SHIPPAGAN, New Brunswick (AP) -In the same rink where Luc Bourdon sometimes laced up his skates, the 21-year-old Vancouver Canucks rookie was remembered Monday as a role model for local youngsters.

More than 2,000 people gathered at Centre Rheal Cormier to bid farewell to Bourdon, who died last Thursday when his motorcycle slammed into an oncoming tractor-trailer near his family's home in Shippagan. He obtained a motorcycle license two weeks ago.

Rink manager Gilles Cormier said the Canucks defenseman often visited the arena to shoot pucks, making it a fitting place for his funeral mass.

Bourdon, who played a key role in Canada's gold-winning teams at the 2006 and 2007 world junior championships, split this past season between Vancouver and Manitoba of the American Hockey League.

On Saturday, Bourdon was remembered during a moment of silence before Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. His picture was flashed on the huge videoboard in Pittsburgh as players bowed their heads on the ice below.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.