The Vancouver Canucks say one of the team's stars would not have accepted a helicopter ride with a convicted drug smuggler if he knew the man's past.

B.C.'s anti-gang task force contacted the team after Vancouver Sun reporter Kim Bolan shared a photo of right-winger Daniel Sedin posing beside Edward "Skeeter" Russell and his helicopter.

The photo was apparently taken on a scenic trip Sedin and his wife took earlier this month.

Russell was also recently on a trip in December when Canucks' Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi were flown to a frozen B.C. lake, although he was riding in a different helicopter.

CFSEU spokesperson Lindsey Houghton said the force reached out to the team so it could "advise their player‎ and take any actions they deemed necessary, such as taking any due diligence around associating with individuals with past involvement in gang/drug activity."

Russell was among seven men sentenced in connection to a large drug trafficking scheme which saw thousands of pounds of cocaine and marijuana taken through the Canada-U.S. border. He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in U.S. prison.

His brother, Michael Donald Amy, was shot to death in Surrey in 2015.

In an emailed statement to CTV News, Canucks president Trevor Linden said the players were unaware of Russell's background.

“Daniel, Bo and Sven share the highest character and integrity and were completely surprised to learn the background about the individual provided by the authorities. The arrangements for the trips were not made with him directly and any interactions were very minimal on the day. Had our players been aware of his apparent background, they would not have accepted the invitation,” Linden said.

After the Postmedia story was published, Russell shared the article on his Facebook page and said he felt bad for anyone that may have been "adversely affected" by his past actions.

"I acknowledge these past actions and have taken responsibility for the poor decisions I have made," he wrote.

"I have taken steps to live my life in a positive light and to become a productive member of the community. It pains me to see the past brought up and having it ruin what was such a special day for all involved."

Dozens of people have written messages of support for Russell on his Facebook post, many with the sentiment the helicopter pilot deserves a second chance.

"A man should not be judged on his actions from the past. A judge has already done that and time has been served," wrote Jody Blakeway.

"Every one of us makes mistakes."