Rick Rypien issues apology for his actions against Minnesota Wild fan
Vancouver Canucks enforcer Rick Rypien finally issued an apology for his actions following an altercation with a fan a week ago. During a 6-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, 19
October, Rypien was involved in an altercation with Wild fan James Engquist after he had been sent off to the Canucks’ dressing room to serve a 10-minute game misconduct.
Although he was still serving out the term of his suspension, Rypien participated in Vancouver’s team practice on Monday, 25 October. He had not spoken about the incident until he met
with the media on Monday, where he issued an apology.
“It’s inexcusable, what I did,” Rypien said of his actions. “The decision I made at that moment is something I’d like to take back. At the end of the day, I want to learn from it and never
let it happen again.”
James Engquist, the fan involved in the incident, had been sitting behind the Canucks’ bench in the game. As Rypien was making his way into the tunnel, he noticed Engquist has been applauding,
and immediately saw it as a taunt. He reached up into the stands and grabbed Engquist aggressively, and the two exchanged some words before they were separated.
Rypien drew a six-game suspension as result of his actions. The announcement of the suspension was made official after a hearing with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday, 22 October.
The 26-year-old did not reveal what exactly had been said between him and Engquist during their brief altercation at the Excel Energy Centre, as he stated that it remain as a “private”
matter.
Rypien’s team-mates and coaches have all rallied around him, and Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault says that the team is ready to move on.
“I’m sure he told you he made a mistake,” Vigneault said. “We all do at one point or another. I know I have. He made a mistake, he apologized for it and we’re turning the page and moving
on. We have a lot of confidence in that young man.”
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