Ron Duguay, hockey star who made impact on and off ice, dead at 69

Ron Duguay, who starred for his hometown Sudbury Wolves and became an immediate sensation on and off the ice in the Big Apple with the New York Rangers, has died. He was 69.

Shay Thomas, Duguay's daughter, said in post shared with her two siblings and Duguay's partner that the 12-year NHL player died Thursday "after a hard fought battle with cancer."

"Our hearts are broken. We love you forever Dad," said Thomas, who added that a celebration of life would be announced at a future date.

Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential candidate who was Duguay's girlfriend for at least the past four years, posted a bedside picture on social media on Oct. 18 holding his hand. "Prayers for Ron Duguay so appreciated," she said. 

Duguay told the New York Post in February that he had had Stage 4 cancer for about a year at that time, which had originated in the colon. Duguay's daughters Shay and Amber from his first marriage had started a GoFundMe to help their father fund treatment, which involved travelling to California from his Florida home.

Duguay appears with Mark Carney, then the Bank of England governor, at Trafalgar Square, London, for a 'Canada 150' celebration, on July 1, 2017. Janice Charette, then Canada's high commissioner to Britain, is also shown. (Matt Dunham/The Associated Press)

The Wolves held a Ron Duguay Appreciation Night on Sept. 30 to help with his health-care expenses. Wayne Gretzky, in a video message for the event, said he was pulling for the man who was his Canada Cup teammate in 1981 as well as with the Los Angeles Kings later that decade. Gretzky called Duguay a "great person, great family guy."

In a career that also saw him play with legends Phil Esposito, Steve Yzerman and Mario