Brian Boyle isn’t much of a scorer, but he managed to put one home when it mattered most.
The Devils hosted the Vancouver Canucks on ‘Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night’ on Friday and in the second period, Boyle completed one of the ‘feel good’ moments of the season. After Devils defenceman Will Butcher pulled off a beautiful deke, he found Boyle wide open in front of the net. The rest was history, as the 32-year-old put the puck home and capped it off with an incredible celebration.
That smile!
On September 19, 2017, Boyle released a statement announcing that he had been diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. He was able to make a full recovery and eventually returned to the Devils’ lineup after missing the first 10 games of the season. The veteran entered last night’s contest with one goal on the regular season that he scored against the Edmonton Oilers on November 9th. After his first marker, he couldn’t help but fight back tears.
The Boyles were invited to drop the puck ahead of the action so it was an all-around great night for the family. The Devils eventually won 3-2 and improved their record to 13-5-4 on the season. After the contest, fans erupted as he was named the first star.
It was certainly an emotional night at the Prudential center.
(H/T New Jersey Devils)
