NHL Player Rick Rypien Found Dead

Winnipeg Jets centre forward Rick Rypien, who signed with the Jets just a month ago, was found dead at his Alberta home on Monday. Police did not find any suspicious circumstances in the National Hockey League (NHL) player.

The 27-year-old forward had signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with Jets last month after spending six seasons with Vancouver Canucks.

"We are deeply saddened to confirm Rick's passing. We would like to express our sincere sympathies to the Rypien family as well as Rick's friends," a statement released by Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club said.

"Rick was a talented player with an extremely bright future. His hunger for the game made him a valued team member both on and off the ice. This loss has impacted us as more than just a hockey team," the statement added.

Rick in his 119 NHL games scored nine goals and seven assists with 226 penalty minutes. Rick served a six-game suspension following an altercation with a fan in Minnesota in last October.

Rick is the second NHL player found dead in last two months. In May this year, New York Rangers' Derek Boogaard was found dead in his Minneapolis Apartment. The autopsy reported concluded that the death was due to the lethal mixing of alcohol and painkiller Oxycodone.

A month later, Minnesota authorities charged Boogaard's brother with supplying the NHL player with controlled substance.