by Jes




Not too long after The FanHouse's Greg Wyshynski reported on the pressure Leafs winger Jason Blake faces after *gasp* not scoring a goal in his first three games, comes news that Blake has a much more serious issue to deal with: Cancer.


The diagnosis: Chronic myelogenous leukemia, an uncommon type of cancer. According to wikipedia, the longest survival time was 117 months. On a more positive note, The Mayo Clinic states that patients can live many years as long as they take (ever improving) chemo-like pill treatment. The complications, however, could end Blake's career early.

"This morning I shared with my teammates news that I was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia," Blake said on the team's website.

"It is highly-treatable, and I have begun taking a pill on a daily basis that has proven to be very effective in controlling this cancer. The prognosis, and certainly the expectations of my physician, myself and my family, is that I will live a long, full and normal life. This situation will not impact my ability to live my life as I otherwise would, and will not affect my ability to perform at my highest level for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I'm looking forward to my first season with the Leafs and helping our club compete for the Stanley Cup."

Well, this is certainly terrible news for Jason Blake and his family. Here is hoping that they idenfied it early enough, and that treament has improved enough, that Blake can manage the condition and live for many more years.

Labels: Cancer, human interest, Jason Blake, Maple Leafs

A feel good story for today.

A group of Ex-NHLers, including bruisers Tiger Williams and Bob Probert, beat up on some Canadian soldiers, 7-1, in a game of desert shinny.

Under a blistering sun, a group of Canadian hockey heroes faced off against Team Task Force, with hundreds of fans cheering them on. With the Stanley Cup on display, players like Bob Probert, Mark Napier and Yvon Lambert put on a show for the crowd, handling the squad of soldiers 7 to 1.

It was so hot that midway through the third period, goaltender Ron Tugnutt had an iced cappuccino delivered to him in the crease.

Legendary enforcer Tiger Williams was also up to his old tricks, taunting the referees and getting into a playful scrap with Cpl. Mike Loder of the 2nd Newfoundland Regiment.

Playful scrap? Even at Tiger's 'advanced' age, I wouldn't want to be messing with the guy.

Then again, the soldiers have been fighting against guys a lot leaner and meaner than Tiger.

You can view a full gallery over at Canoe.ca.

Labels: human interest

From the "Strange, but True" files...

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From CBC.ca:

Being beaten up during a hockey game may have been the best thing to happen to Saskatchewan referee Dale Neudorf.

If a player hadn't cross-checked him in the face with a hockey stick on Sunday and sent him to hospital, doctors may never have discovered the large tumour in his brain.

Doctors spotted the growth while taking an X-ray and a CT scan of Neudorf's brain to make sure he wasn't seriously injured in the on-ice attack near the northern community of Meadow Lake.

From Canada.com:

The concussion has left Neudorf with no memory of the assault at a recreational tournament on the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, a reserve about 350 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

The assault occurred during a game between Waterhen and Pelican Lake First Nations teams in a tournament that didn't allow contact.

According to a Pelican Lake player, who wishes to remain unnamed, Waterhen player Nolan Crighton, 21, was involved in several physical altercations and showed signs of inebriation throughout the game before Neudorf ejected him. Crighton responded with profanities and then used his hockey stick to cross-check Neudorf in the face with a force that drove his head into the boards, according to the player. Nolan is said to have then jumped on the unconscious referee and crosschecked him about four more times until other players pulled him away.

"I don't know if there's any part of me that's mad. People have to live with the consequences of the decisions they make," said Neudorf, who had refereed the player in minor hockey for almost a decade. "Holding a grudge doesn't do anyone any good."

Nolan's father Alan Crighton said his son is a known scrapper, but going after a referee is out of his character.

Crighton remains at-large despite an RCMP arrest warrant that includes charges of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.

So, was Todd Bertuzzi doing Steve Moore a favour by assaulting him from behind? 0_o

It's nice to see this story has a happy ending of sorts, but perhaps there should be steps in place to stop players from playing DRUNK.

Labels: human interest, referees, Violence

Here's today's feel-good story, snark free.

Story Link:

It had been nearly six years since Teemu Selanne had a hat trick. None have been more special than the one he had in the Anaheim Ducks' 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.

Earlier on Thursday, Selanne had a phone conversation with a close friend in Finland. The friend has terminal cancer and asked Selanne to send him the puck if he had three goals.

Selanne promised to oblige but warned the friend that he hadn't had a hat trick since March 29, 2001, in a game against the Ducks when Selanne played for the San Jose Sharks.

"Today he found out that the cancer has spread to his brain," said Selanne, who has 19 career hat tricks. "I don't think he has much time to live. So I told him if I scored a hat trick I'd keep the puck. I told him the odds weren't very good that it would happen. Obviously it was really a sad day today, but what are you going to do? Life is not fair sometimes."

Labels: ducks, human interest, Selanne

When I first heard the news about Phil Kessel and his testicular cancer, I got the same squeamish feeling that most guys probably got.

Pain + Groin Region = Major discomfort. Even talking about it or hearing about it causes me to shudder.

I mean, can a guy really read about how royal bodyguards in ancient China had to have their balls smashed with rocks so that they wouldn't go and play chase-the-snake with the princess without going 'oooooooohhhhhhhhh, man!' ?

You'd figure cancer would set a guy back for a long time, especially when it deals with such a sensitive area.

Low and behold, Kessel is already back practicing with his team.

Story Link:

Bruins rookie forward Phil Kessel returned to practice Wednesday only a few weeks after undergoing testicular cancer surgery.

Kessel participated in team workouts but avoided contact drills and said afterward he was feeling good about his progress. There is no set return date for Kessel, and he is expected to play Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"I think I can [play], but it's whatever's best for the team," Kessel told AP on Wednesday.

Kessel had the operation on Dec. 11 and had been skating with team trainers for at least a week. He does not require radiation treatment but will make routine visits with his doctors for physical exams and blood tests.

"I missed it, because I love to play hockey," he told AP. "I watched some of the games, but it's hard to watch when you want to be out there playing but you can't."

A month? It took only a month?

Was his cancer small? Are treatments that good? Was this a cover-up for a STD he got screwing around with Boston bunnies?

I would have never expected him to be back playing full-contact hockey in just a month. That's some speedy recoverin'

Labels: Bruins, human interest, injuries, Kessel