Brian Boyle: ‘I’ve never cried after a goal before’

Brian Boyle capitalized on his own rebound to score his first goal as a New Jersey Devil.

No matter where your hockey allegiance lies, everyone was rooting for Brian Boyle on Thursday night.

Five minutes into the first period of the New Jersey Devils‘ game against the Edmonton Oilers, Boyle put the puck past Cam Talbot to register his first goal since being diagnosed with cancer.

The on-ice celebration that followed was an emotional one, and the home crowd joined in for the special moment.

Boyle described that emotion during an intermission interview:

Boyle, 32, announced he’d been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in September and made his season debut with the Devils on Nov. 1—which also happened to be the first day of the NHL’s month-long Hockey Fights Cancer campaign. Chronic myeloid leukemia is a form of blood and bone marrow cancer that is being treated with medication.

Boyle registered his first point on Tuesday with an assist against the St. Louis Blues.

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