His death was ruled a suicide and had been preceded by a history of clinical depression, for which he had had two personal leaves of absence from the Canucks.

[2] During Rypien's second season with the Regina Pats, his girlfriend died in a car accident while en route to watch him play in Calgary.

[7][8] Undrafted out of junior, Rypien was contacted by Craig Heisinger, general manager of the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Manitoba Moose, in his last season with the Pats.

[8] He recorded a goal and an assist over eight regular season games with the Moose, then helped the team to the Conference Finals of the 2005 playoffs with no points over fourteen contests.

[11] Upon recovering, he was returned to the Moose and finished the regular season with 15 points (9 goals and 6 assists) in 49 AHL games.

[12] Competing for a roster spot during the Canucks' 2006 training camp, Rypien injured his thumb in a fight during a game against the Anaheim Ducks, sidelining him for two months.

In his first game back against the Colorado Avalanche on December 2, Rypien fought opposing forward Ian Laperrière.

[16] Rypien remained with the Moose to start the 2007–08 season, failing to make the Canucks' roster out of training camp.

In the 2008 Calder Cup playoffs at the AHL level, he went pointless in six games as the Moose were eliminated in the first round by the Syracuse Crunch.

Rypien appeared in all ten Canucks playoff games and recorded two points (both assists) while playing on the fourth line alongside Darcy Hordichuk and Ryan Johnson.

He recorded his first playoff point in Game 4 of the second round against Chicago, assisting on a Hordichuk goal with a spin-o-rama pass.

During a game against the St. Louis Blues on December 31, 2009, he was automatically ejected after a fight with opponent Cam Janssen revealed his hands were illegally taped below the wrist to support a sprained finger.

[24] Avoiding major injury for the first time in his NHL career, he recorded career-highs of 8 points (4 goals and 4 assists) in 69 games.

Before walking down the tunnel towards the Canucks' dressing room, Wild fan James Engquist called towards Rypien, "way to be a professional", while clapping.

[6] After having served his suspension, Rypien struggled to remain in the Canucks' line-up and was made a regular healthy scratch.

[32] The Jets were set to begin their inaugural season after franchise's Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Co-owner Mark Chipman recalled Rypien's signing as "one of the best days of [his] summer", adding that "Beyond the announcement of joining the National Hockey League…that's what really brought the [Jets' return] full circle".

[11] With the Canucks, he was a fourth-line forward, providing energy with his speed on the forecheck, aggression and fighting abilities – attributes that made him a fan favourite throughout his junior and professional career,[6][33] but also contributed to his injury troubles.

Upon arriving in Winnipeg, he publicly spoke about his absence, commenting that "doing the work I've done the last couple of months I've made a lot of gains as a person".

[35] A month and a half after Rypien signed with the Winnipeg Jets, a family member found him dead in his home in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta on August 15, 2011.

Jason Jaffray, a former Moose and Canucks teammate of Rypien's who had also recently signed with Winnipeg, expressed surprise at his death, explaining that while he was aware of his mental health, he felt he was "a new man and…the happiest [he'd] ever seen him.

[40] In the subsequent 2011–12 NHL season, the Canucks honoured Rypien with a ceremony before a home game against the New York Rangers on October 18.

[45] The project was of particular significance to Bieksa, who took an active role in it, spoke publicly about the troubles Rypien faced, and encouraged people to seek help on the matter.

[37] Rypien's legacy also continues through Hockey Talks, a league-wide initiative where teams dedicate one home game a year to discussing mental health.