In an article published in the Players Tribune, Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Shea Theodore revealed he was diagnosed with testicular cancer of the summer. He learned about the diagnosis after being drug tested at the recent IIHF World Championships.
The 24-year-old had successful surgery remove the mass. He says he made a full recovery and is on the team’s training camp roster.
“What happened to me really feels like a miracle.” @GoldenKnights defenseman @stheodore17 opens up about his battle with testicular cancer.https://t.co/aa64jldqgm
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) September 12, 2019
Shea Theodore Diagnosed with Cancer
Theodore was playing with Team Canada when he was alerted he tested positive for hCG. That hormone appears in pregnant women and is also a sign of testicular cancer. A blood test confirmed the results and he told his team via group text.
The Langley, British Columbia native had 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points in 79 games last season. He also added 20 penalty minutes. His Corsi for was 57.1 and he had a relative Corsi of 4.0.
He’s played for the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights during his four-year NHL career. Theodore has 23 goals and 60 assists for 83 points in 193 career games. Anaheim originally selected him in the first round, 26th overall of the 2013 NHL Draft.
The defenceman got traded from the Ducks to the Golden Knights at the 2017 expansion draft as part of a guarantee that Vegas would draft Clayton Stoner. Theodore signed a seven-year contract last fall.
“I don’t know how it’s possible, but during that expansion draft and our whole time in Vegas, our organization brought in first-class, quality human beings,” Theodore wrote. “Those guys mean so much to me, and I didn’t know how to talk to them about it.”
What It Means
Theodore has blossomed since coming to Vegas. He got double-digit goals for the first time last season and will be a fixture of the Knights defence.
He hopes this news will make men more aware about their health and get screened for cancer.
LAS VEGAS, NV – MAY 28: Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights is defended by Devante Smith-Pelly #25 of the Washington Capitals during the first period in Game One of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on May 28, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
