The New Jersey Devils took a 1-0 lead over the Edmonton Oilers in the first period Thursday night, thanks to a goal from Brian Boyle.
As you can imagine, Boyle scoring his first goal since returning from a cancer diagnosis allowed him to unleash plenty of emotion during his celebration.
The goal was his first as a Devil and his first since Feb. 11 when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It was announced in September that Boyle, 32, was diagnosed with Chronic myeloid leukemia. After going through treatment, the forward returned to the New Jersey lineup on Nov. 1. He registered his first point of the season, an assist, during Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Blues.
“I’ve never cried after a goal before,” Boyle told MSG’s Deb Placey during the first intermission. “It’s a lot. It’s everything… These guys, my wife, my kids, they’ve been through a lot, too. My parents, my siblings, it’s a good feeling.”
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.