Last summer, I had the privilege of interviewing Luc Bourdon for the first time. At that point, I had recently landed my gig with Inside Hockey and was just breaking into the sports journalism industry. It would have been easy for Luc to simply disregard my interview request and carry on with his summer, but it didn’t take me long to realize that an action of that sort wasn’t at all in his nature. Not only did Luc accept my request within mere hours, he accepted it with grace and dignity.

Luc was aware of my current state of affairs; he was aware that I was an inexperienced writer trying to establish myself in the industry; as a result, he did everything in his power to help me. The following are Luc’s exact words to me sent via e-mail the first time I ever interacted with him:

“Sup Farhan! yeah sure no problem dude ...just send me the thing by e-mail. I will do it ASAP! Take care ! Good luck in your career!”

Over the course of the last calendar year, his positive attitude towards me never changed when I approached him with an interview request. I soon became accustomed to Luc’s use of exclamation marks to express his enthusiasm and the “e” at end of several of his words, of course staying true to his French Canadian form. But to this day, I still find it difficult to grasp how someone in Luc’s position remained so genuine, considerate, and down to earth.

Luc Bourdon, the tenth overall pick in the 2005 NHL entry draft, was wishing me – a young journalist who he didn’t even know personally - good luck in my career. Luc Bourdon, the two-time World Junior gold medalist, not once declined my request for an interview. And first and foremost, Luc Bourdon always remained cheerful and welcoming in the process. It wouldn’t be a stretch to state that Luc Bourdon was the most approachable athlete that I’ve ever dealt with.

Furthermore, Luc always put thought and time into his answers. He didn’t give the rehearsed one-liners that journalists dread to hear – not that there would have been anything wrong with that – but he actually attempted to provide insight and clearly put some consideration into all of his responses.

At times, Luc Bourdon received some harsh and completely unwarranted criticism from the Vancouver Canucks faithful for his performance on the ice, but his character was never in question. It was fairly evident that Luc was making several positive strides with the Manitoba Moose of the American hockey League, and many believed – including myself – that he would become a constant on the Vancouver Canucks blue line, sooner rather than later. Luc was a true competitor and had a great passion for the game of hockey; though, he still valued his personal relationships and knew what was really important in life, as illustrated in this simple quotation he gave me at Moose training camp this season.

“It was a great experience. On the boat there was Brad Berry (assistant coach), Mike Brown and myself. We really had a good time. We caught a total of 40 fish but we had a blast, and that was the most important thing!”

Luc Bourdon knew the meaning of “a good time,” and no one can fault him for that.

I understand that all this may seem trivial at the time being, in comparison to what his family, friends, and teammates are going through. But my simple dealings with Luc Bourdon are an accurate reflection of his authentic personality, and that’s something that the general public should surely be familiar with.

Farhan Devji is the author of a hockey based novel, “The Hockey Farmer.” For more information, visit thehockeyfarmer.ca.tp.