Former NHL star Ron Duguay was found unconscious at home and rushed to hospital after suffering a fall that left him with severe facial injuries, his daughter revealed on social media.
The 69-year-old, who publicly disclosed earlier this year that he is battling stage IV colon cancer, fainted at his residence on Friday, July 24, and was transported by ambulance to a nearby medical facility.
His daughter, Shay Thomas, shared the news on Instagram alongside a video of her father being loaded into an ambulance. She wrote that he had been unconscious, injured several parts of his face, and knocked out a few teeth in the fall, adding that this time it was not from hockey.
Shay said that after extensive testing, doctors found Duguay was severely dehydrated and had been struggling to eat due to illness. Physicians also discovered varices, portal hypertensive gastropathy, internal bleeding, and an ulcer.
She explained that the cancer in his liver, combined with the physical toll of surgery, chemotherapy, and a hepatic pump, had caused severe pressure to build up inside the organ, which backed up into his stomach and caused internal bleeding.
Duguay remains in hospital receiving blood transfusions while medical staff monitor his condition. His daughter said he remains strong and positive and is trusting in God throughout the ordeal. In a follow-up message, Shay expressed the family’s gratitude to supporters.
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who has been closely linked with Duguay since 2022, has frequently been seen at his side during treatments, including in family videos showing her with him in hospital.
In February, Shay defended the family’s decision to launch a GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical bills, pushing back on assumptions about her father’s finances. She said the family decided they had to do everything they could, warning that failing to act could cost him his life.
Duguay played 12 seasons in the NHL from 1977 to 1989, making more than 860 appearances for the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Los Angeles Kings. Drafted 13th overall by the Rangers in 1977, he recorded 216 goals and 320 assists for 536 career points, with a career-high 40 goals in the 1981-82 season. After retiring, he worked for 12 years as an in-studio analyst for MSG Network before stepping away in 2018.
