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This is so sad. I'm sure most hockey fans in here already know about this, but I'm posting it just the same.
Neilson loses battle with cancer
By Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com | June 21, 2003
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Roger Neilson, the Hall of Famer who coached more than a quarter century in the NHL, died peacefully Saturday at his Peterborough, Ontario home. He was 69.
Neilson, an Ottawa Senators assistant coach, was battling skin and bone cancer. His death was announced 90 minutes into Saturday's NHL Entry Draft at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. The large crowd, vocal throughout much of the afternoon, stood for a moment of silence to honor his memory.
"There is no way to measure accurately the number of lives Roger Neilson touched, inside and outside the hockey world, during his lifetime of devotion to the game," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "And, there is no way to measure our sorrow at the news of his passing today.
"Hockey has lost a great mind, a great spirit, a great friend. The National Hockey League mourns his loss, but celebrates his legacy - the generations of players he counseled, the coaches he molded, the changes his imagination inspired and the millions of fans he entertained."
It appeared only fitting that Neilson's passing came during the NHL's annual Entry Draft, an annual process of restocking the player pool. For all his accomplishments, Neilson was first, and foremost, a teacher of the game. His greatest joy came in passing his immense knowledge to the players he coached from his start with the Peterborough Petes, a junior team based in the Ontario Hockey League, to his many and varied stops throughout the NHL community.
Neilson coached for 10 different NHL teams - serving as a head coach at eight stops - to fill out one of the lengthiest resumes the game has ever known.
"He had a passion for the game," said legendary coach Scotty Bowman, who worked with Neilson in Buffalo nearly two decades ago. "Roger, you know, never married. He was married to hockey."
At the time of his death, Neilson was serving as an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators, a post he assumed three years ago.
During the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, Neilson served as an inspiration for the club as it battled to the Eastern Conference Finals before dropping a tough seven-game series to the New Jersey Devils, the eventual champion. His illness prevented him from travelling much with the club, and he missed a number of road games. But, he worked from his home, watching on television and phoning in suggestions to the coaching staff between periods.
His impassioned speech before Game 5, centering on the rareness of such opportunities at greatness and the need to capitalize on them when they are encountered, was credited by several players for allowing the Senators to erase a three-games-to-one hole against the Devils before dropping a 3-2 decision in Game 7.
In Neilson's accomplishment-filled career, he never won the Stanley Cup, although he did serve as a video assistant to the 1984 Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers, coached by current Ottawa General Manager John Muckler. His ability to break down video was so proficient that he earned the nickname "Captain Video."
"Probably the only sad part about it is that we weren't able to win the Stanley Cup for him this year," said Jacques Martin, the Ottawa head coach and long-time friend of Neilson. "That would have probably fulfilled his career."
Even without the Stanley Cup championship, Neilson had a pretty fulfilling career in a sport he cared for passionately.
He coached in 1,000 NHL games. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in November of 2002. He also recently earned the impressive Order of Canada from the Canadian government for his contributions to the country.
Despite the illness, which began with a diagnosis of bone marrow cancer in 2001, few were prepared for Neilson's passing Saturday.
"You are never prepared for something like this," said Muckler. "It's a sad day, obviously. Roger was a Hall of Famer in more ways than one. He was a good teammate and a real good friend. It's really tough.
"He's always been the type of person that just stands out. He is a wonderful friend and had a great hockey mind. He just seemed to make every day a little brighter when he was around. I think he was wonderful for hockey, an innovator and a good friend. I am just happy I had the pleasure of meeting him."
Neilson loses battle with cancer
By Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com | June 21, 2003
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Roger Neilson, the Hall of Famer who coached more than a quarter century in the NHL, died peacefully Saturday at his Peterborough, Ontario home. He was 69.
Neilson, an Ottawa Senators assistant coach, was battling skin and bone cancer. His death was announced 90 minutes into Saturday's NHL Entry Draft at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. The large crowd, vocal throughout much of the afternoon, stood for a moment of silence to honor his memory.
"There is no way to measure accurately the number of lives Roger Neilson touched, inside and outside the hockey world, during his lifetime of devotion to the game," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "And, there is no way to measure our sorrow at the news of his passing today.
"Hockey has lost a great mind, a great spirit, a great friend. The National Hockey League mourns his loss, but celebrates his legacy - the generations of players he counseled, the coaches he molded, the changes his imagination inspired and the millions of fans he entertained."
It appeared only fitting that Neilson's passing came during the NHL's annual Entry Draft, an annual process of restocking the player pool. For all his accomplishments, Neilson was first, and foremost, a teacher of the game. His greatest joy came in passing his immense knowledge to the players he coached from his start with the Peterborough Petes, a junior team based in the Ontario Hockey League, to his many and varied stops throughout the NHL community.
Neilson coached for 10 different NHL teams - serving as a head coach at eight stops - to fill out one of the lengthiest resumes the game has ever known.
"He had a passion for the game," said legendary coach Scotty Bowman, who worked with Neilson in Buffalo nearly two decades ago. "Roger, you know, never married. He was married to hockey."
At the time of his death, Neilson was serving as an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators, a post he assumed three years ago.
During the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, Neilson served as an inspiration for the club as it battled to the Eastern Conference Finals before dropping a tough seven-game series to the New Jersey Devils, the eventual champion. His illness prevented him from travelling much with the club, and he missed a number of road games. But, he worked from his home, watching on television and phoning in suggestions to the coaching staff between periods.
His impassioned speech before Game 5, centering on the rareness of such opportunities at greatness and the need to capitalize on them when they are encountered, was credited by several players for allowing the Senators to erase a three-games-to-one hole against the Devils before dropping a 3-2 decision in Game 7.
In Neilson's accomplishment-filled career, he never won the Stanley Cup, although he did serve as a video assistant to the 1984 Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers, coached by current Ottawa General Manager John Muckler. His ability to break down video was so proficient that he earned the nickname "Captain Video."
"Probably the only sad part about it is that we weren't able to win the Stanley Cup for him this year," said Jacques Martin, the Ottawa head coach and long-time friend of Neilson. "That would have probably fulfilled his career."
Even without the Stanley Cup championship, Neilson had a pretty fulfilling career in a sport he cared for passionately.
He coached in 1,000 NHL games. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in November of 2002. He also recently earned the impressive Order of Canada from the Canadian government for his contributions to the country.
Despite the illness, which began with a diagnosis of bone marrow cancer in 2001, few were prepared for Neilson's passing Saturday.
"You are never prepared for something like this," said Muckler. "It's a sad day, obviously. Roger was a Hall of Famer in more ways than one. He was a good teammate and a real good friend. It's really tough.
"He's always been the type of person that just stands out. He is a wonderful friend and had a great hockey mind. He just seemed to make every day a little brighter when he was around. I think he was wonderful for hockey, an innovator and a good friend. I am just happy I had the pleasure of meeting him."