Breaking: Legendary referee Kerry Fraser diagnosed with incurable cancer

Sad news in the National Hockey League. Legendary referee Kerry Fraser has revealed on NHL.com that he has recently been diagnosed with a rare chronic blood disorder called essential thrombocythemia.

"It is an incurable cancer in the leukemia family, although in rare instances it can evolve into a related disease called myelofibrosis, or into acute leukemia,writes Fraser. That was a sucker punch in the gut that neither [my wife] Kathy nor I anticipated."

Fewer than one in 100,000 people in any year are diagnosed with ET. 

"I consider myself blessed that this rare disease was diagnosed before I had a stroke or heart attack. At 65, I was planning on living a healthy, full life for many more years."

"The NHL has given me a vehicle to help others with its Hockey Fights Cancer initiative. After 30 years as an NHL referee and seven years since my retirement, I still live and breathe hockey, but I've come to realize that people are more important than the game I love. The players, the coaches, the general managers, the officials, the security representatives, the off-ice crews, hockey operations, the vice presidents, the Deputy Commissioner, the Commissioner and the owners ... all one big family with wives, children and grandchildren of their own. As in all families, we have been known to battle ... the NHL and I, but I am proud to say I am part of that hockey community, that brotherhood, that family. We now stand together and fight for a common cause."

Our thoughts and support are with Kerry Fraser and his family.