Brian Boyle Scores Emotional First Goal Since Leukemia Diagnosis

Center Brian Boyle got his New Jersey Devils a 1-0 lead with a goal early in the first period of tonight’s game against the Oilers. And it felt pretty damn good: because it ended a 29-game scoreless streak, sure, but chiefly because it was his first goal since being diagnosed with leukemia in September.

“I’ve never cried after a goal before,” he said when interviewed on the broadcast at the end of the period. “It’s a lot. It’s everything. Everything I talked about before the game… my wife, my kids, they’ve been through a lot too. It’s a good feeling.”

Boyle missed the first 10 games of the season after he learned of his chronic myelogenous leukemia diagnosis in September.