On the ice, Derek Boogaard was intimidation personified. He made his name with his fists, first in the Western Hockey League and later in the National Hockey League.
But, away from the rink, the former Prince George Cougars forward was a six-foot-seven, 258-pound softy who would do anything for anyone.
"He was one of my best friends," former Cougar Devin Wilson said Saturday from New York, where he and Boogaard had recently purchased an upscale condo and were about to become roommates. "Anything you ever needed, he always wanted to go above and beyond what anyone else would do. He was always so helpful. He was just an amazing guy. There are not too many people that I've met in my life that are like him. He was the biggest teddy bear ever."
Boogaard, a Regina product who played for the Cougars from 1999 to 2001, was found dead in his Minneapolis home by family members on Friday night. He was 28 years old. An autopsy was performed Saturday, but the cause of death may not be known for weeks.
On Monday, see The Citizen and pgcitizen.ca for more.
