NEWARK, N.J. _ Battling through chronic myeloid leukemia turned out to be the lesser of Brian Boyle's worries this season. The real sleepless nights, many spent at Boston Children's Hospital, came as he and his wife, Lauren, comforted their soon-to-be 3-year-old son Declan as he underwent repeated treatments for brain arteriorvenous malformation.
"I think a half dozen, at least," said the Devils center, trying to keep track of how many operations his son has undergone on his chin area. "He hates the place. It takes its toll. Right now, it's under control so it's not like a panic and I don't have to check my phone every 20 minutes."
Arteriovenous malformation is a tangle of arteries and veins in the brain that disrupts the normal flow of blood.
Right now, Boyle, 33, is doing what he likes best: Playing playoff hockey as the Devils head into Wednesday night's Game 4 of their first-round series trailing the Lightning 2-1 after winning Game 3, 5-2, on Monday night.
On June 20, Boyle likely will culminate a season that saw him play in his first All-Star Game by accepting the Masterton Trophy for dedication and perseverance at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas.
"That was quite an honor just to be nominated for that," said Boyle, who was treated for CML with medication rather than undergoing chemotherapy. "Everybody goes through stuff in this league, perseveres through something. But it'd be nice to recognize my wife. With everything that's happened this season, I don't know if I'm playing at all without everything she's done. She's carried quite a heavy burden."
The Devils signed Boyle, who helped the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 and the Lightning get to the Cup Final the following season, to a two-year, $5.5-million deal to provide leadership in the organization's rebuilding efforts. Boyle, centering the fourth line and contributing on both special teams, helped the Devils, last in the Eastern Conference the previous season, reach the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
In Game 3 at Prudential Center, Boyle, pressuring deep in the Lightning zone, was on the ice as the Devils scored their first home playoff goal since June 9, 2012.
"He's been a leader and he brings playoff experience," said Devils goalie Keith Kinkaid. "His story is tremendous, too, to overcome all that. He's so modest. He just does all the right things."
Boyle felt fatigued through summer and was sent for bloodwork upon reporting to Devils training camp on Sept. 15. Four days later, he held a teleconference to announce he had been diagnosed with CML. He wound up missing the season's first 10 games, but compiled 13 goals and 10 assists in 69 games during the regular season.
This despite commuting to Boston at times for his son to undergo treatment, sometimes not making it back to New Jersey until close to game time. He never accepted general manager Ray Shero's standing offer to take some time off.
"Every time I've gone, I've been really scared for his well-being," Boyle said. "Every time I've come back it's because we know he's OK. I would wait until he woke up, to see him. That's my first priority."
