Rypien was to be the newest member of the Winnipeg Jets. (Wikimedia Commons)

A family member found Rick Rypien, 27, dead in his home in Alberta on Monday. 

Cause of death was not released, but it has been reported that there is nothing suspicious about his tragic and sudden death. 

Rypien had just signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Winnipeg Jets after playing with the Vancouver Canucks and the Manitoba Moose for six years.

He was also a cousin of Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien.

The young center will always be remembered for his gritty style of play, as he was the kind of athlete you wanted playing for your team – not against.  

Rypien’s death comes just months after another NHL player, Derek Boogaard, was found dead in his home in Minneapolis. The beloved 28-year-old enforcer died from an accidental lethal mixing of alcohol and oxycodone in May.

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