The coaches.

Keenan goes public with prostate cancer fight
Former NHL coach telling his story in effort to spread awareness about disease



Mike Keenan's fearlessness comes through as clear as the stern directions he used to give his players.


"So far, so good," the 68-year-old former NHL coach said at the start of a phone interview Wednesday.

Keenan has prostate cancer. The coach who led the New York Rangers to the 1994 Stanley Cup championship and won 672 NHL games, ninth all-time, was diagnosed in May and on Sept. 18 had a procedure called prostate brachytherapy, an implantation of seeds into the prostate that slowly dissolve, releasing radiation to kill the cancer cells.

He said he could have opted for a prostatectomy, the surgical removal of the prostate, or regular rounds of daily radiation treatments, but doctors at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, where he was treated, told him his cancer made him a candidate for the brachytherapy, a one-day treatment that uses needles to implant the seeds.

He's scheduled to have a checkup early next month to determine if any of the seeds dislodged from the prostate and if the cancer has spread.

"It's a positive prognosis because they caught it early and it wasn't extreme cancer," Keenan said. "It was moderate, and you can have less moderate or more extreme. For example, the procedure I did have, not everyone qualifies for it. If you're more advanced or you have a more extreme diagnosis than I had, most likely you have to have surgery to remove your prostate."

Keenan wasn't immediately sure if he wanted to go public with his disease, but he said the doctors at Sunnybrook urged him to tell his story in order to spread awareness. He started to do so in an article posted on TSN.ca on Tuesday.

"They encouraged me to go public, to use whatever platforms I could to help build awareness because they said men just don't talk about issues like this as women do," Keenan said. "I thought about it and I said, 'If I can turn a negative into a positive, I'd be happy to tell my story.' That's why I made the decision to go public, to just try to build awareness and be an advocate of an annual checkup, which is a simple blood test to monitor your prostate or any other health issues you might have."

Keenan's cancer was found through blood tests he has been getting annually since he was 45 years old. He said his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level had always been normal, but this year it spiked.

"So the doctor said we should get you tested, and that includes biopsies to see what's going on," Keenan said. "It doesn't necessarily mean that you do have cancer, but it's a warning. So I did have the biopsies done and they discovered cancer in my prostate.

"Shock is a strong word, so I would say I was more surprised because my levels had been great."

Keenan visited doctors in the United States and Canada to seek opinions and learn of his options. He eventually chose brachytherapy.

"It's a sneaky disease because I have all kinds of energy and had all kinds of energy before," Keenan said. "I had no idea. That's why I was surprised. I've got a pretty high level of drive in me, and I didn't have any symptoms whatsoever before. Even the day after, or the day of [the procedure], I said, 'Are you sure you operated on me because I don't feel anything, I have no pain.' "

 

BEST WISHES and God speed to you Iron Mike. Kick cancer's ass !

 

Here's Bovada's complete list of odds for most likely coach firings:

Todd McLellan, Oilers: 11/5
Guy Boucher, Senators: 12/5
Joel Quenneville, Blackhawks: 11/4
Jeff Blashill, Red Wings: 19/2
Randy Carlyle, Ducks: 19/2
Bob Boughner, Panthers: 20/1
Dave Hakstol, Flyers: 30/1
Mike Yeo, Blues: 30/1
Mike Babcock, Maple Leafs: 66/1

 

John Stevens fired as coach of the LA Kings.

Willie Desjardins hired as the new head coach.

 

Stevens wasn't even on the list last month.

 

I'm sure there was odds for his firing on a vegas book. Desjardins coached the nucks for three years.

 

i pray hakstol is next.

 

On the hot seat....

Randy Carlyle
Mike Yeo
Todd Mclellan

 

Blues fire Yeo, name Berube interim head coach...

After falling 2-0 to the Los Angeles Kings, the St. Louis Blues fired Mike Yeo, naming Craig Berube interim head coach late on Monday night.

This continues an astoundingly terrible November for NHL head coaches. Last season, there were no in-season firings across the league. Yeo now stands as the third head coach in November alone, following John Stevens and Joel Quenneville.

Considering that the Kings fired Stevens, you almost wonder if Willie Desjardins exchanged a knowing glance with Berube at some point.

Despite landing Ryan O'Reilly – who’s been absolutely fantastic in St. Louis – the Blues fell to 7-9-3, suffering their third shutout loss in four games. The Blues currently rest in last place in the Central with 17 standings points; only the lowly Kings rank lower in the West with 15.

Such a start simply wasn’t acceptable for the Blues, particularly after Yeo failed to take them to the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (NBC Sports)

 

Mclellan is next.

 

That didn't take long. McClellan is out. Hitchcock is in in Oiltown.

 

Opens the door for Q in St. Louis too.

 

Good stuff, they hired a heavyweight.

 

Captain Kangaroo, lol.

 

Cpt kangaroo has the say to kick it to PC.

 

Hextall was just fired and Hakstol was not at practice this morning. I pray JQ is coming to Philly !

 

Two fights in 25 games or so? Unreal, never thought he'd get fired for having a soft team.

 

he's getting fired for a lot of reasons. team being soft is one of them! my brother was a hextall supporter. when you don't win a playoff series in 5 years and now the team is near the bottom of the standings, your ass should be canned like tuna. see ya!

 

Fletcher to assess future of Hakstol on Flyers road trip
GM will evaluate coach, possible moves over next five games...



VOORHEES, N.J. -- Chuck Fletcher said he plans on using the upcoming five-game road trip to start evaluating potential moves as general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Fletcher who was hired Monday to replace Ron Hextall, said that includes coach Dave Hakstol and his staff.

The Flyers play the Columbus Blue Jackets at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, FS-O, NHL.TV) before beginning a five-game road trip with back-to-back games at the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. They then play the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks in a four-day span. (NHL.com)

 

^^the faster they remove this clown for the bench, the better. get JQ in there before the second 5 game road trip.