A former hockey player in the QMJHL, turned singer, has died following a helicopter crash in northern New Brunswick.
Roberto "Bob" Bissonnette, 35, was flying with pilot Frédérick Décoste, and Quebec Capitales baseball team president Michel Laplante on Sunday afternoon when the crash occurred.
Bissonnette was a shareholder in the Quebec Capitales team, which is in the same Can-Am League as the Ottawa Champions.
He also previously played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as a member, and eventually captain, of the Hull Olympiques (now the Gatineau Olympiques) between 1998 and 2002.
He later became a singer, recording comedic songs about hockey. He published three albums between 2010 and 2014.
RCMP say the helicopter hit power lines in the community of Flatlands, along the northern border New Brunswick shares with Quebec. According to a Facebook post shared by Bissonnette on Saturday, the three men were headed to Caraquet, New Brunswick, on the northeastern coast. They were about 200km away from Caraquet when they crashed.
Bissonnette and Décoste both died in the crash, but Laplante survived with non-life threatening injuries.
The Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the crash.
The Capitales posted a statement to their Facebook page saying they offer their condolences to the families of the men, adding this would be the only comment on the issue for the time being.
The Ottawa Champions, who played the Capitales at RCGT Park on Sunday, tweeted their condolences as well.