On December 29, I read a highly-suspect rumour in a Vancouver Canucks newsgroup I’ve frequented for years. It discusses how Dan Cloutier, the Canucks’ first-string and currently injured goaltender, had allegedly crashed into a couple of people and killed them in his black Porsche.
Yesterday, I’m sitting in a coffee shop in the lobby of an office tower. I listen to this middle-aged guy standing nearby talking on his cell phone. He’s apparently got a contact at or near Orca Bay (the company that owns the Canucks), and he’s calling her to find out what’s up. He says it’s actually a black Porsche SUV. He walks away before I can hear any more details.
Today I read retreads of the rumour over on The Vancouverite and Craig’s List.
The whole thing sounds incredibly dubious to me. I sincerely doubt there’s a shred of truth to it. It is notable, however, that nobody–not the media, not the police, not Cloutier or the team–has discussed it. Maybe they think it’s too flimsy to even remark upon. Given the apparent widespread nature of the rumour, I think it’s time for some low-level Canucks PR goon to come out and deny it to a local reporter. At least that’ll make it go away. Often the worst comment you can offer is none at all.
UPDATE: As it turns out, a PR goon did drop by The Vancouverite to categorically deny the rumours. Case closed.
UPDATE #2: The police have also issued a statement denying any connection between the accident and the Vancouver Canucks.
UPDATE #3: The matter can be completely put to rest, as police have arrested someone in relation to the incident.
DarrenBarefoot.com 
he doesn’t even drive a porsche suv!
Police have sent an email to reporters who ask about it — saying rumours are false.
I heard this same rumour when I was getting my haircut on the weekend… and I’ve heard it mentioned by several other people since. How did this start? Why hasn’t it gone away?
I can’t believe you have lended credence to this unsubstantiated “rumour” by posting about it on your blog and, in what seems to be a common habit in incestuous blogging circles, linked to other blogs that have also linked to you. The only reason the rumour won’t go away is because some anonymous troll posted about it a few times in the Canucks newsgroup and the usual bag of suspects, who are equally adept at posting about “rumours” such as the one that Armstrong didn’t really set foot on the moon, took it up and ran with it for a very short while. I guess this is proof that any sort of crap posted in the right way can get more publicity than it deserves.
Tradervik: You know, I debated as whether to post about this rumour. Ultimately, I decided to do so because:
* I’d heard it in four separate places
* It hadn’t gone away
* I’d heard nothing from official channels
* I work in PR, and thus have a professional interest in these phenomena
Now let’s consider the language that I used to characterize the rumour:
* “a highly-suspect rumour”
* “incredibly dubious”
* “doubt there’s a shred of truth to it”
Can you explain how I’ve misrepresented any aspect of this story?
I’m sorry if you’ve confused this with a professional media organization, but it’s just my weblog. I write about what interests me, and this interested me. Had I more time or inclination, I would have contacted Orca Bay for a comment, but I didn’t.
Happily, as you can read in my update above, Orca Bay responded to somebody else in this ‘incestuous blogging circles’ and gave an official reply.
If you read it on the internet, it must be true! Even if it says, “This isn’t true.” 🙂
You think so? Seriously?
There are still rumours in Montreal about Chris Chelios and Petr Svoboda being in a car accident a couple of days before the 1988 (!) playoffs. Here’s what an old Sports Illustrated said about it in 1990:
And anyways, when has a PR spokesperson ever lied, right?
MS
Hey DB, I heard the same rumour last night in the dressing room after we played hockey.
APPARENTLY: the accident took place on W. Pender and it was Cloutier’s Porche Cayenne SUV, though not confirmed he was driving. The rumour continued to add that Jovonovksi was with him in the vehicle and that it ran a police roadblock after the hit-and-run accident.
The rumourmeister continued and suggested that both players rumoured to be involved are not playing with the Canucks right now because of ‘injuries’ but also perhaps because the road trip was to the U.S. and they couldn’t cross the border. (This seems particularly dubious to me because Cloutier’s knee injury seems logically to be a continuation of chronic knee troubles, such as those that sidelined him in the last Canucks playoff series against Calgary.)
The last piece of rumour offered up was that the deal to send Cloutier and Jovo to the Florida Panthers for Roberto Luongo was scuppered by the accident. The deal was driven by 2 key items: the Canucks don’t think they can resign Jovo at the end of this season when his contract is up and his wife is from Florida and wants to return.
And hey, rumours are fun, that’s why we talk about them, that’s why we can and should post about them online – with all the required provisos, of course. There’s a reason why 25% of U.S.-newsstand sales are based on the top 4 celebrity gossip magazines – we like to talk and speculate.
I don’t think Darren’s up to anything untoward. More likely he’s thinking SEO. 😉
I happen to know the family of one of the victims, and they have been told by Vancouver cops that the vehicle was REGISTERED to Dan Cloutier, and not necesarily him driving. So there you go…and just cuz a PR guy from the ‘nucks says it didnt happen, does that make it case closed??? Dont think so!!
This rumour is the most malicious, untrue piece of information that I have ever heard. I am a close childhood friend of Dan & his wife, and was circling the web to see where this rumour is coming from. I can assure you that both Dan and Jovo’s injuries are due to hockey related consequences, just as they have been reported by the Canucks. Further more, Dan has never in his life owned, leased or rented a Porsche of any kind and was never involved in any accident. Before you post this garbage on the web, think about how absolutely damaging it can be.
Darren, I enjoy reading your blog because you often post intelligently about things I find amusing. Unfortunately, I think you and the local blogging community crossed a line with this item. Will we next see you commenting on a “highly suspect rumour” that Elvis Presley was seen in the Hotel Vancouver? How about an entry on the “dubious” Protocols of the Elders of Zion? While the former is a harmless lark, the latter is perpetuating a vicious slander not withstanding the weak disclaimer of “dubiousness”. Peoples’ opinions will differ, but mine is that the Cloutier rumour falls closer to the latter than to the former.
If there ever was any danger of confusing bloggers with professional news organizations, this is an incident that will do a lot to dispell that notion. Unfortunately, there are a lot of gullible fools out there.
As for my comment about the “incestuous interlinking”, it was not intended to be taken too seriously. However, it does seem to happen a lot and a lot of it does seem to be gratuitous.
Tradervik: I may write up rumours about Elvis or the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, if I hear them a lot. As I mentioned, I heard the Cloutier rumour from 4 different sources.
On December 29, I read a highly-suspect rumour in a newsgroup I’ve frequented for years. It discusses how the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a book that used to be sold by Walmart, had allegedly proved the existence of a Jewish conspiracy to conquer the world.
Yesterday, I’m sitting in a coffee shop in the lobby of an office tower. I listen to this middle-aged guy standing nearby talking on his cell phone. He’s apparently got a contact at or near Temple Sholom (a local synagogue), and he’s calling her to find out what’s up. He says Jews have already taken over the municipal government. He walks away before I can hear any more details.
Today I read retreads of the rumour over on The Vancouverite and Craig’s List.
The whole thing sounds incredibly dubious to me. I sincerely doubt there’s a shred of truth to it. It is notable, however, that nobody-not the media, not the police, not members of the Jewish community-has discussed it. Maybe they think it’s too flimsy to even remark upon. Given the apparent widespread nature of the rumour, I think it’s time for some low-level city call PR goon to come out and deny it to a local reporter. At least that’ll make it go away. Often the worst comment you can offer is none at all.
Yeah, it’s a harsh rumor, but if the police/investigators have spoken to the registered owner of the vehicle and know who was driving, why is this case just swept under the rug??? This driver killed 2 people. You’d think this would be a big deal and the driver would be in jail by now. oh ya, funny how Cloutier hasn’t been playing since when? nov 20th….
Yeah, it’s a harsh rumor, but if the police/investigators have spoken to the registered owner of the vehicle and know who was driving, why is this case just swept under the rug??? This driver killed 2 people. You’d think this would be a big deal and the driver would be in jail by now. oh ya, funny how Cloutier hasn’t been playing since when? nov 20th….
Tradervik: Well, now I’ve heard it in one spot.
Police will be announcing this week that key evidence puts Clouts behind the wheel. It’s a miserable situation, but people need to realise that their heroes and friends are human, can make life altering decisions, kill people, and should suffer the consequences.
i wish I knew someone important who could tell me these stories first hand… i thought that this story had some credibility, but i keep hearing this week we’ll know for sure. Its been a couple of weeks of this, so my question to you is when? anyone out there who’s not the friend of the guy who went to grade school with the brother of the person who was baby sitting the gold fish of the son of the pr companies janitor who was in the room next to 2 guys who might have mentioned Dan’s name while talking about a car that was black.
Who has the real story or is it that the real story is just so boring we have to make it up bit by bit as we go.
Unfortunately I’ve heard the ice-breaker with my own two ears. A close family friend of ours is Dans lawyer and it hurts to find out that this accident was indeed his fault. This is all I can say.
Hello
Last night on Vancouver Island a driver was involved in a hit and run, killing a pedestrian.
It made the news today (complete with name and charges).
The following is an article I wrote on the November accident.
Drinking & driving: smoking gun
On November 11th, 2005, Stanley Wong and John Larkin were gunned down by a speeding Porsche Cayenne on Hastings Street.
The vehicle had evaded a police road block moments before the accident.
In a cowardly fashion the driver did not stop. Instead, he abandoned the vehicle and retreated to a cone of silence with the other individuals involved.
Though the Vancouver Police Department know who the owner of the vehicle is – no charges have been laid. It is important to note: the vehicle was not reported stolen.
I find it atrocious. To put this into perspective, since the accident:
The Federal Government collapsed.
An election was called and full campaigns have been run.
During the same time frame, gun violence erupted across Canada claiming many lives. Some innocent. Some not so innocent.
Politicians took notice:
“We must get tougher on gun related crimes if we want to keep our streets safe and remain civilized.â€
In the meantime the accident remains unresolved. We’ve been left in a fog with the exception of unsubstantiated rumors being spread around the internet regarding a “high profile” public figure and his potential involvement.
What a travesty of epic proportions. Two lives came to an end that evening.
Why has it taken so long to lay charges and identify suspects?
Are they trying to get their ‘stories’ straight?
Is the driver of the Porsche any different than other gun-toting hoods?
I think not.
Sure, we must crack down on the societies real criminals, however, justice will not be served until we crack down on all crime.
Drinking and driving is not a mistake. Everyone who drinks has likely done it at least once. Hell, bus drivers have recently been caught driving drunk. We must stop the nonsense.
Unlike the gun-toting criminals of this world – who usually kill one another. Drunk drivers don’t discriminate. We’re all targets.
For the cowards involved in the Remembrance Day tragedy: Step-up and hold yourself accountable.
Whether you’re wealthy or of celebrity status, quit hiding, you took two valuable life’s in an instant. You owe it to their families, yourself and society to face whatever punishment may be heading your way.
You’ll likely get a second chance.
As for the rumours, stop it, it disgusts me that we are more concerned about the rumours than the senseless loss of life.
And, VPD, you owe it to the public to at least release the name of the vehicles owner. By doing so you’ll quash unsubstantiated rumours and show us that you can’t hide behind wealth and celebrity.
If you can’t tell us who had their finger on the trigger, you can at least tell us who’s gun they were holding.
Lindsay Wincherauk is a Vancouver based author. See his website at http://www.seedenterprises.com
The rumour about dan suv is getting mor and more truthful reliable source i know he somehow connected to the suv accident that kill 2 people .the police should release the name of the suv if the rumours were incorrect.
Yo dawgs i was just trippin about da insident. Is it really true? is that why the man had been playing so bad before he got hurt? Im starting to believe it may be true!
Yo dawgs i was just trippin about da insident. Is it really true? is that why the man had been playing so bad before he got hurt? Im starting to believe it may be true!
For sure Cloutier was somehow involved in this accident. Whether he was driving , a hooker , his mistress , boyfriend…whatever ! The fact that the media has gone hush on this is so obvious. I see alot of these PRO HOCKEY PLAYERS drinking it up around town then driving there high end vehicles home. I’ts just too bad he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. JUst fess up to it…are we ever going to get a response from the Canucks organization themselves ?
Dan’s best friends back home were killed in a car accident and he’s been dealing with that loss. Some how the story about his friends being killed and the Vancouver accident is crossed up.
Cloutier quit hiding a hooker, the driver of the Porsche.
It disgusts me.
You’ll likely get a second chance.
PRO HOCKEY PLAYERS drink it up around town then drive there high end vehicles to the games.
I knew the victim since he was young… there is lots of cover up involving the police that the media wouldn’t even think to touch. When’s the last time you heard from Cloutier? This rumor isn’t as farfetched as you think it is.
this hole thing is a hole bunch of crap.
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