Some good news to deliver for a change: Dale Hawerchuk has taken a big step forward in beating stomach cancer.
According to his son Eric, the Hockey Hall of Famer and Winnipeg Jets legend completed his final round of chemotherapy and got to ring the “bell of hope” eight months after being diagnosed.
“We hope” this is the end of a long journey but he’s ready for anything,” Eric Tweeted Tuesday night.
Today my dad finished his final round of chemo Protocol in Barrie. Got to ring the “Bell of Hope” on his way out. “We hope” this is the end of a long journey but he’s ready for anything. Thanks to everyone who has reached out. Means the world to us.Thinking of you all #DaleStrong pic.twitter.com/4mP58YY3Ie
— Eric Hawerchuk (@EricHawerchuk) April 14, 2020
The 57-year-old Hawerchuk was diagnosed in August and was forced to take a leave of absence as head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts. In an interview with TSN last October, he said he began suffering from acid reflux symptoms in the summer and a CT scan found a tumor in his stomach.
According to Barrie360, he underwent a gastrectomy in January to remove his stomach, as well as a tumor and cancerous cells.
“For some reason the Lord put me in this kind of fight and I’m ready to fight it,” he told TSN’s Rick Westhead. “I want to live to tell the story.”
Hawerchuk, who scored 518 goals and recorded 1,409 points points during a 17-year NHL career, has been the Colts’ head coach since 2010.
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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.