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Veteran NHL player-turned-coach Kevin Dineen says he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Dineen, 62, posted a message on social media over the weekend revealing the diagnosis.
“This Thanksgiving feels a little different,” the Quebec City native wrote on social media. “It’s put a lot of things into perspective for me, especially how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many supportive friends and family.”
A feisty winger during his playing days, Dineen appeared in more than 1,200 regular-season and playoff games with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets during a career that spanned eras from 1984 to 2002.
After a brief period scouting and working in management, he spent the next two decades behind the hockey benches, including two-plus seasons as head coach of the Florida Panthers from 2011 to 2013. He coached Canada’s women’s team to an Olympic gold medal in Sochi in 2014 after being a late replacement for the position.
Dineen has his name on the Stanley Cup as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015. He had recently coached the San Diego Gulls and the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League.
“I wanted to share my news because hockey has taught me that no fight is fought alone,” Dineen wrote. “For anyone who is fighting something serious, whether it’s cancer or another fight entirely, I want you to know that you are not alone.”
