28

Brian Noonan. Wade Brookbank. Joey Kocur. Dave Capuano.

These players and others all wore the number 28 on their jerseys as Vancouver Canucks, but I doubt any of them wore it more proudly than the one who wore it most recently: the late Luc Bourdon.

I didn't own any team jerseys when I was a kid. But when playing hockey in the street out in front of my house or in the schoolyard, I often imagined myself running around with the number of a favourite player on my back. Sometimes it was Thomas Gradin's #23, sometimes Don Lever's #9, and of course Ab DeMarco's #4. I even imagined the little metal men on my table hockey set having proper team jerseys, with their names and numbers in the right places.

It's kind of weird; in real life, nobody wants to be "just a number". On the other hand, in sports, there's such a strong association between a number and the player who wears it. One of the ultimate honours for a player is to have his number retired; along with his name, his number is given a special place in team history.

With that in mind, I'd like to make a suggestion for a simple way to honour Luc Bourdon's memory. If you're reading this blog, you're probably a contributor to one of the many online forums that revolve around sports, hockey, and specifically the Canucks. My suggestion is that you and I end each of our forum posts with the number "28", up until the end of the first month of the season.

I realize that those who were close to Luc Bourdon will probably never read this blog, nor the forums that I'm talking about. I also realize that there are many other vastly more significant ways that we could remember Luc's life: making a contribution to a charity, being an advocate for motorcycle safety, or even just living life with a greater appreciation for how fleeting it can be. However, this is a simple act we can all perform, and if we do it together it will be a way that we can collectively express our respect for Luc and our sympathies for his loved ones.

A trivial action? Maybe. But it's something, and each time you type that number, perhaps you will take a moment to remember a life that ended far too soon.

28.