Gino Odjick, beloved former Canucks enforcer, has passed away

Gino Odjick, a beloved former Canucks enforcer, has passed away.

Gino’s sister Dina Odjick shared the news of his passing on Facebook Sunday.

“Our hearts are broken. My brother Gino Odjick has left us for the spirit world,” she wrote

Odjick was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1990 NHL Draft. He played eight seasons with the Canucks until he was traded to the New York Islanders in 1998. Odjick was subsequently traded to the Philadelphia Flyers and ended his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens in the 2001-02 season.

“Gino was a fan favourite from the moment he joined the organization, putting his heart and soul into every shift on and off the ice,” said Canucks chairman and governor Francesco Aquilini in a statement.

“He inspired many and embodied what it means to be a Canuck.”

Vancouver Canucks Hockey Operations Vice-President Stan Smyl says Odjick was one of the kindest human beings he’s met.

“The role that he was as a player is one of the hardest roles to play in hockey,” Smyl said, calling Odjick “one of the greatest teammates.”

“It’s a role that you as a player know when you have to be the tough guy and support your teammates, and he was always there for that.”

Smyl says Odjick always had his heart for everyone, including his fans and his family.

“He was one of the funniest guys off the ice. He was always joking, always was light in the dressing room. That’s important to have. You know, if there was some pressure situations, Gino knew when to be able to make everyone laugh and [say], ‘Let’s be calm about this, we’ll get it done,” Smyl recalled. “He’s a very special individual.”

Cliff Ronning, one of Odjick’s teammates on the incredible 1994 team that almost won the Stanley Cup, says he was fortunate to have been able to call Odjick a friend. He’s now calling on the organization to add Odjick to the Ring of Honour at Rogers Arena.

Sportsnet 650 Canucks game analyst Randip Janda says no matter the circumstance, Odjick always gave it his all.

“At the rink when he’s interacting with fans, people would say, ‘Hey Gino,’ or you would run into him at the elevator going up to the press box level, just a through and through Canuck. Whether he was playing, whether he was in the alumni suit, just a guy who represented what being a Vancouver Canuck means,” he said.

“This man would fight, bleed, do anything for this hockey team to win. He would do anything humanly possible to help the team win and protect his teammates. He would bleed for the logo and for that jersey and fans felt that and when you juxtapose that with how lovable he was, how likeable he was … how welcoming he was to fans, you couldn’t draw up a more ideal fan favourite that he was,” Sportsnet 650 host Sat Shah added.

Odjick was born in an Algonquin Nature Reserve just outside of Maniwaki, Quebec. He was seen by many in the First Nations community as someone to look up to.

Related Articles:

Dozens in B.C. rally to support terminally ill former Vancouver Canuck enforcer

Heartfelt ‘Gino Odjick’ song pays tribute to a Canucks hero

During his time with the Vancouver Canucks, Odjick was known for sticking up for his teammates and occasionally played on a line with Canucks superstar Pavel Bure.

Odjick was diagnosed with AL amyloidosis, a rare terminal illness that causes a gelatin-like protein to be deposited in the heart muscle, affecting the organ’s ability to expand and contract.

He wrote an open letter to Canucks fans after his initial diagnosis saying he initially thought he would have a few years to live, but added that doctors informed him he could only have months, or even weeks.

The cause of his passing has not been revealed. Odjick was 52.