Gino Odjick's best friend describes the hockey legend's final hours

Tributes pour in for Gino Odjick One of the most popular players to ever wear a Vancouver Canucks jersey is being remembered as a powerful inspiration for Indigenous youth.

Gino’s Odjick’s best friend expected to receive messages of support and condolence from hockey fans after the former Canuck died, but he was overwhelmed and touched to receive thousands.

Peter Leech says the response is testament to Odjick’s popularity and the impact of his compassion on the people of British Columbia and the country.

“It just tells me how much he was loved,” Leech said from his Vancouver home. “Reading you know, all the things that I’m reading, sometimes it makes me a little emotional to be honest.”

Odjick, one of the Vancouver Canucks’ most beloved players, died Sunday of a heart attack.

Leech was with the 52-year-old in his final hours.

“We went through it a few times before, having to bring him back, and I thought maybe we could bring him back again this time, but unfortunately no,” said Leech, wiping away tears.

“I was just glad I was there, you know, with him at the end.”

The enforcer played 12 seasons in the NHL, not only with the Canucks, but New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Montreal Canadiens too.

He was well-known as a tough guy, a player who always had his teammates’ backs. But he also had soft hands and scored beautiful goals.

Off the ice, Odjick and Leech worked together to help youth in Indigenous communities across Canada by encouraging kids to never underestimate their potential.

“We really loved the work that we did,” said Leech. “It was like medicine for us, it really was.”

In 2014, Odjick let the public know he had been diagnosed with amyloidosis, an incurable disease that causes abnormal proteins to build up in tissues and organs.

He said his heart was hardening and doctors weren’t sure how long he would live.

Leech knew he would lose his best friend one day, but said he didn’t think it would happen so soon.