Darcy Rota’s scouting report on his former Vancouver Canucks teammate Mark Kirton includes “very special person,” along with “very special team guy.”

Kirton played six seasons in the NHL, including parts of three seasons with the Canucks. He had 17 goals for Vancouver in 1984-85. He was diagnosed with ALS ( amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ) — otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — in 2018, and became a champion to raise money for research to help find a cure. He was a board member of ALS Action Canada.

Kirton has died. He was 67. The NHL website recalled how Wayne Gretzky had called Kirton “a hero to me.”

“He was really solid defensively. He could chip in offensively. More than anything, he was a great teammate,” said Rota, 72, whose five-year run with the Canucks ended with the

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