BLAIRMORE, Alta. nfl jerseys china . -- NHL enforcer Rick Rypien never walked away from a fight and battled bravely to the end of a too-short life, his friends and family said at his funeral Saturday. A funeral for Rypien, 27, was held Saturday at the arena where he played minor hockey just days after his sudden death in his southern Alberta home. Close to 1,000 friends, family, fans and former teammates turned out on a sunny day at Albert Stella Arena in the Crowsnest Pass to say goodbye. An autographed blue No. 37 jersey from Rypiens time with the Vancouver Canucks and a poster from his days with the Western Hockey Leagues Regina Pats were part of only a few mementoes scattered among the bunches of flowers. Rypiens former Vancouver teammate Kevin Bieksa was one of the pallbearers. His cousin, former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, also attended the service. The program, with a smiling photo of Rypien in a blue Vancouver jersey, said simply, "Until we all meet again." He was found dead in his home in nearby Coleman, Alta. Police say his death was not suspicious. Rypien, who struggled with depression, had signed with the Winnipeg Jets this off-season after six years with the Canucks. His death came as a surprise to many who knew him and thought he had turned a corner. They said he was looking forward to playing for the newly relocated Jets. "We were all hopeful," said Canucks general manager Mike Gillis." We had thought at different times that he had turned a corner and we were making progress but then it would just happen again." "We had the ability to intervene. We had the opportunity over the past three years to try our hardest to do the best thing. I dont think theres an easy answer to this," he told reporters after the service. Jets assistant general manager Crag Heisinger knew Rypien from his minor league days with the Manitoba Moose. He was the one who signed the player to a one-year contract with the Jets for the upcoming season. "The system didnt fail Rick," Heisinger said. "Everybody did as much as they possibly could for him. He did as much as he possibly could for himself. "Its just nothing could be done at the end. At the end of the day if Ricks happier where he is today we should all be happy for him," he said. "Everybody faces challenges. Hes no different than anybody else. He fought them like everybody else. Its just in the end the demon depression won out." Rypiens family remembered him as someone who was gifted athletically but who put friends and family ahead of even his love for hockey. "My overwhelming question is, Why? How could this happen?" said his uncle Allan Rypien Jr. "He had a great family, great friends and a great job." Rypien said his nephew was battling a disease not unlike cancer. "He fought this disease with everything he had in him," he said. "If you knew Rick he fought with everything he had in him. Unfortunately, the disease won the battle." "Be thankful the battle he faced is over." Several hockey players, wearing Crowsnest Pass Thunder hockey jerseys, were among those who attended, as well as Vancouver teammates Craig Burrows, Aaron Rome and Mason Raymond. Rypien grew up in the scenic Crowsnest Pass, a coal mining area, and played much of his early hockey there. He was the second NHL tough guy to die in the off-season. Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard died in May due to an accidental mix of alcohol and the pain killer oxycodone. Many residents of the tight-knit community were angry at the media coverage of the event. A family friend demanded that reporters take their cameras and leave, saying people should "respect the man and not the NHL player". Heisinger said he was there to say goodbye to the man. "At the end of the day hes a fantastic person. Ill leave the player part out of it. The player part is one thing ... the person part is the other and it all starts with the people," he said. "Rick was a fantastic guy. Its unfortunate the ending it came too." Cheap Phoenix Suns Jerseys . Maybe he was a little tired Sunday night. Now the Miami Heat star will likely have more restless nights ahead before Game 2 on Wednesday night. James picked up two first-quarter fouls, had an off-night offensively shooting just 5-for-15, and the Heats defence became unglued in the second half Sunday night as the Bulls took control in a 103-82 victory. Cheap Los Angeles Angels Jerseys . -- The Canadian Womens Open golf tournament has secured a new sponsor. http://www.wholesalemlbcheapjerseys.com/ . So while the players are wowing the crowds at Scotiabank Place in Saturdays Skills Competition and Sundays All-Star Game, the cell phone bills of NHL GMs are likely going to spike in the next 31 days. wholesale jerseys . And this time, the left-hander got a victory for his complete effort. For the second time in his last four starts, Cecil went the distance against one of the American Leagues top teams, limiting the AL West-leading Texas Rangers to four singles in a 3-0 victory Sunday night for his first career shutout. nfl jerseys china . Hes just trying to make better pitches. Volstad gave up a three-run homer to Brett Wallace and remained winless in 23 starts, the Chicago Cubs 10-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.It will be headhunter Uriah Hall against underdog Kevin Gastelum for bragging rights in Season 17 of "the Ultimate Fighter." The two middleweight finalists, both from coach Chael Sonnens team, will meet Saturday night in Las Vegas in the live finale of the reality TV show. The winning fighter gets a contract to fight in the UFC and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Others from the cast will likely follow him given the UFC considers the TV show to be its minor league pipeline. In the taped episode that aired Tuesday night, Hall stopped Dylan Andrews by second-round TKO while Gastelum submitted Josh Samman. Both losers were from coach Jon (Bones) Jones team. The two coaches will meet at UFC 159 on April 27 in Newark, N.J. By virtue of sending two fighters to the final, Sonnen also wins a Harley-Davidson. Hall was the third fighter picked when the coaches chose teams. Gastelum was the penultimate at 13th. Hall, 28, has been a freight train all season. The Jamaican-born New Yorker had two highlight-light reel stoppages, knocking out Adam Cella with a spinning heel kick and flooring Bubba McDaniels with a punch. Both losers were on the canvas for a while. "This kid is the nastiest, deadliest, meanest, kid that we have ever seen in the history of TUF," said UFC president Dana White. "You are a contender for the (UFC) title," Sonnen told Hall after his quarter-final win over McDaniels. ";I spent five years in that weight class and youre a contender. wholesale nfl jerseys. " Andrews, the last fighter picked, came forward at Hall in a first round fought entirely on the feet. But Hall scored more and had the heavier kicks and strikes. Thanks to Halls jab, Andrews had a mouse under his right eye and a lumpy face by the time the round had ended. Hall rebuffed a takedown attempt in the second. His punches continued to take a toll, bloodying Andrews face. Andrews finally got Hall down about half through the round, but Hall worked for a kimura submission from the bottom and then starting striking from below. He suddenly reversed position and hammered down blows on Andrews until the referee stepped in with seconds remaining in the round. "My heart hurts more than my face does," said an emotional Andrews, a New Zealand native who lives in Australia. At 6-3, Samman had five inches in height and seven in reach on the 21-year-old Gastelum. But Gastelum had an advantage on the ground and made the most of it in the first round. That led to a rear naked choke, with Samman never really getting his game going. "Im just in shock right now," said Samman, the fourth pick who had not been short of confidence on the show. Arizonas Gastelum advanced to the final with a submission win over McDaniels, who returned to the competition via a wild card after losing, and knocked out Collin Hart. ' ' '