NHL player-turned-coach Kevin Dineen reveals he has pancreatic cancer

Canada head coach Kevin Dineen talks to his team during a break in the action against Switzerland in the first period of the 2014 Winter Olympics women's semifinal ice hockey game at Shayba Arena, Feb. 17, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Longtime NHL player-turned-coach Kevin Dineen says he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Dineen, who is 62, posted a message on social media over the weekend revealing the diagnosis.

“This Thanksgiving feels a bit different,” Dineen wrote on social media. “It has put a lot into perspective, most of all how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many supportive family and friends.”

A feisty winger during his playing days, Dineen skated in over 1,200 regular-season and playoff games with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets during an eras-spanning career from 1984-2002.

After a short stint scouting and working in management, he spent the next two decades behind hockey benches, including two-plus seasons as head coach of the Florida Panthers from 2011-13. He coached Canada’s women’s team to an Olympic gold medal in Sochi in 2014 after being a late replacement pick for the job.

Dineen has his name on the Stanley Cup as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015. He had most recently coached the San Diego Gulls and the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League.

“I wanted to share my news because hockey has taught me that no fight is faced alone,” Dineen wrote. “For anyone out there battling something heavy — whether it’s cancer or another fight entirely — I want you to know you are not alone.”

The Associated Press