, with 2 goals, in 27 games with Vancouver and he showed great promise as an NHL defenceman. Teams thought so highly of him that Tampa Bay wanted him in a deal for Brad Richards, but then-GM Dave Nonis refused to let him go.

It's never easy to hear of someone losing their life at such a young age, especially when their future looked so bright.