New Vancouver Canucks picking up where Sedins left off with off-ice work
The new era of Vancouver Canucks players are learning quickly what it means to be a Canuck. Daniel and Henrik Sedin were praised for their off ice charity work through their decorated careers, and the next wave of Canucks has picked up on that.
Bo Horvat was the right choice to be the next captain of the Vancouver Canucks for a multitude of reasons. One of those reasons is that Horvat is just, quite simply, a good person. You’ll rarely hear any fans talk about an unpleasant experience they had meeting Horvat in public, and that speaks volumes to his character.
The same can also be said of Brock Boeser, who, like Horvat, is someone that comes across as a good person. The Canuck Way’s very own Jacob Calvert wrote a piece detailing Boeser’s off-ice work and why that all plays into him being one of the most likeable Canucks.
Boeser’s father Duke had a life-threatening health scare over the offseason, but what you may not know is that it is yet another health issue in a long list for Boeser’s father, who was diagnosed with lung cancer back in 2017. It was a blood clot in his lung that triggered heart failure over the summer.
Patrick Johnston of the Province wrote an article detailing the tough hand Duke has been dealt in terms of his health. Back when Brock was in the seventh grade, Duke was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 49. Just two years after that diagnosis, Duke was T-boned by a vehicle that ran a red light, breaking his pelvis in three places, suffering a lacerated spleen, as well as further brain injury as a result of the collision.
Boeser has donated money to Parkinson’s charities in the past, but this season, Boeser is taking part in “Pucks for Parkinson’s”, where he’ll donate $1,000 for each goal he scores this season, with half of the money going to Parkinson’s charities in B.C. and the other half going to Minnesota charities.
It’s a cause that hits close to home for Boeser, and is one that he’s hoping he’ll be able to donate as much money to as possible. On top of Boeser’s charitable work, Bo Horvat and his wife Holly have made a generous donation to Ronald McDonald House, and have started up a program called “Horvat’s Heroes”, which will allow sick children staying at RMH BC to attend all Canucks home games this season.
When you learn from players like the Sedins about what it means to be a Canuck, you learn that it goes far beyond what you do on the ice. The Sedins were class acts in the community, and it’s good to see the next wave of Canucks following in their footsteps.