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Former Red Wing player Shawn Burr passes away at the age of 47

August 6, 2013, 9:56 AM ET [3 Comments]
Mark Spizzirri
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Former Red Wing player Shawn Burr, known for his positive, laughter-filled personality which made him a fan and teammate favorite during his time with the Detroit Red Wings, died on Monday evening at the age of 47.

He had battled cancer in recent years, but passed away around 7:00pm ET on Monday night following a fall earlier in the day at his home in St. Clair, Mich., which caused massive brain trauma.

Burr had been diagnosed and battled leukemia in 2010 and founded the Shawn Burr Foundation to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Burr was drafted by the Red Wings seventh overall in 1984 (Mario Lemieux went #1). He would go on to play in 16 NHL seasons, 11 of which were in the Winged Wheel. He produced 181 goals and 259 assists for 440 points in 878 games.

Here is more on the life of Shawn Burr from Kevin Allen of the USA Today including quotes from Kris Draper, Chris Osgood and Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill.

In addition, renowned Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom provides some insight on why Burr was so beloved by the people he came into contact with.

Many members of the hockey community reached out via Twitter to express their condolences and provide some of their memories of Shawn. Here is just a snippet:






















It's that last tweet from Sheppard that resonates for me. Burr was so well-known in the hockey community for being a great guy and a funny, vivacious character, that it overshadowed how he is remembered as a hockey player. He was the quintessential glue guy in the dressing room. An important player on the roster who was talented enough to add offense, yet gritty enough to get under the skin of the opposition and make their life difficult.



Lastly, this fitting conclusion provided by Sarniasports.com on how Burr would like to be remembered:

In his President’s remarks from the Shawn Burr Foundation website Burr said this about himself “I’d like to be remembered as a guy who had fun and liked to joke around making people feel at ease. Most importantly, I’d like to be a guy who was remembered as a decent hockey player, but an even better husband and father. Like my dad and mom, I want to be a guy who helped out people who needed help.”

Burr is survived by his wife Amanda and two daughters.




Expressions of sympathy can be made to the Shawn Burr Foundation online at
http://shawnburrfoundation.org.


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