Former Sabres forward Taylor Pyatt returned to the Vancouver Canucks today for the first time since the death of his fiancee in a car accident. He released the following statement:
"I would like to thank my teammates, coaches and the entire Canucks organization for their tremendous compassion and support during this very difficult time for myself, my family and the entire Bragnalo family.
"I would also like to thank the passionate fans of the Canucks for their support and the media who have given us the respect and time to grieve in private. I loved Carly very much. My family and I will forever miss her. At this difficult time for our families it is my wish to not speak about our loss publically. Thank you."
Pyatt has missed the past nine games, including Vancouver's first-round sweep of St. Louis. He may play in the next round.
"I had a chance to speak with Taylor yesterday and I think he's dealing with a lot of emotion and what everyone would deal with, after going through what he went through," GM Mike Gillis told Vancouver's TEAM 1040 AM. "But it's nice we have this break because we're hoping he can get back on the ice with our team and have a nice period of time to get back in the swing of things. Hopefully he'll feel better when he's occupied and around all our guys and has their support."
---John Vogl
