Dale Hawerchuk undergoing chemotherapy treatment for stomach cancer

If there’s one legendary player from the past who doesn’t receive near the recognition that he deserves in the annals of hockey history, it’s Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk. The former 1st overall pick in the 1981 draft scored an outstanding 518 goals and 1409 points in 1188 career NHL games and managed to put together six 100+ point seasons. Incredible.

He was a skilled and tenacious forward who starred for the Winnipeg Jets in the 1980s and then the Buffalo Sabres in the early to mid-nineties. Hawerchuk would finish up he career with the short stints for the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers, as well. Hawerchuk was a battler in his NHL days, but he’s now facing the battle of his life as he undergoes treatment for stomach cancer.

In a one-on-one interview with TSN’s Rick Westhead, Hawerchuck opened up about his treatment and tells his fans that he intends to “live to tell the story.”

“The chemo has hit me pretty hard,” he said. “I do it one week and it breaks the body down and then the next week I take a break and build my body up so I can do it again. I have to do that for two months. I really struggle to eat and have a feeding tube, but the last few days I’ve been able to eat a little bit, too. You’ve got to keep your nutrition up.”

Dale’s wife Crystal believes her husband has the mental toughness needed to fight the awful disease.

“He’s just so himself and low maintenance and doesn’t have a big ego. He’s just such a good person,” she said. “Dale has always been a very focused person, very determined. He’s got mental strength today just like he had in hockey…I want people to know he’s helped so many people and so many kids and it’s terrible this is happening to him because all he has done is give back to the sport. There’s no better person in my life than him. He’s a very selfless person.”

Are we really surprised though? This is a guy who often willed his team to victory. Hawerchuk was always a “get on my back, I’m carrying us no matter what’ type player. Wishing him all the best in his fight against cancer.

For the full story, be sure to read Westhead’s interview below: