Brian Boyle to Make Devils Debut After Leukemia Diagnosis

New Jersey Devils center Brian Boyle will make his season debut Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks, making his first on-ice appearance since being diagnosed with leukemia. 

Boyle, 32, announced in September he had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia during his pre-training camp physical. He was cleared for a return to hockey activities Oct. 22 and has practiced five times over the last week and a half. 

"I’m approaching it like I’m ready to rock here,” Boyle told reporters. "I’m getting my body ready. But again, there’s certain things I’m allowed to do and say, and there’s other decisions that aren’t up to me. I’m just doing everything I can, pushing it as hard as I can like I have been the last three, four weeks here.”

Boyle signed a two-year, $5.1 million contract with Devils in July. Coach John Hynes complimented what he would bring into the lineup earlier this week. 

"He’s also going to bring things that we don’t have,” Hynes said. "He's a big body, he’s very good centerman, he can kill penalties. He’s one of these guys, when everything continues to get ramped up as the season goes on, he understands how play over 82 games, and I think he can be a really big factor for us in many ways, and most importantly play some tough minutes in some tough situations.”

The 6'7" big body recorded 25 points last season, split with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.