My condolances to Ivan Hlinka's family as well...
I remember when he first joined the Vancouver Canucks in the early 80s and played a couple of years here. He was popular here in part because he set the Canucks record for points by a rookie (later to be tied by Pavel Bure), and played on the team that went to the Stanley Cup Final in 1982.
In fact, both of Vancouver's Sports radio stations devoted considerable time to this story, with interviews with former Canuck Hlinka teammates (including Jiri Bubla & Tiger Williams) and even old interviews from Hlinka dug up from the archives.. Vancouver shares in your mourning. It is a sad day for hockey