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QMJHL: Saguenéens’ Beauregard, overtime hero of last spring’s playoffs, facing surgery for thyroid cancer

neate sager

One couldn't have picked a better person to be a humble playoff hero last spring than Alexandre Beauregard — and now the 20-year-old Chicoutimi Saguenéens forward is in for the fight of his life.

There's been an outpouring of support on Twitter Monday night in the wake of the Saguenéens announcing that Beauregard, who scored the President's Cup-winning goal in double overtime last May for the Saint John Sea Dogs, has been diagnosed with cancer of the thyroid gland. Although relative survival rates for thyroid cancer are high, it's scary for the patient and his family and friends. Beauregard, whose Twitter account is @AlexBo125 if you want to send him a message, is putting a brave face on it, saying he's hopeful he can recover from treatment in time to rejoin Chicoutimi.

"The announcement was a shock, for sure. I do not think it is the end of the world, however. My goal is to return the game to help Saguenéens in the playoffs." (sagueneens.com, translated)

One hopes that Beauregard may draw strength from people being aware of his condition and supporting him. The recovery part that follows support for thyroid cancer surgery is pretty onerous. It involves restricted diets (to limit the amount of iodine in the body) and spending long stretches of time in isolation after ingesting radioactive thyroid pills.

By all accounts, Beauregard is a strong young person who's always been there for his teammates. Last June, six days after the Sea Dogs won the Memorial Cup in Mississauga, he gave a free Saturday to come to the QMJHL entry draft, help out at the Sea Dogs' table and also watch his 17-year-old brother, Mickael Beauregard, be drafted by Chicoutimi. (The two played together this fall before Mickael was traded to Gatineau.)

Alexandre Beauregard had to earn his way into the league as an undrafted free agent, but has become such an invaluable glue guy that teams have twice dealt away first-round picks to add him to their lineup, including Saint John last season. His never-take-a-shift-off style made him a fan favourite in Saint John last year and it kind of epitomized the spirit of their team that he was the one who scored the double-OT series winner in Gatineau last May 15. No doubt he will have a ton of support as he tries to make it back for some playoff hockey this spring.

(Special thanks: Nathan White.)

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet (photo: The Canadian Press).