legend Eddie Shack Has Entered Palliative Care For Cancer

Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for six National Hockey League teams from 1959 to 1975 Eddie Shack has entered palliative care for cancer. Shack is 83. He played on all four Stanley Cup teams under Punch Imlach in the 60’s.

This information was made known to the public by Hockey writer, Jeremy Ridgewell in a series of tweets he made this evening. The tweets reads below…

Sad news. Found out today that @MapleLeafs legend Eddie Shack has entered palliative care for cancer. Shack is 83. He played on all four Stanley Cup teams under Punch Imlach in the 60’s.

Sad news. Found out today that @MapleLeafs legend Eddie Shack has entered palliative care for cancer. Shack is 83. He played on all four Stanley Cup teams under Punch Imlach in the 60’s. pic.twitter.com/hRITv5wxhk

— 🇨🇦🍁 Jeremy Ridgewell 🍁🇨🇦 (@Jermz13) July 6, 2020

Shack was born in Sudbury, Ontario, in 1937, the son of Ukrainian immigrants.

He left his job as a butcher to try out with the Guelph Biltmores hockey club, knowing he could return to the trade if hockey did not pan out as a career.

Shack played junior hockey for the Guelph Biltmores of the OHA for five seasons starting at the age of 15. He had his best season in 1956–57, when he led the league in assists and starred in the Memorial Cup playoffs.

The New York Rangers signed Shack and assigned him to their AHL Providence Reds farm team for half a season. He made the NHL in the 1958–59 season and played two years for the Blueshirts.

In 1960, he was to be traded with Bill Gadsby to the Detroit Red Wings for Red Kelly and Billy McNeill, but the transaction was cancelled when Kelly decided to retire rather than accept the trade.