The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Monday that Mario Lemieux will play Tuesday night in Philadelphia if there are no complications earlier in the day from his final radiation treatment for Hodgkin’s disease.
Lemieux will undergo the last of two low-dose radiation procedures at a Pittsburgh hospital, then fly to Philadelphia hours before the game. He completed four weeks of full-dose therapy last Friday.
The NHL scoring leader until as late as a week ago, Lemieux hasn’t played since Jan. 2, six days before learning he had cancer in one lymph node. Lemieux missed two games with a chronic back problem before the Hodgkin’s disease was diagnosed.
The return of Lemieux couldn’t come at a better time for the Penguins, who are 2-5-1 in their last eight games.
“You don’t want to put too much pressure on him when he returns,” said Penguins coach Scotty Bowman. “He hasn’t played in two months. But it will definitely pick up our team.”
Lemieux, 27, apparently has had few of the normal side effects-fatigue, nausea and loss of appetite-of radiation. He resumed skating only a week after starting his therapy and has practiced as many as four times a week.
